Category: Speeches

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of variation in the availability of plastics recycling facilities in different local authorities in England.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government works with local authorities and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide advice and promote best practice on waste and recycling. The UK Recycling rate has increased from 11% at the turn of the century, to 44.9% in 2014. This progress is thanks in large part to the hard work of local authorities and householders towards recycling more.

    For 2015/16, local authority spend on waste services was approximately £3.5 billion, of which nearly £600 million was spent on recycling. In addition the Government, through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme, has allocated some £3 billion in grant funding to a number of local authority waste infrastructure projects. This funding has helped authorities to build waste treatment infrastructure including energy from waste, mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and material recovery facilities, as well as to implement household recycling collection services and communal recycling centres for plastics and other recyclable materials.

    Local authorities are best placed to decide on their waste recycling services and the range of materials collected, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and population. WRAP’s best understanding of collections being operated by local authorities in England as of June 2016 shows us that 99% of English local authorities offer a collection of plastic bottles while 72% offer collection of plastic packaging, pots, tubs and trays.

    I have asked WRAP to work with the waste sector, to look at the benefits and opportunities there are from having more consistency in the materials collected for recycling and in collection systems. This will help local authorities to identify value for money and to help householders recycle more and put the right materials in the right bin. This not only includes opportunities for local authorities, but also what others can do to support greater consistency and increased recycling.

    I am expecting WRAP to publish a framework for greater consistency in the summer.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had with those non-governmental organisations which receive funding from her Department since she took up office.

    Rory Stewart

    The Secretary of State has met a range of non-governmental organisations, including during her overseas visits. Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published as part of DFID’s quarterly Transparency return.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to (a) continue to take part in the European Arrest Warrant system, (b) remain signed up to the Europol Information System, (c) retain voting rights in Europol and (d) remain a member of the European Criminal Records Information System; and what measures are being taken to ensure that the UK can remain a member of each of those schemes once it has left the EU.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Prime Minister has made clear that law enforcement cooperation with our European partners will continue after the UK leaves the EU – we will do what is necessary to keep our people safe.

    We are exploring options for cooperation arrangements once the UK has left the EU but it is too early to speculate at this stage what future arrangements may look like.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to hospital trusts on the account they should take of the availability of transport links when making decisions on reconfiguring services across two sites; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS.

    NHS England has issued guidance on Planning and Delivering Service Change for Patients. As part of this guidance, NHS England specifies that: ‘Based on evidence and national clinical reference groups’ advice, commissioners need to determine the appropriate range of providers and interplay of key access requirements such as travel time.’

    All commissioners proposing reconfiguration must include an analysis of travelling times and distances in their Pre-Consultation Business Case. As part of the Best Practice Check guidelines issued by NHS England, commissioners are asked: ‘Has the travel impact of proposed change been modelled for all key populations including analysis of available transport options, public transport schedules and availability/ affordability of car parking?’ and asked to provide evidence of this through a travel impact assessment.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister at the UN climate change conference in Paris on 30 November, how much from the public purse has been allocated to Mission Innovation to accelerate clean energy investment and innovation.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government set out plans in the Spending Review to invest more in clean energy research and development over the next five years as part of Mission Innovation. By 2020/21 we will be spending in excess of £400m under Mission Innovation.

  • Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Hoyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steel produced in Britain will be used for the construction of the Type 26 Frigates and other vessels announced in the recent Strategic Security and Defence Review.

    Earl Howe

    As to the source of steel to be used for the construction of the Type 26 Global Combat Ships, I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement in the House of Commons on 20 January 2016 to Question 22739.

    The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cmd 9161) also announced that we will launch a concept stage for a new General Purpose Frigate, build two further Offshore Patrol Vessels and buy three new logistics ships to support the Fleet. As with the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, it is too early to say from where the steel for these programmes will be sourced, but a range of UK suppliers and others will be invited to bid and provide steel for these programmes.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) reconnaissance, (b) combat and (c) other missions were flown by RAF aircraft over Iraq in the last 12 months.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The number of reconnaissance, combat and other missions between 1 February 2015 and 1 February 2016 are detailed in the table below. The majority of aircraft flying missions in Syrian airspace will have flown over Iraqi airspace as well. Reaper, Tornado and Typhoon are multi-role aircraft and as such can be deployed in both a combat mission and a reconnaissance mission. Other missions have been defined as those involved in the transportation of people or equipment.

    Syria

    Iraq

    Reconnaissance Missions

    435

    906

    Combat Missions

    64

    699

    Other

    0

    484*

    *This figure does not include C17, which is estimated to have flown two missions a month in the period in question. The records for C17 are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review eligibility arrangements for the teacher’s Pension Scheme to enable supply teachers to participate in that scheme.

    Nick Gibb

    The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations currently provide for supply teachers to participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. These are local authorities (LAs), academies and further education colleges. This includes supply teachers who are recruited by a supply agency but then employed directly, under a contract of employment, by the scheme employer.

    Where supply teachers are self-employed or remain employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a ‘contract for services’, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role, including remitting contributions to the scheme.

    The Department does not plan to review these arrangements and considers that it is for employers and teachers to determine how supply teachers are employed, which can in turn enable access to the TPS under the current arrangements.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on part two of the Leveson Inquiry.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry, including the appeals process, have not yet completed. We‎ have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations the Government has made to the European Commission on provisional implementation of the EU-Canada trade agreement.

    Anna Soubry

    The EU–Canada Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) will deliver jobs and growth for the UK, with independent analysis suggesting the deal could be worth up to £1.3 billion per year to the UK economy.

    We expect CETA to be a “mixed” agreement, covering areas of both EU and Member State competence. In this case, the EU Council could decide to provisionally apply the parts of CETA which fall within EU competence. The Government supports this approach as it will allow the UK to benefit from provisions such as reduced duties on imports and exports as soon as possible. This has been discussed with the European Commission on a number of occasions, most at the Trade Foreign Affairs Council that took place in Brussels this month. The Council will negotiate which provisions of CETA should be applied provisionally by the EU once the final text has been received.