Category: Speeches

Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to work with local authorities and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to improve air quality in West Yorkshire.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

We are aware that local authorities have a crucial role to play in improving air quality across the UK. The Government is already taking a number of steps to support them in this role.

The national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide, published in December 2015, sets out a comprehensive approach for meeting air quality challenges by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones in five cities in England, one of which is Leeds. The Plan combines targeted local and national measures, forming part of a wider approach that exploits new and clean technologies, such as electric and ultra-low emission vehicles.

We have allocated funding to help Leeds City Council implement the Clean Air Zone and are working closely with City officials on its development. Delivery of the Clean Air Zone will also take account of the need to work closely with related authorities and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Local authorities additionally have a duty to evaluate local air quality against standards set by the Government. They designate air quality management areas (AQMAs) at locations where these standards are not met and take remedial actions to improve air quality at these locations. Six local authorities in West Yorkshire – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and York – have declared AQMAs and are implementing remedial action plans to improve air quality in their areas.

Defra introduced regulatory and guidance changes in 2015 to provide better and clearer guidance to local authorities on local air quality management to enable them to improve air quality in their areas and achieve better health and environmental outcomes.

Defra supports local authorities through the Air Quality Grant Scheme, a competitive fund they can bid into to support local action to improve air quality. Details and criteria for this year’s scheme will be available later in the year.

01/01/2023
Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Kenyan government on the attack of 6 October 2016 carried out by Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera County.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK government condemns the tragic loss of life during the Al Shabaab terrorist attack in Mandera, Kenya on 6 October. We have expressed our regret to the Kenyan authorities. The UK and Kenya have a shared interest in tackling terrorism, and we are committed to supporting the Government of Kenya and building capacity to counter this shared threat.

01/01/2023
Jim Dowd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students have enrolled on English language courses at further education establishments in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) the London Borough of Southwark and (d) the London Borough of Bromley in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles

Adult skills funding allocations to further education providers are published on the Skills Funding Agency website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2015-to-2016

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2014-to-2015

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2005-to-2013

Funding to further education providers for learners aged 16-18 is provided by the Department for Education.

Information on the number of learners participating in English and maths courses by geography from 2005/06 onwards is published in a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release at the FE Data Library (second link). Information on the number of learners participating in further education and skills by geography from 2005/06 onwards is published in a second supplementary table (third link).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/382085/englishandmaths-participation-by-geography-learner-demographics.xlsc

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fe-data-library

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/378262/feandskills-participation-by-geography-learner-demographics.xls

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01/01/2023
Khalid Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total amount of capital spending per capita by Highways England was in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands Metropolitan County and (c) each region of England from 2009-10 to the most recent financial year for which information is available.

Mr John Hayes

The majority of the capital investment made by Highways England (and the Highways Agency prior to April 2015) is in large schemes that cross city, county and regional boundaries. Data cannot be meaningfully collected on this basis.

However, for the purpose of national transport statistics, spend is apportioned between regions using an established estimation process and is published up to the financial year 2013/14 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/transport-statistics-great-britain in the series of tables TSGB0717 / RDE0101.

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01/01/2023
Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s report, Universal Credit Extended Gateway Evaluation, published on 6 December 2015, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report’s finding on page 13, that 37 per cent of people claiming universal credit felt that their claimant commitment took account of their personal circumstances.

Priti Patel

The report shows that 85% of people claiming Universal Credit thought the Claimant Commitment took into account all or some of their personal circumstances. Of that, 37% thought that all of the requirements in their Claimant Commitment took into account their personal circumstances and an additional 48% felt that some of the requirements of their claimant commitment took their personal circumstances into account.

Universal Credit is having a positive impact on claimants’ movements into work. Other recently published research, ‘Estimating the Early Labour Market Impacts of Universal Credit’, demonstrates that UC has a substantial impact on the chances of people moving into work after they make a new claim. UC claimants were 8 percentage points more likely to get a job within 270 days of claiming than equivalent new claims to JSA made at the same time in similar areas by similar individuals.

01/01/2023
Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is an approved Final Business Case for the £600 million of further design work proposed for the Successor submarine programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

In line with normal Ministry of Defence processes, a business case for the additional investment referred to in the Strategic Defence and Security Review is going through the formal approvals process.

Options for the subsequent investment stages, including scope, time and cost are currently under consideration.

01/01/2023
Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ensure that all standards explicitly linked to the Renewable Heat Incentive are non-commercialised and publicly available to all relevant parties who may wish to offer services related to the implementation of that initiative.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department is currently working with industry to establish the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as a legal entity. The accessibility of MCS standards referenced in the RHI regulations will be considered as part of that process to ensure that those standards which are mandatory for the purpose of the RHI remain publicly available.

01/01/2023
Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of tax revenue lost due to the illicit trade in tobacco in each year for which data is available.

Damian Hinds

Estimates of tax revenue losses associated with illicit tobacco are published every year. The latest estimates, for the years 2006/7 to 2014/15, are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates 2014-15’.

This can be accessed via the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates

HM Revenue and Customs makes no other estimate of the value of the illicit tobacco trade.

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01/01/2023
Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for how long the proposed apprenticeship levy vouchers will be valid.

Nick Boles

Levy funds will expire 18 months after they enter an employers’ digital apprenticeship service account unless they are spent on apprenticeship training. This will also apply to any top-ups in the account. Expiration will take place automatically, but an employer’s digital apprenticeship service account will let them know in good time when any funds are due to expire so that the funds can be spent if the employer wishes to do so.

01/01/2023

Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bed days were lost due to delayed transfers of care in Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in 2015.

Alistair Burt

In 2015 there were 11,907 delayed transfers of care at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Month	Number of delayed transfers of care (days)
January 2015	1,194
February 2015	1,047
March 2015	958
April 2015	824
May 2015	916
Jun 2015	1,098
July 2015	1,139
August 2015	1,089
September 2015	861
October 2015	1,017
November 2015	975
December 2015	789
Total	11,907

Source: Delayed transfers of care, NHS England

01/01/2023