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  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether all projects undertaken in the new UK-China joint research and innovation centre will be subject to the (a) Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Joint Research and Innovation Centre (JRIC) is envisaged to be the subject of a commercial agreement between the National Nuclear Laboratory and the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation.

    These two organisations are still in the process of negotiating such an agreement and will need to consider details on the structures, funding, governance and accountability of the JRIC. As such, it is too early for Government to be able to comment on the outcomes of such a negotiation.

    We continue to maintain an interest in developments of these discussions and will work, where appropriate, with our counterparts in the Chinese government to ensure that outcomes are mutually beneficial to the research landscape of both nations.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on extracting potential oil reserves near the Falklands; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    A number of international oil and gas companies are involved in the current exploration around Falkland Islands waters which is expected to continue into 2016. The results of exploration will be announced at the appropiate time by the companies concerned.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what new departmental resources have been committed to support the UK-China joint research and innovation centre; which UK personnel have been appointed to this work to date; what process was followed in making those appointments; and where each such post was advertised.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Joint Research and Innovation Centre (JRIC) is envisaged to be the subject of a commercial agreement between the National Nuclear Laboratory and the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation.

    These two organisations are still in the process of negotiating such an agreement and will need to consider details on the structures, funding, governance and accountability of the JRIC. As such, it is too early for Government to be able to comment on the outcomes of such a negotiation.

    We continue to maintain an interest in developments of these discussions and will work, where appropriate, with our counterparts in the Chinese government to ensure that outcomes are mutually beneficial to the research landscape of both nations.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total expenditure was on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority between 2010 and 2015; and what the forecast expenditure is in each location on that authority in each of the next five years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The total expenditure on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) between 2010 and 2015 was £15,381 million. This was predominantly spent on front-line operations and decommissioning with a small central spend on the NDA itself and on activities such as R&D. The expenditure was across the NDA estate which covers England, Scotland and Wales. However, it should be noted that Sellafield, the UK’s largest, most complex and challenging site accounts for over half of the NDA’s annual budget. There are no nuclear facilities in Northern Ireland.

    TheDepartment’s request for future funding as part of the Spending Review contains details of the NDA’s estimates of expenditure in line with its existing plans. This includes focussing on tackling the highest hazards at Sellafield.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the announced reductions in feed-in tariff support will apply to existing contracts or new ones; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Any changes which we make to the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme as a result of the FIT review, which is currently open for consultation until 23rd October, will only apply to new applicants entering the scheme after the necessary legislation to effect the changes has passed through Parliament.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadhim Zahawi on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on (a) processing farmers’ 2015 Basic Payment Scheme applications and (b) tackling the challenges of getting information supplied by farmers in paper form back onto an online validation process; and what resources have been committed to carry out this work to date.

    George Eustice

    Good progress is being made on processing Basic Payment Scheme 2015 applications including capturing changes that were made on the paper forms along with any new requirements of the scheme onto the Rural Payments IT system. We currently have access to around 800 people to perform this processing work.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadhim Zahawi on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what effect the switch to a paper-based application system for the Basic Payment Scheme has had on (a) claim validation and the verification of claims and (b) the delivery of timely payments from 1 December.

    George Eustice

    The move to the paper based application approach for the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 has not had an impact on the validation and verification of claims and the Rural Payments Agency remain on track to make the majority of payments in December.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to introduce interim payments in cases in which there are delays in making payments under the Basic Payments Scheme.

    George Eustice

    The Rural Payments Agency remains on track to meet their public payment commitments. Full payments on the majority of Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claims will be made from December, within the payment window that runs between December and June. As such interim payments are not being considered.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the level of complexity of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme; if she will take steps to simplify that scheme; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Countryside Stewardship has introduced significant rationalisation with regard to its predecessors; integrating three legacy schemes into one. At the same time the number of environmental management options available has been reduced by 70% and the number of capital items by 20%.

    Most of the elements in Countryside Stewardship (higher tier; woodland and water capital grants) remain largely analogous to their predecessor schemes. However, the application process has been inevitably more complex than intended given the need for a paper based application system this year.

    The stricter EU control rules have resulted in greater reliance on record keeping and other documentary evidence to demonstrate compliance but we have already published guidance on the controls applicable to the scheme in order to clarify the requirements.

    We will evaluate this first year of the scheme and simplify it wherever possible.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the framework agreement between her Department and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

    Rory Stewart

    The Framework document between Defra and Kew is currently in draft. Defra and Kew are working in line with the draft Framework document, which sets out how the bodies work together but is not legally binding. Defra is looking at how it works with its arm’s length bodies and this may inform the finalisation of the document.