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  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the requirements are for the funding and delivery of wifi on existing rail franchises.

    Claire Perry

    On all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises, in England and Wales, free Wi-Fi is being introduced. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to include this specification in their bid.

    Where there was no new franchise agreement due by December 2016, almost £50 million of funding is being released from the Department for Transport to ensure Wi-Fi is available on selected services. The operators in this group are:

    • Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN);
    • Southeastern;
    • Chiltern; and
    • Arriva Trains Wales.
  • Cheryl Gillan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) salary and (b) contract length is of each member of the HS2 Independent Design Panel.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The independent Design Panel will advise and inspire HS2 Ltd to design and deliver a transformational railway for the nation.

    Design Panel members will only be paid for the days they work for HS2. On average, that commitment will be between 4 and 5 days per year. This would mean a salary of between £1,600 and £2,000 per year.

    Their contract length is two-years with the option of a one-year extension.

    The Design Panel Chair is on a £590 daily rate and currently works six days a month, dropping to four days a month from April 2016.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the conversion of cars to run on liquefied petroleum gas.

    Andrew Jones

    Cars that have been constructed or modified to run on gas, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), benefit from a £10 reduction in tax levels for Alternative Fuel Cars under Vehicle Excise Duty. Owners of LPG cars also benefit from paying lower fuel duty on LPG than would be paid on petrol and diesel.

    In addition amendments made to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) earlier this year increased the potential rewards for those supplying biopropane (Liquefied Petroleum Gas produced from a biological source) under the RTFO scheme.

    As part of the department’s 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme, Birmingham City Council were also awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of 80 older black cabs from diesel to LPG which will help improve air quality on some of the most polluted roads.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many early conciliation cases processed by Acas in each quarter since October 2013 related to disputes regarding (a) non-payment of wages and (b) non-compliance with minimum wage legislation; and how many such cases (i) resulted in early conciliation and (ii) progressed to an employment tribunal.

    Nick Boles

    The information will take time to collate. When collated, I will place this information in the Libraries of the House.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of agroecology on food production in the developing world; and if she will make a statement.

    Grant Shapps

    DFID supports a number of research programmes that assess the use of agroecology and sustainable intensification of agriculture, such as work with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa. Research shows that yields improvements are context-based and can vary significantly, according to local agroclimatic potential, effective productivity levels and farmers’ investment capacity.

    DFID believes agro ecological approaches have an important role to play in specific contexts, but does not prescribe technical approaches centrally. DFID supports a wide range of programmes with agro-ecological components, from soil and water conservation and land use management to climate resilience, conservation agriculture and agroforestry. These include, for example, The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), and Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED). The full range of our programmes can be found on our Development Tracker website.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will introduce multi-year funding for child protection programmes in the Central African Republic.

    Grant Shapps

    Since 2013, DFID has committed £58 million to address the needs of Central Africans, Central African children and of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR). This funding has enabled agencies to support children who have been separated from their families, to provide services for girls and boys who have suffered sexual and gender-based violence, to reduce malnutrition, and give children access to education and training. DFID monitors needs in CAR and reviews regularly the strategy and level of support it provides. DFID are currently considering options for programming in CAR after the end of our current programme, which runs until March 2016.

  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to improve nutrition for women and children in lower middle income countries.

    Grant Shapps

    The UK Government has made a commitment to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020, including in lower middle income countries. Those being helped includes children under five, breast feeding women, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls. This commitment builds on our previous 2010 commitment to reach 20 million children under five and pregnant and breast feeding women with nutrition programmes by 2015. By mid 2015 we had reached 28.6 million people.

    Further details can be found on Development Tracker: http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

    “

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are placed on her Department’s funding for the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition; and whether such funding is (a) regularly reviewed and (b) preceded by local consultation in those countries that receive such funding.

    Grant Shapps

    In 2012, the UK made a £600m pledge to the New Alliance, consisting of projects in 6 founding member countries, which aim at improving incomes from agricultural production, and the food security and nutrition of smallholder farmers and the extreme poor. The objective of the pledge was to be more transparent about aid to agriculture and food security, in alignment with principles of aid effectiveness and the overall goal of the New Alliance. The £600m also included funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP, managed by the World Bank) and other international agriculture research and policy initiatives.

    Like every programme funded by DFID, projects pledged under the New Alliance are subject to annual reviews that are posted on the DFID Development Tracker website. At national level, governments lead an annual review of the progress of commitments, in consultation with development and private sector actors, which findings are made public on the New Alliance website.

  • William Cash – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    William Cash – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether (a) she or (b) another Minister from her Department plans to attend the Nutrition for Growth Summit schedules to take place during the Rio Summer Olympics.

    Grant Shapps

    We have yet to receive a formal invitation to the Nutrition for Growth Summit from the Government of Brazil. Once an invitation is received a decision will be taken on ministerial attendance.

    DFID are working closely with the Brazilian government to support them in their preparations for the summit.

  • Patrick Grady – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Patrick Grady – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion (a) 162, Closures of abortion clinics and (b) 172, Buffer zones around abortion centres.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to 5385 on 13 July 2015.