Category: Speeches

  • John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the grant per property was for new affordable housing under the National Affordable Housing Programme, by region, in each year since the inception of the Programme.

    Kris Hopkins

    Average grant allocated per property for the National Affordable Housing Programme, which operated from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by Homes and Communities Agency operating area, is set out below.

    Operating area

    2008/09

    2009/10

    2010/11

    East and South East

    £42,692

    £45,165

    £39,793

    London

    £83,376

    £89,381

    £72,092

    Midlands

    £40,961

    £40,005

    £41,942

    North East, Yorkshire and the Humber

    £39,392

    £37,113

    £42,744

    North West

    £44,519

    £42,060

    £44,484

    South and South West

    £45,284

    £49,430

    £47,273

    Source: Homes and Communities Agency

    Since 2011, the new Affordable Rent model allows for new affordable housing to be delivered with a lower grant cost to taxpayers.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of amending the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 on the number of house fires.

    Michael Fallon

    BIS is currently exploring options for a revised match test in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. It will not have a material effect on the fire safety of UK domestic upholstered furniture, but could lead to a small overall decrease in house fires as it will include currently unregulated materials in products which can contribute to the ignitability of furniture. The test will also reduce the levels of flame retardant chemicals in UK furniture. These contribute to smoke toxicity when burned and can have adverse effects on human health and the environment when they break down into constituent parts. These changes should bring savings to the industry of £30-50 million a year.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much in income tax relief was added to the personal pensions of higher rate taxpayers in 2013-14.

    Mr David Gauke

    Figures for 2013-14 are not yet available.

    The latest available estimates (from 2011-12) of the number of people receiving income tax deductions for their personal pension contributions and the value of deductions by different income levels can be found in Table 3.8 at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/276037/tables3-1_3-11.pdf

    “

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-04-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of building information modelling in reducing the total cost of ownership for complex infrastructure assets; and if he will make a statement.

    Danny Alexander

    The 2011 Government Construction Strategy set a target that all publicly procured construction will require fully collaborative 3D Building Information Modelling (BIM) (with all project and asset information, documentation and data being electronic) as a minimum by 2016.

    Infrastructure UK is working closely with the government and industry groups implementing BIM on new projects. Early adopter projects include the Ministry of Justice Cookham Wood Young Offenders Institute which has demonstrated an overall saving of around 20% with BIM as part of suite of efficiency measures deployed on the design and construction of the project. (A case study from Cookham Wood is attached to this response).

    Major projects and clients are now implementing BIM on new infrastructure projects. It is still too early to draw conclusive evidence of whole life benefits. However High Speed 2 has made a specific commitment to deploy BIM and the Highways Agency are piloting BIM on the new A556 trunk road project from which evidence of benefits will be collated.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the radio spectrum is earmarked for (a) military purposes, (b) radar purposes and (c) public service broadcasting.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Officials have consulted Ofcom who hold such information. Ofcom advise that they do not hold such information for bands below 87.5MHz, but have provided information for bands from 87.5MHz-30GHz.

    Ofcom has identified the proportion of spectrum accessed for public sector uses (not limited to the military), defined as all spectrum bands used by the public sector with Crown immunity (i.e. without need for authorisation by Ofcom). For the purpose of this analysis, this category includes all aeronautical uses of spectrum.

    Crown use of spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum

    87.5 MHz

    30 GHz

    54%

    26% of the total weighted spectrum in the 87.5MHz to 30 GHz is allocated for radiolocation services/radar.

    Ofcom cannot provide specific information with regards to spectrum in use for public service broadcasting as the national allocation of frequencies does not distinguish between public service broadcasting and non-public service broadcasting. The table below provides information with regards to the proportion of total weighted spectrum in use for terrestrial broadcasting, split into TV and radio.

    Terrestrial broadcasting spectrum as a % of total weighted spectrum

    TV

    Radio

    87.5 MHz

    30 GHz

    8%

    7%

    1%
  • Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities currently do not have enough childcare places available to cater for the extension of the childcare offer to the 40 per cent most disadvantaged two-year-olds in September 2014; and what the shortfall of places is in each such authority.

    Elizabeth Truss

    In February 2014 local authorities reported that around 103,000 two-year-olds were already accessing a funded early learning place. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that every eligible child, whose parents wish them to take a place, is able to.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the changes in quarantine due to be implemented in December 2014 will help prevent commercial dealers fraudulently using the Pet Travel Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the steps being taken to improve enforcement in this area.

    George Eustice

    A new EU pet travel Regulation comes into effect on 29 December 2014 and introduces a number of measures which will strengthen enforcement regimes, in particular. For example, pets being prepared for travel after the 29 December 2014 will be issued with a new style pet passport that will be harder to forge or tamper with. New rules governing the movement of more than five pets will be introduced together with a new requirement for all EU countries to carry out some compliance checks on pets moving between EU member states. A 12 week minimum age for rabies vaccination will also be applied across the EU which will assist compliance checking and restrict the movement of very young animals. The fundamental requirements of the scheme (including microchip, rabies vaccination, pet passport and a waiting period) will remain the same and non-compliant animals will continue to be either placed into quarantine, re-exported or, as a measure of last resort, euthanased. Defra will continue to work closely with its operational partners to clamp down on the illegal puppy trade and prosecute those responsible.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, from what date the statutory duty of candour will be implemented; and if he will make a statement.

    Norman Lamb

    We announced, in ‘Hard Truths’ the Government’s response to the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry, that “subject to Parliamentary approval from 2014 every organisation registered with the Care Quality Commission will be expected to meet a new duty of candour”.

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set targets for the reduction of rural crime.

    Norman Baker

    The Coalition Government has abolished all central policing targets and
    mandatory indicators to enable the police to discourage perverse incentives
    and to allow them to focus on their clear objective, to cut crime. This applies equally
    to crime in rural areas as it does to crime in our towns and cities and we have
    no plans to create new central targets for reducing crime in rural areas. It is now the responsibility of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to ensure the police deal with the issues that really matter to the communities they serve, and the public will
    hold them to account for this.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many legal proceedings involving the licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers have been dealt with in the court system in each year since 2000.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database hold information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. Offences involving the licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers under the Private Hire (London) Act 1998 are reported as part of a miscellaneous group of offences, and it is not possible to separately identify proceedings for these specific offences from others offences relating to motor vehicles. This detailed information is not reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services due to their size and complexity.

    Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.