Category: Speeches

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations were made by the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise at the Pre Competitiveness Council on 29 February 2016, on the EC Circular Economy package.

    Anna Soubry

    My noble Friend Baroness Neville-Rolfe represented the UK at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council on 29th February 2016.

    In the discussions on the Circular Economy Package, the UK supported the ambition behind the Circular Economy Action Plan and stressed that action should be prioritised to ensure ambitious use of voluntary approaches and measures to improve the coherence between existing EU legislation and initiatives.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards realising receipts through the disposal of high-value Ministry of Defence estate in Scotland since the 2011 Basing Review.

    Earl Howe

    The receipts received by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through the disposal of parts of the MOD estate in Scotland since the financial year 2010-11 are shown below:

    Financial Year

    Disposal Receipts (£ million)

    2010-11

    4.09

    2011-12

    4.08

    2012-13

    1.32

    2013-14

    12.66

    2014-15

    0.92

    2015-16

    0.41

    Total

    23.48
  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what incentives her Department (a) is providing and (b) is planning to provide for (i) biomass and (ii) gas generation to create additional capacity.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Support is provided for biomass under a range of renewable financial incentives: the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in Tariff (FIT), Contracts for Difference (CfD) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RO closed to co-firing and conversions last year and any future support will be via CfD.

    The government announced it will hold three auctions for Contracts for Difference of up to £730 million this Parliament. Details of the future CFD allocation rounds will be published in due course.

    The Government confirmed increased funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in November 2015 as part of the Spending Review, with the annual budget rising from £430m in 2015/16 to £1.15bn in 2020/21.

    Getting new gas-fired stations built is a priority for Government and we are confident that the Capacity Market is the right mechanism to bring forward new capacity as older less efficient plants close. We have announced that we are going buy more capacity in December’s auction, tighten delivery incentives and bring forward the first capacity market delivery year to 2017/18. This should improve the chances of new gas (CCGTs, OCGTS and gas engines) capacity clearing in future auctions. Subject to a forthcoming consultation, closing unabated coal by 2025 will further strengthen investment signals for new gas. In addition, DECC is working with the planning inspectorate to arrange a workshop in June to explain how developers can use the pre-application project planning process to ensure applications for new gas plants are progressed as swiftly as possible.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the local management structure is of the NHS in West Sussex.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS Improvement advises that the following National Health Service organisations operate in West Sussex and each has its own management structure:

    ― Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust:

    https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation:

    http://www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk/your-trust/about/plans-strategies/

    ― Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.qvh.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/downloads/services/about-us.pdf

    ― Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/about-us

    ― South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx

    ― Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust:

    http://www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk/about-us/about-the-trust/

    ― Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG):

    http://www.coastalwestsussexccg.nhs.uk/about-cwsccg

    ― Crawley CCG:

    http://www.crawleyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG:

    http://www.horshamandmidsussexccg.nhs.uk/about-us/

    “

  • Lord Ramsbotham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Ramsbotham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the final report of the review of the youth justice system will be published.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The estimated total cost of the review of the youth justice system is £350,000. This figure is subject to audit at the end of the 2016-17 financial year and may change.

    Ministers are currently considering Charlie Taylor’s review of the youth justice system. The final report and the government’s plans for reform of the youth justice system will be published later in the autumn.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Scotland, HCWS282 whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the draft Wales Bill to include a requirement that the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government should not be abolished except on the basis of a decision of the people of Wales.

    Stephen Crabb

    Clause 1 of the draft Wales Bill reflected the equivalent clause in the Scotland Bill on the date of publication. The Government will consider carefully whether any changes to the wording of the Scotland Bill clause should be reflected for Wales in the Wales Bill

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress HM Revenue and Customs has made in recovering VAT and business rates from the shooting industry in the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs do not collect business rates. Information on VAT receipts by industry or trade is not held.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Transport on the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle.

    David Mundell

    I have remained in close contact with Ministers in both the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government since the closure of the West Coast main line between Glasgow and Carlisle. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, the hon Member for Devizes, visited the repair works at Lamington Viaduct with the Scottish Government Transport Minister on 8 January, and she and her officials continue to be in close contact with the Scottish Government and myself.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their strategy for rolling stock specifies the need for new diesel rolling stock to serve the rail lines not specified for electrification, and if so, how will they ensure that an adequate supply of new diesel rolling stock is manufactured and procured.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The success of the railways today, with additional services, greater passenger demand and significant Government investment, means that there will be a need for the future deployment of new or cascaded diesel units.

    We believe that the franchising programme delivers the best solution for bidders to specify rolling stock to meet the required outputs. A proportion of the available quality points from the franchise evaluation are dedicated to plans for rolling stock. This means that bidders have every incentive to look for solutions, including new, when providing trains for a franchise.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change the Cabinet veto over the release of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon Member to my Written Ministerial Statement of 1 March 2016 [Hansard reference HCWS566]