Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total cost of Trident renewal over the lifespan of the Successor-class submarines, including in-service costs and decommissioning.

    Earl Howe

    As stated in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, our latest cost estimate for manufacturing the four submarines of the Successor submarine programme is £31 billion, plus a contingency of £10 billion. This includes an assessment of the likely inflation over the lifetime of the programme and the risks appropriate for a project at this stage.

    Once the new fleet of ballistic missile submarines comes into service, we expect that the in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which include the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, basing and disposals, will be similar to the current system, at around six per cent of the defence budget.

    While we have no plans to replace the current Trident D5 missile, we are participating with our US partners in a programme to extend their lifespan to the 2060s. The estimated cost is around £250 million.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new measures she is implementing to encourage take-up of teacher training.

    Nick Gibb

    The latest published figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service show that teaching remains a hugely popular profession; nearly 28,000 people have been recruited to postgraduate teacher training courses in England in 2016/17, with several weeks of the recruitment cycle remaining.

    Our 2017/18 teacher recruitment marketing campaign will commence in the autumn and will feature a new television advert, alongside print, online and social media advertising. Forty recruitment events will take place across the country, and teaching will be promoted also at over thirty graduate fairs where our advisors will meet students, setting out the benefits of a career in teaching.

    To support recruitment in 2017/18, we will also be announcing a new package of financial incentives, including bursaries and scholarships to attract top graduates in priority subjects such as physics and maths, in early autumn.

    In addition, we are spending up to £67 million on a programme of measures to upskill the existing maths and physics teaching workforce, and increase the number of new maths and physics specialists entering teaching. This package aims to recruit up to 2,500 new teachers and upskill up to 15,000 existing teachers over the term of this parliament.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the Government plans to use regulatory powers to ensure that an adequate broadband service is provided.

    Matt Hancock

    The Government is creating a regulatory environment that supports the market in delivering world-class broadband services and has taken a number of steps to support this aim. As part of the Digital Economy Bill, we are introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation to be implemented by 2020. This will give everyone the legal right to broadband at a minimum speed of 10 Mbps.

    We are reforming the Electronic Communications Code to cut costs and simplify the process of building mobile and broadband infrastructure on private land. We are making permanent the relaxations in the rules for deploying fixed broadband infrastructure in all areas except Sites of Special Scientific Interest that we introduced in 2013. This will also cut deployment costs for communications providers and speed up broadband roll-out. Similar planning relaxations are being made in relation to the deployment of mobile infrastructure.

    As of 31 July this year, the Communications (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2016 gave rights to Communications Providers to share passive infrastructure across utility, transport and communications sectors which is designed to reduce the cost of broadband deployment.

    In addition, building regulations have also been amended to introduce a requirement from January 2017 for all new buildings, and major renovations, to include in-building physical infrastructure to support superfast broadband connectivity. The Government has also put in place industry agreements with developers for fibre connections to be made available to all new build housing.

    The Government continues to review the regulatory landscape to identify further opportunities for reform.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Leasehold Advisory Service about future demands on its services for free legal advice from leaseholders, landlords, professional advisers, managers and others as a result of expanding the right-to-buy scheme to Housing Association tenants.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We are working collaboratively with the sector in implementing the Right to Buy extension; Ministers and senior officials continue to engage with partners.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential for the UK to be a world leader in (a) production of, (b) use of and (c) research into autonomous vehicle technology; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of practice developed in autonomous vehicle projects and research in Sweden.

    Andrew Jones

    We recognise the transformative potential that connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies have for mobility and our transport system, and the significant opportunities that exist for UK industry in their development and commercialisation.

    That is why we are committed to the development of CAVs, maintaining and improving the UK’s world leading position. Together with industry, academia, and cities we are running trials of CAVs in four cities in England, and have plans for a connected corridor on a key route combining urban roads and motorways. We are also funding research into intelligent mobility focusing on connected and autonomous vehicles.

    The Government has also announced:

    – A £20 million collaborative R&D competition, match-funded by industry, to explore user behaviours, and how other road users will respond to these technologies.

    – A world-leading, Code of Practice for driverless cars to help make UK best place for testing without placing additional regulatory burden on industry.

    – A new joint policy team, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), which will act as a single point of contact for industry and co-ordinate/enhance government activity.

    There are a number of other countries, including Sweden that are trialling driverless vehicles. We will review outcomes of both the UK and international trials and take forward the valuable insights they will provide for policy development.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents of A&E departments diverting admissions to other hospitals there were in London in each year since 2010.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is not available in the format requested.

    The following data includes incidences of accident and emergency departments diverting admissions to other hospitals in London during the period April 2012 to December 2015.

    Total Hospital Redirects: April 2012- December 2015

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    2015-16

    April

    19

    32

    18

    9

    May

    10

    6

    6

    12

    June

    9

    16

    10

    6

    July

    6

    17

    8

    9

    August

    7

    4

    10

    7

    September

    10

    19

    13

    21

    October

    6

    25

    17

    21

    November

    24

    5

    8

    39

    December

    21

    13

    42

    29

    January

    36

    16

    17

    February

    22

    22

    16

    March

    31

    13

    14

    Source: NHS England

    Note:

    NHS England was formed in 2012. Therefore data are not available prior to this period.

    “

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22808, what Network Rail maintenance, renewal or enhancement works that were planned to be carried out under blockade the 2015-16 Christmas and New Year period were deferred.

    Claire Perry

    Detailed information of this kind is an operational matter for Network Rail.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether energy suppliers are obligated to report to the National Measurement and Regulation Office when a heat network is established or a lease is acquired.

    Joseph Johnson

    Under Regulation 3(2)(b) of The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 heat suppliers have a duty to notify the National Measurement and Regulation Office in relation to a district heat network or communal heating that commences operation after 31st December 2015, on or before the first date of operation.

    If a change of ownership occurs (or a lease is acquired) on a district heat network or communal heating that has already been notified there is no requirement to re-notify within four years of the date of the first notification submitted. If the network has not been previously notified, then the duty to notify applies.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has for the successor body to Health Education England for the commissioning for non-medical education.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government, through Health Education England, will retain the responsibility for commissioning and funding the minimum numbers of clinical placements assessed as required to produce sufficient healthcare graduates for the National Health Service.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Transport Committee since his appointment.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Attendance at Committee meetings is a matter of public record. Transcripts of appearances can be found in Hansard and on Committee web pages.