Category: Speeches

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the Farming Recovery Fund, and how much has been paid to farmers to date.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Farmers affected by the recent flooding in Northern England will be able to apply for between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of work to restore damaged agricultural land.

    The scheme is due to open for applications on 18 December and we will pay out on all eligible claims.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assistance the Government has given to the Libyan government for training Libyan army personnel.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We welcome the recent progress towards the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya. We are considering, with partner nations, how we can best support a Libyan Government once it is established, including capacity building and security sector reform.

    We are also training two Libyan Officer Cadets who are due to commission from Sandhurst later this year after successfully completing their training programme in the UK which started in April 2014.

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23331, what the average cost for each participant of the National Citizen Service has been in each year of its operation.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers value for money and the most recent independent evaluation demonstrated that for every £1 spent on NCS it generates up £3.98 of social benefits. The table below shows the average cost per NCS participant calculated as part of the published independent evaluation for each year of operation:

    Year

    Average cost per participant

    2011

    £1,553

    2012

    £1,700

    2013

    £1,570

    2014

    £1,538

    2015

    Figures will be made available in the NCS 2015 evaluation report, which will be published in due course.
  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 8 July 2013 on introducing a reward scheme for civil servants in his Department, what estimate he has made of the total value of rewards awarded to date.

    Brandon Lewis

    Of the 40 ideas submitted only 4 were rewarded with vouchers amounting to a total cost of £150.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government for which projects and for what reasons the Highways Agency has requested an additional £140 million funding.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    £140m was allocated to Highways England to complete schemes which had not been included in the five year road programme detailed in the Road Investment Strategy.

    The funding was used to complete the ‘pinch point’ programme, Dart Charge implementation, as well as the completion of various small improvement schemes.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional funding will be provided to support further education students who have to travel further to access education as a result of colleges merging.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Future college mergers will tend to be decided through area reviews of post-16 education which are focused on meeting the needs of learners in each area. Area reviews, because they are overseen by steering groups including Chairs and Principals of colleges as well as local authorities, are well placed to ensure decisions are taken which are in the interests of local further education students, taking into account travel to learn distances. The steering group’s recommendations will always be based on the best available evidence, including an analysis of local economic and educational needs, and the mapping of current curriculum provision and travel to learn patterns.

    As well as being members of area review steering groups, local authorities have statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for 16- to 19-year-olds. We expect local authorities to make reasonable decisions about the support they offer based on the needs of their young people, local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available. Authorities will need to take account of the recommendations arising from each area review and the impact on transport for learners. Local authorities fund any support they provide for transport to post-16 education through the grants they receive from national government and through generated income, such as council tax.

    Most 16- to 19-year olds have access to a discount or concession on local travel, from their local transport provider, their local authority, or from their education or training provider. The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund is also available to support young people with the costs associated with attending education or training, and transport is the biggest single area of expenditure for which this fund is used.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much electricity has been generated by Teesside Wind Farm in each year since it opened.

    Jesse Norman

    The Teesside Offshore Wind farm has generated the following amounts of electricity in each year since it opened;

    2013 (July to December):

    79,405 MWh

    2014

    121,808 MWh

    2015

    210,057 MWh

    2016 (January to March)

    57,729 MWh

    This information is publically available on the Ofgem website at:

    https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0.

    “

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Amazon’s testing of parcel delivery by drone has begun; and what arrangements have been agreed for safety, insurance and data protection during this trial.

    Mr John Hayes

    Amazon is currently testing a developmental‎ drone delivery system in the UK, within a defined and contained test site area on private land. Trials involving customers are not part of this testing. Prior to the current trials starting, an operational safety case was assessed and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, which ‎took into consideration the risk and mitigation of damage to other aircraft and infrastructure in the test area. The trial is designed in compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what distinction they draw in issuing visas between Israeli citizens who live in Israel and those who live in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    All applications for visas, entry clearances and leave to enter at the border are considered against the criteria set out in the published Immigration Rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules) regardless of the applicant’s nationality or where they live.

    A variety of factors may be taken into account when considering the application, but that would depend upon the applicant’s personal circumstances and what they had applied to do in the UK.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has to move away from the funding per qualification model for adult learners as set out in the HM Treasury report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    Over time the further education funding system has become complicated, with a lengthy set of rules about who and what can be funded. We plan to significantly simplify this funding system and at the same time increase local influence over the skills system so funding can be used to best meet local economic need. A key part of this simplification is to decouple funding and qualifications, freeing up providers and in time local commissioners to deliver the learning required to meet the skill needs of local economies and to maximise the benefit to local communities. We will include more detail on this in the Skills Funding Letter for 2016-17.