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  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.14 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, what the timetable is for the establishment of Defence Staffs in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The British Defence Staffs in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa will be established by the end of 2016. The exact timetable is under consideration. Once decisions have been made I will write to the hon. Member to inform him of the dates when the British Defence Staffs will be in operation.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which UK assets were supporting the USS Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf on 12 January 2016.

    Penny Mordaunt

    On 12 January 2016 HMS Defender, a Type 45 destroyer, was providing air defence to the US carrier USS Harry S Truman as part of her recent role supporting both the French and American carriers in the Gulf.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the financial health of the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company and its potential effect on the MARS programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) continues to progress the build of all four ships under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Tanker contract. The Ministry of Defence is aware of reports in the specialist press regarding financial losses reported in the shipbuilding industry, including DSME. We continue to closely monitor this situation with DSME, noting that this is primarily a matter for the company.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what incentives are in place to encourage major infrastructure projects to use steel manufactured in the UK.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government is committed to addressing any barriers that prevent UK steel suppliers from competing effectively for public sector contracts.

    The Government adopted new rules on public procurement last year to offer greater flexibility around social and economic considerations, alongside best value for money, in Government procurement activities.

    In line with this, all departments are required to implement new guidelines, which we published on 30 October, on how government buyers should source steel for major projects so that the true value of UK steel is taken into account in major procurement decisions.

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there are any circumstances in which Ministers are entitled to access corporate tax returns submitted to HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke

    No.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on proposed changes to the contracts of Experts by Experience.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and adult social care. The CQC is responsible for its own staffing requirements, including any decisions on contracts around the supplying of experts by experience for its inspections of providers.

    In line with Cabinet Office approvals processes, the Department:

    • gave approval for the CQC to invite tenders for the Experts by Experience programme; and
    • having sought and received clarification of the business case from CQC, approved the business case, to enable the CQC to proceed with finalising new contracts for Experts by Experience.
  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department plans to provide Transport for London (TfL) with Bus Service Operators Grant funding when the general grant paid to TfL is removed from 2018.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department has no intention of doing this. In addition to the grants provided by the Department for Transport, TfL receives around £800 million a year of funding through the Business Rate Retention Scheme, in which the Greater London Authority passes TfL an agreed share of locally retained business rates. This funding stream has, since 2013, included an amount to reflect the changes to the payment of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) that were introduced in that year. TfL will continue to receive this funding from 2018 onwards, alongside the investment grant provided by the Department.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 24092, whether the transport grant his Department provides for Transport for London (TfL) is included within, or is separate from, the general grant paid to TfL and the Greater London Authority.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    They are one and the same thing. Under section 101 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the Department for Transport provides an annual grant to the Greater London Authority, known as the GLA transport grant, for the purposes of Transport for London. In recent years the grant has had both a capital and a resource element to it, sometimes referred to informally as TfL’s “investment” and “general” grants. In 2015/16 the GLA transport grant amounted to a little over £1.5 billion in total, split between some £925 million of capital funding (TfL’s “investment grant”), and some £659 million of resource funding (TfL’s “general grant”).

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide support to local councils to ensure they protect deaf clubs for people seeking support and help in getting back to work.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government recognises the important role that councils play in supporting those who need additional help when seeking to get back into the workplace. However, as democratically elected organisations, local authorities are independent from central Government and are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities.

    This year’s Local Government Financial Settlement does provide a reasonable offer to local government, with a settlement which is essentially flat in cash terms, moving from £44.5 billion in 2015-16 to £44.3 billion in 2019-20. By 2020, when councils will be 100% funded by council tax, business rates and other local revenues, they will finally be fully accountable to their electorate for their financing, decisions and actions.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that councils do not discriminate against people for whom British Sign Language is their first language in the provision of council services.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The responsibility for providing appropriate support to enable meaningful communication with deaf people by local authorities lies with the local authorities themselves.

    All local authorities have a legal responsibility under sections 20 and 29 of the Equality Act 2010 not to discriminate against disabled people in the provision of services and to make ‘reasonable adjustments’, which means for example providing information in an accessible format to allow deaf people to have equal access to their services.