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  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the UK Guarantees scheme.

    Greg Hands

    The UK Guarantees Scheme is an important mechanism for facilitating private investment in infrastructure in the UK. £3.7 billion of guarantees have been approved to date, enabling projects worth £23 billion to go ahead. As announced in the Autumn Statement, availability of the UK Guarantees Scheme will be extended to March 2021 to continue to support projects to secure private investment.

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent comparative assessment he has made of the rate of productivity in the UK and other G7 countries.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Output per hour grew 0.9 per cent in Q2 2015 and 0.5 per cent in Q3 but raising UK productivity is a long term challenge. The government published the productivity plan in July, created the National Infrastructure Commission in October and set out further measures in the Autumn Statement.

  • Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the cumulative effect of the Government’s spending policies on the economic prospects of young people.

    Damian Hinds

    The economic prospects of young people are improving. The number of 18 to 24 year olds not in education, employment, or training is at its lowest rate since Q1 2004. And the youth unemployment is at its lowest rate since Mar-May 2008.

    We have supported youth employment by abolishing employer National Insurance Contributions for those aged under 21, introducing the apprentice levy to provide funding for 3 million apprenticeships, and will introduce the Youth Obligation, which will help develop the skills that young people need to enter sustainable employment. The government is also building 200,000 starter homes, sold at a discount to first time buyers, which will help young people to get on the housing ladder.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the Government’s spending on infrastructure since 2010.

    Greg Hands

    In 2010, the government launched the Infrastructure Cost Review seeking to improve the cost effective delivery of infrastructure projects and programmes. In 2014, the Cost Review reported savings of around 15% – worth around £3billion per annum – by addressing a number of drivers of high costs. But more can and is being done, working closely with infrastructure clients from public and private sectors to continue to bear down on costs and improve delivery performance.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with industry about the safety of tumble driers, in the light of recent reports by Which?.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    I am aware of the recent safety alert in relation to certain brands and models of tumble drier and understand that the manufacturer concerned is working with Trading Standards to take appropriate corrective action.

    My officials are in regular contact with industry about the safety of electrical products, including tumble driers. Officials are also regularly in contact with their opposite numbers in other Member States to discuss safety issues and with those involved in standardisation, for example the British Standards Institution, where standards are updated to reflect advances in technology and problems identified with products in service.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety of chemicals in domestic refrigerators, in the light of recent reports by Which?.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Officials are in regular contact with industry and a range of other stakeholders about the safety of electrical products, including refrigerators. Officials are also regularly in contact with their opposite numbers in other Member States to discuss safety issues. However, no recent specific assessment has been made of the safety of chemicals used in these products.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the public rights of way elements of the Deregulation Act 2015, including guidance, will be implemented.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The primary legislation needed to implement the Stakeholder Working Group rights of way reforms package was enacted in the Deregulation Act 2015. We are consulting with the Stakeholder Working Group and other interested parties on the various sets of regulations and guidance needed to complete the reform package. It is planned that all the legislation and guidance will be commenced on the same date. We are on schedule to meet our target of implementation in spring 2016.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of diversion or extinguishment of paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or business remain outstanding.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    We aim to make it easier to divert or extinguish paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or commercial businesses through the Stakeholder Working Group’s reform package. Local Authorities handle the actual diversion and extinguishment orders and therefore hold the relevant information on the number of outstanding applications. The Government does not collect this information.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Natural England Stakeholder Working Group on Unrecorded Public Rights of Way, when considering the diversion or extinguishment of paths that pass through gardens, farmyards or businesses, have agreed to the use of the term presumption” in either the heading or the introduction to the guidance.”

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Stakeholder Working Group is currently working on a final version of the guidance on making it easier to divert and extinguish public rights of way that pass through gardens, farmyards or commercial businesses. Once there is an agreed version we will also carry out further consultation with other interested parties on the wording to ensure we produce both clear and effective guidance.

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  • Lord Campbell-Savours – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Campbell-Savours – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell-Savours on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to announce the detail of their proposals for £12 billion in savings on the welfare budget; and what benefits are under consideration for further reduction.

    Lord Freud

    The Government’s commitment to save £12bn from welfare spending was set out at the Summer Budget and the recent Autumn Statement. Details of these measures can be found at pages 72-73 of the Summer Budget Report (July 2015) and page 113 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. These are published on gov.uk.

    Any future changes to benefits following the Spending Review announcement will follow the usual policy development process and be announced at a future fiscal event.