Blog

  • Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

    George Eustice

    Defra will publish the latest annual workforce monitoring report in January 2016. The report examines the diversity of Defra’s workforce and provides evidence of how we achieve our aim of offering real equality of opportunity to all our employees.

    The data from this report has been used to create the table below to highlight gender breakdown by headcount. Table 1 shows staff in post as at 31 March 2015 in Defra and its Executive Agencies. Employees on maternity leave and secondment are included in this analysis if they are on the core or agency payroll.

    Table 1

    Headcount

    Workforce monitoring report

    Gender (male)

    Gender (female)

    Defra

    2,086

    1,064

    1,022

    APHA

    2,359

    991

    1,368

    Cefas

    545

    311

    234

    RPA

    2,134

    982

    1,152

    VMD

    158

    65

    93

    Defra and its Agencies

    7,282

    3,413

    3,869

    The report referred to can be found on the Gov.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/about/equality-and-diversity

    “

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set up a flood partnership group for Lancaster, chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with membership from local authorities, the Environment Agency and community flood defence groups.

    Rory Stewart

    There are currently no plans to set up a flood partnership group for Lancaster chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The Environment Agency, however, will be leading in Lancashire to ensure that robust partnership working mechanisms are established to protect communities in the future.

  • Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-01-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to provide tax reliefs similar to those provided to businesses that contribute to flood defence schemes to landowners and farmers who assist in managing flood risk through soil management, investment in flood defences and water storage.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government keeps all tax policy under review. Any changes in tax policy are announced by the Chancellor at the Budget or Autumn Statement.

    At the Spending Review the Government confirmed that Defra’s £2.3bn, six-year flood defence capital programme will be protected, which will invest in over 1,500 schemes by 2021 to better protect 300,000 homes. The programme will also deliver economic benefits of £30bn in avoided damage over the next 50 years, and reduce overall flood risk in England by 5%.

    Following Storm Desmond and Storm Eva the Government has announced over £200m of funding to support households and businesses, and repair damaged flood defences and roads. Council tax and business rate relief has also been announced for affected households and firms.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to page 86 of her Department’s publication, Review of the Feed-in Tariffs Scheme: Government response, published in December 2015, what work her Department is undertaking to better understand the whole-system impacts of different electricity technologies; when she plans to complete and publish such work; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC recognises the importance of considering the whole system impacts (both costs and benefits) of different electricity technologies when formulating future government policy, since it is a crucial element in delivering secure, clean and affordable energy to consumers.

    In order to continue to improve its evidence base in this area and inform future policy developments, DECC has commissioned a project on the Whole System Impacts of Electricity Generation Technologies on the electricity system. This project will improve DECC’s understanding of what these system costs are (for example, the impact of electricity technologies on wider system balancing actions and networks requirements), as well as improve DECC’s modelling capability to quantify these system costs and their dynamics. The project covers both conventional and low-carbon large- and small-scale technologies.

    This project is currently ongoing and given the complex modelling involved, it requires a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure the analysis is robust. A report will be published in due course.

    Once this project is completed, DECC will be able to better quantify system costs to inform policy decisions. Any future policy development, such as future renewable support, will be informed by the improved evidence base developed through this project.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the end of year budget surplus or deficit was for each further education college in London in each financial year since 2010-11.

    Nick Boles

    We will collate this information and deposit it in the Libraries of the House shortly.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on Israeli products in each of the last three years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made the total value of payments below against contracts where the MOD Commercial teams have identified Israel as the location of some or all of the work required for the completion of the overall contract.

    Financial Year

    Total Value of Payments (£ million)

    2012-13

    18.9

    2013-14

    25.5

    2014-15

    15.8

    These figures may not include all subcontracted components of Israeli manufacture and may include subcontracted components manufactured in countries other than Israel. The analysis is based on Location of Work codes and does not relate to the billing address of companies nor is it based on ownership of the companies involved in the production of the product.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries British military personnel are embedded.

    Michael Fallon

    I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 17 December 2015, (Official Report, column 98WS) which sets out that we only centrally collate data on embedded forces with those nations with whom UK forces are embedded on operations, and to my letter of 6 January 2016 explaining that I am unable to specify the exact locations of UK personnel because this risks their personal security and the security of Allies’ operations.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Brimstone missiles have been used in Syria since 2 December 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Between 2 December 2015 and 12 January 2016 there have been four Brimstone missiles used against Daesh targets by the RAF in Syria.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report entitled, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2015, that the rise in homeless households from 40,000 to 53,000 between 2009-10 and 2014-15 was primarily due to families reaching the end of their private rented tenancies.

    Brandon Lewis

    One person without a home is one too many. The Government has invested over £500 million since 2010, enabling local authorities to help 935,800 households from becoming homeless.

    But there is more to do to prevent homelessness and we are working with homelessness organisations and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless in the first place including as a result of the ending of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his polices of the conclusion of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, entitled Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2015, that the number of people living in poverty who depend on housing in the private rented sector has doubled in the last decade.

    Brandon Lewis

    No such assessment has been made. The Government believes that the key to improving affordability is to build more homes. We have several initiatives to improve affordability, including a £10 billion debt guarantee scheme to support the delivery of new homes purpose built for private rent, up to 30,000 additional affordable homes and the delivery of 200,000 Starter Homes at a minimum 20% discount for young first time buyers through the planning system.

    In addition to existing powers already in place, measures being taken forward through the Housing and Planning Bill will give councils stronger powers and incentives to tackle rogue landlords, to prevent those members of society in most need of affordable housing from becoming victims of poor quality and unsafe accommodation.