The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for which activities consent is determined by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The activities for which the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has the delegated authority to consent/refuse are for Oil Transfer Licences within UK ports and harbours and for Ship-to-Ship Transfers within the designated Southwold area off the Suffolk coast.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department holds data on the amount of heat a tonne of biomass gives off when burned compared to a tonne of coal; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department annually publishes the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES). Appendix A of DUKES contains data on the calorific value of fuels:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447648/ DUKES_2015_Annex_A.pdf.
The gross calorific value of dry biomass fuels, (the DUKES values have been corrected for moisture content), vary between 10 gigajoules per tonne (GJ/t) for poultry litter and 24 GJ/t for meat and bone meal. A typical dry wood based fuel has an energy content close to 19 GJ/t. Treatments such as torrefaction or charcoal production increase the energy density of biomass derived materials. However these manufactured biomass fuels are not commonly used for heating in the UK.
A tonne of coal can also vary in heat content, depending on the rank of the coal, but lies between 24 GJ/t for bituminous coal as used in the pulp, paper and printing industries and 34 GJ/t of fuel for anthracite used in households. Typical bituminous house coal has a gross heat content of 30 GJ/t.
These values represent the maximum heat available from a fuel in a laboratory test. The useful heat provided by combustion of that fuel to the business or home will depend on the efficiency of the combustor in which it is burnt and the design of the energy distribution system. The combustor efficiency can range from an open fire which may provide 20% of the energy in the fuel as useful heat, to modern condensing wood pellet boilers with gross efficiencies around 90%.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government will announce the decision on the resettlement of the Chagos Islanders.
James Duddridge
No date has yet been set for a decision. The Government is still considering its policy in this area and will announce developments to Parliament and the public in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost to the NHS of insurance premiums for clinical negligence; which Foundation Trust pays the highest amount as a percentage of its budget; and what percentage of its budget that cost represents.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The question has been interpreted to mean contributions to the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) which provides indemnity for National Health Service bodies. These are not insurance premiums.
The total cost for 2014-15, which is the last available published figure, is £1,037,742,810.
The information as to which NHS Foundation Trust pays the highest amount as a percentage of its budget is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why it is not possible to get a device which keeps track of a diabetic’s blood glucose levels for up to eight hours, or continuously, on the NHS.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence, taking into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.2 of the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013 Expenditure Report, 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016, published by his Department in October 2016, if he will detail the reasons, other than the delay in completing the acquisition of large-scale commercial properties, for the £192.7 million underspend referred to in that report.
Andrew Jones
The £192.7m of the Land & Property (L&P) underspend shown in the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013 Expenditure Report for 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016 was formed from two elements – strategic property acquisitions and compensation schemes, including providing discretionary assistance to home owners and small businesses.
The majority of the total L&P underspend was caused by delays in completing non-compensation scheme acquisitions. These are generally acquisitions of commercial properties and it is hard to accurately estimate completion dates due to complexity of the deals.
The other part of the L&P underspend was related to acquisitions resulting from the compensation schemes. The suite of schemes are demand led which means HS2 Ltd has very limited control over the timing of property purchases. Successful applicants to the schemes are allowed between one and three years after acceptance to decide on when they want their homes purchased.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2015-11-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the leaders of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on future provision of funding for the arts after the devolution agreement comes into effect.
Greg Hands
The Government is working closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the implementation of the landmark agreement to introduce a metro-wide Mayor. Culture is a key element of building a Northern Powerhouse. The Government has committed to support arts and cultural projects in Greater Manchester, including £78 million towards a new theatre and exhibition space called The Factory Manchester, and £3 million for a new temporary exhibition space at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 16871, how many full-time equivalent staff worked in the Specialist Fraud Division in each of the last six years.
Robert Buckland
The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff that have worked in the Specialist Fraud Division in each of the last six years is shown below.
March 2010 – 142 FTE
March 2011 – 134 FTE
March 2012 – 138 FTE
March 2013 – 258 FTE
March 2014 – 233 FTE
March 2015 – 230 FTE
Note: The figures presented above reflect staff in post on 31 March of each year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to (a) invest in research on rehabilitation, health and social care models to improve the quality of life for ill Gulf War veterans and (b) communicate the results of US research on those issues to Gulf War veterans living in the UK.
Mark Lancaster
The Government greatly values the service of all 1990-91 Gulf War veterans, particularly as we reach the 25th anniversary of the start of combat operations. We have long accepted that the ill health of some veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War is associated with their service in the Gulf. In such cases compensation may be claimed under the War Pensions Scheme with appropriate medical care provided by the National Health Service across the UK .
The Department has funded extensive research into Gulf War illness including some research into rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms.
Our strategy on research topics and studies has been informed and overseen by independent scientific experts nominated by the Medical Research Council taking account of published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies. We have no plans to undertake further research on Gulf War issues. We continue to monitor any Gulf War research that is published round the world including from the United States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members are of the National Police Chiefs’ Council working group on prostitution.
Karen Bradley
Within the structure of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), chief officers are elected by their peers and take the lead on specific issues from a national operational perspective. It is for the national leads to establish working groups to support them in their role. The Home Office is in regular dialogue with on the NPCC Lead for Prostitution’s office, and as such discussed and commented on the current revision of the strategy.
Prostitution is a complex issue, which can impact on individuals and communities in many different ways, and we are therefore clear that local areas and police forces are in the best position to identify and respond to issues around prostitution in their area. Police forces are assisted in doing so by the National Policing Lead’s refreshed Policing Sex Work Strategy, which stresses the priority of the public protection duty that the police services have in relation to the safety of those involved in prostitution.