Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Telford (Lucy Allan).
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the compliance of internet suppliers of nitrous oxide with their obligations under the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) 2016, which came into force on 26 May 2016, repealed the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985. The PSA makes it an offence to offer to supply psychoactive substances and that includes advertising substances for sale on the internet. Since commencement of the PSA, action has been taken by law enforcement bodies to prevent such substances being sold by UK-based websites.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans the Government has to ensure that the views of (a) the new West Midlands combined authority and (b) other such combined authorities are represented during negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by David Jones
We have pursued a wide-ranging programme of engagement, including two visits by DExEU Ministers to meet local businesses in the West Midlands, since the Department was created in order to build a national consensus around our negotiating position.
We are speaking to a wide range of organisations, including combined authorities, to establish their priorities and understand their concerns. These discussions will inform our negotiating position.
We will ensure that all views are reflected in the British Government's analysis of the priorities and opportunities for the UK as it exits the European Union.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating people who have inhaled nitrous oxide in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Data on the costs to the National Health Service of treating people who have inhaled nitrous oxide in the last 12 months is not collected centrally. No assessment of such costs has been made over the last 12 months.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths attributable to the inhalation of nitrous oxide.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will consider reclassifying nitrous oxide as a controlled substance.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We have no plans to reclassify nitrous oxide as a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Under the Psychoative Substances Act 2016, it is illegal to supply nitrous oxide if the drug is likely to be consumed for psychoactive effect.
In March 2015, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reported that it did not consider that the harmfulness of nitrous oxide warranted control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. If there were increasing evidence about the harmfulness of nitrous oxide, we would approach the ACMD for an assessment of whether the substance should be included under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress the Government has made in accepting into the UK from other EU countries unaccompanied children claiming asylum from Syria.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France. Approximately 200 of these children met the criteria for section 67 of the Immigration Act.
Under section 67 of the Immigration Act in France, we considered all those aged 12 and under, all children referred to us by the French authorities assessed as being at a high risk of sexual exploitation, and those nationalities most likely to qualify for refugee status in the UK, aged 15 or below, including Syrian nationals. All children, including Syrian nationals, who have close family in the UK were considered for transfer under the Dublin Regulation, regardless of age or nationality.
More eligible children will be transferred from Europe, in line with the terms of the Immigration Act, in the coming months and we will continue to meet our obligations under the Dublin Regulation. The process and criteria for the transfer of children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate the Church Commissioners have made of the potential cost of repairing historic windows in churches.
Answered by Caroline Spelman
It is extremely difficult to assess the potential costs of repairing specific elements of churches. Often the exact nature of the work to be done is not known until a detailed assessment has been made, something which in itself costs money. Windows are especially vulnerable to wind and weather, as well as isolated cases of vandalism and accidental damage to the glass. Along with roofs they are key areas that must be maintained in order to keep the buildings in use. Stained glass is particularly valuable and unusual – indeed it is the only type of art that also keeps the rain out. The Church of England is aware of a number of local projects to restore and repair windows in the Dudley area, one of the most recent being at St Marks Church, Pensnett, where an appeal for £33,000 was launched by parishioners to restore the masonry around the chancel windows.
The Church of England does not use its limited resources to assess potential costs in detail because any such survey would be out of date as soon as it was complete. Issues such as available grant funds, availability of specialist contractors and scaffolding, as well as the time of year all affect potential costs. What we do know is that the cost of maintaining these beautiful windows is often more than an individual parish can cover. We are grateful to the Wolfson Foundation, Pilgrim Trust and Radcliffe Trust who all work with our own specialist conservation committees to award valuable grants to churches for works such as repair of stained glass. The www.churchcare.co.uk/churches website provides more information on how to apply for these along with a list of recipients from previous years.
The London Stained Glass Repository part of the Glaziers Foundation is also a good location for churches looking to replace damaged windows ot install new windows. The Repository rescues good quality glass & seeks to find new homes for it. Stained glass which is under threat from building closure or vandalism is brought to the attention of the Repository, usually by the Church Commissioners.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the potential effect of the Autumn Statement 2016 will be on the budget of the Scottish Government.
Answered by Simon Kirby
The Government’s decision to invest in infrastructure at Autumn Statement 2016 will see the Scottish Government’s capital budget increase by over £800 million in the years through to 2021. This equates to a rise of almost 25% in real terms relative to 2015/16 levels. The Scottish Government will be able to use this significant increase in capital funding to take its own decisions to boost productivity and growth in Scotland.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for modern slavery.
Answered by Robert Buckland
We have the strongest legal framework in place including the Modern Slavery Act, which came into force in July 2015. The Law Officers are supporting the Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Modern Slavery, and the CPS continues to see a year on year increase in the numbers of prosecutions.