The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of starter homes that will be wheelchair accessible.
Brandon Lewis
Starter Homes like all new homes, will ahve to meet Building Regulations’ access requirements which ensure reasonable provision for people to gain access to and use, the dwelling and its facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 March (HL6737) about the Community Engagement Forum, why they were unable or unwilling to provide a definition of the word community”.”
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Oxford English Dictionary defines community as ‘a body of people who live in the same place, usually sharing a common cultural or ethnic identity’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address the pay gap between women and men with vocational qualifications.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Whilst girls outperform boys at school, many still do not choose paths that lead to careers in the highest-paying professions. We know that occupational segregation is a cause of the gender pay gap, and the Government is taking action to address this. Eliminating the gender pay gap is a key priority for this government, and that’s why we are encouraging girls to consider a wide range of careers through the independent ‘Your Life’ campaign, and guidance called ‘Your Daughter’s Future’, which helps parents support their daughters’ subject and career choices.
Last year 53% of apprenticeships were started by women and the number of women starting apprenticeships in engineering and manufacturing, which carry a significant wage premium, has more than tripled since 2009.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Culture and Digital Economy of 23 May 2016, Official Report, column 371, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that will not request broadband access under the broadband universal service obligation.
Mr Edward Vaizey
We do not yet have a specific estimate for the future take-up under the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). Once in place the USO will act as a safety net giving homes and businesses the right to a fast broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps where superfast broadband is not available. Superfast broadband is available to 90% of premises, up from 45% in 2010 and roll-out will continue when the Government’s target of at least 95% superfast broadband coverage by the end of 2017 has been met. The Government is committed to reinvesting funding to extend superfast broadband to as many rural homes and businesses as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-07-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the cumulative effect of introducing a general sugar tax in addition to the soft drinks industry levy.
Jane Ellison
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is a bold step towards tackling childhood obesity. It is a signal to the food and drink industry that the Government is willing to take action to help cut sugar intakes.
Public health experts have widely identified sugar-sweetened soft drinks as a specific, major factor in childhood obesity. There are no current plans to extend the levy to other foods or drinks, or introduce a general sugar tax.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 5695, on Defence Fire and Rescue Service pensions, what progress has been made in discussions with the trade unions.
Mark Lancaster
Her Majesty’s Treasury is reviewing the Enhanced Effective Pension Age and Effective Pension Age for Ministry of Defence Police Officers. We have since been advised that this review extends to Defence Fire and Rescue Service personnel. We are anticipating a decision by 30 November 2016. This means that discussions with the trade unions are on hold until the review concludes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal support his Department is giving to infrastructure initiatives in East Suffolk.
Greg Hands
The Government has committed to invest £100bn in infrastructure over the course of this Parliament. There are 31 projects and programmes in the East of England in the National Infrastructure Pipeline, which include the energy, transport and waste sectors. The Pipeline is a strategic overview of the level of public and private infrastructure investment planned over the rest of this decade and beyond. These projects and programmes have a total capital value of more than £6 billion, of which more than £2.5 billion is public spending.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account was taken of the analysis in his Department’s 2014 report Global Strategic Trends, published by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre on the future context for defence and security to 2045 when preparing the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.
Michael Fallon
Throughout the Review, including the preparatory phase, we considered the 2014 Global Strategic Trends report to inform our priorities and the context of the decisions made in the final Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will request that Southeastern Trains and Network Rail explain the reasons for disruption to services at London Bridge on 4, 5 and 6 January 2016; and if he will publish the responses of those organisations to that request.
Claire Perry
Network Rail has informed me that problems with signalling equipment caused delays to some Southeastern services via London Bridge on 4, 5 and 6 of January. On the morning of 4th January, a track circuit failed near Cannon Street. On the evening of 5th January a track circuit failed on the line to Charing Cross and Network Rail was not able to rectify the fault until the morning of the 6th.
Network Rail and Southeastern worked together to ensure the issues were rectified as quickly as possible and passenger disruption was minimised.
I remain committed to ensuring disruption is kept to a minimum while we continue the vital Thameslink Programme works to improve capacity and reliability through one of the busiest rail routes in Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Royal Air Force Airbus A400M cost from development and approval to the end of 2015.
Mr Philip Dunne
Since being approved in 2000, the cost of the UK A400M Atlas acquisition programme to the end of 2015 has been £1,402 million.