The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to appoint a new Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The process of identifying and appointing a successor Chief Executive will begin immediately.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect on investor confidence in the UK electricity generation market following the recent announcements surrounding the Renewables Obligation closure and reductions in feed-in tariffs.
Andrea Leadsom
We conducted an engagement exercise to better understand the views of stakeholders on the early closure of the Renewable Obligation to onshore wind. To protect investor confidence a grace period was proposed in June, and we have subsequently proposed amendments to this in response to stakeholder feedback over the summer. We consider this will strike the right balance between consumer and industry interests.
We also ran a consultation on changes to support for small scale solar projects under the Renewable Obligation and one on the feed-in tariff review. We strongly welcomed evidence from the sector during these consultations and we hope this will allow us to improve our understanding of the impact on jobs and investment.
The measures we announced are about getting costs under control, which is essential to provide the foundations for clean electricity investment in the future. We will still be delivering at or above the EMR Delivery Plan ranges and reaching at least 30% electricity generation from renewables by 2020. So we are still supporting a strong pipeline of projects that are bringing jobs and investment across the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish a Coastal Watch of volunteers who can work alongside police and other agencies to report unusual or suspicious activities in the UK’s harbours and ports.
James Brokenshire
National Crime Agency, police, and Border Force have established Project Kraken, an initiative aimed at increasing public vigilance on matters related along the UK’s coastal and maritime security. Project Kraken encourages the public to report any unusual or suspicious behaviour in harbours, ports and other maritime environments.
In addition, Border Force is already working closely with the National Coastwatch Institution volunteer network. The network use their expert knowledge of the maritime environment to spot and report unusual or suspicious activities along the coastline. Any such information is provided directly to the National Maritime Information Centre (NMIC) which is a cross-government organisation that is focussed on sharing intelligence concerning maritime security issues. Border Force is actively exploring similar arrangements with other maritime related organisations
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on the level of provision of adult social care in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19.
Alistair Burt
The new National Living Wage will ensure that lower paid care workers are better paid for the vital work they do.
The National Living Wage does not directly impact on the level of provision of adult social care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve teaching in schools on the risks of drug and alcohol abuse.
Edward Timpson
Effective drug and alcohol education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe.
Drugs education is a statutory part of the new national curriculum for science. Under the national curriculum pupils are taught about the effects of recreational drugs, including substance and alcohol misuse, on behaviour, health and life processes. Teaching in this area can be further strengthened through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
To improve the teaching of drugs and alcohol abuse, schools can access expert advice from the mentor-ADEPIS organisation on delivering effective alcohol and drug education in the classroom. The information can be found here: http://mentor-adepis.org
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Turkish government on the takeover of the Zaman newspaper and restrictions on press freedom and freedom of speech in Turkey.
Mr David Lidington
We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. As a friend and ally, we urge the Turkish government to uphold the right of media to operate without restriction. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. I also discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when I met Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 1 April (HL7086), why the Office for National Statistics Pink Book cannot be used to establish the UK’s gross and net contributions to the EU; what Government sources provide a more accurate picture, and why.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Data published in the Office for National Statistics Pink Book represent only those transactions that are administered by official bodies, in accordance with the European System of Accounts 2010 for the purposes of producing statistics on the UK’s balance of payments. These do not include all receipts from the EU. Table 3B, page 16, of European Union Finances 2015 (CM 9167) provides complete outturn figures, including receipts administered by public sector bodies and those received directly by beneficiaries. The difference between these, and other figures, are explained further in Annex B of the Treasury analysis of the long-run economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the proportion of farmers who have received (a) a payment and (b) full payment from the Rural Payments Agency under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015.
George Eustice
The Rural Payments Agency estimates that as of 22 May 2016, 86375 (99%) claimants have received a payment on their 2015 BPS claim. Of these 79,633 have received a claim payment; 6561 bridging payments; and 181 a manual hardship payment. There are a number of claims where processing has been completed successfully but they have not resulted in a payment for reasons such as the claim being under minimum claim size, or the Agency awaiting information on probate cases.
The Rural Payments Agency will continue to make full payments throughout the remainder of the payment window up to the end of June 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the construction of High Speed 2 from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The negotiation for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union will begin under the new Prime Minister, and we now have to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, the Department will continue to work to deliver the Government agenda, including HS2.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the most recent estimate of the population of Northern Ireland.
Baroness Mobarik
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.