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  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the triple lock on pensions does not apply to disability war pensions.

    Mark Lancaster

    Compensation payments under the War Pensions Scheme are uprated annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure. This is the same measure the Department for Work and Pensions uses for uprating social security disability benefits and is in keeping with other public service schemes. Our approach ensures consistency with the measure of inflation used by the Bank of England.

    The triple lock applies only to the State Pension. Members of the Armed Forces will therefore benefit from the triple lock once they reach State Pension age.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role he expects the Single Source Regulation Office to have in the procurement of the Successor class submarine.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    All contracts related to the Successor programme that meet the conditions set out in Section 2 of the Defence Reform Act will be Qualifying Defence Contracts (QDCs) as defined by the Act and so subject to reporting to the Single Source Regulation Office.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428, what progress has been made in ensuring funding from the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund is distributed across the UK; and which organisations in each region of the UK have benefited from that fund to date.

    Mark Lancaster

    Further to my answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428 which detailed the information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence. The final project under the Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF) was announced on 20 July 2015 and that was for £50,000 to the RAF Benevolent Fund, for replacement windows at Forge House in England. The £40 million VAF and the £35 million LIBOR Fund have now closed.

    This year saw the implementation of a permanent commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a £10 million per annum Covenant Fund, and will be ring-fenced from the UK Defence Budget. Assessments of the first-round of small grants (up to £20,000) are currently taking place and those selected will be announced around the New Year. The deadline for the second round of applications is 17 December 2015.

    The deadline for expressions of interest for the large grant scheme (£20,000 to £500,000) has now closed. Those projects accepted for round two will also be informed by 26 November 2015, the deadline for stage two applications is 13 January 2016 with stage two decisions communicated by 10 March 2016.

    Although we welcome applications from across the whole of the UK, these will be selected on the basis of defined criteria. The selection panel is made up of MOD officials, sector experts and representatives from each of the Devolved Administrations.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total expenditure was on the Single Source Regulation Office in each quarter since its formation.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Total expenditure on the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) in financial year (FY) 2014-15 was £2.184 million for setup costs. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) funds the SSRO on an ongoing basis via a Grant in Aid, which is £4.707 million for FY 2015-16. Further details of the expenditure can be found in the published accounts for the SSRO at:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/ssros-first-annual-report-and-accounts or by contacting the SSRO directly. From 2017, the SSRO will be jointly funded by MOD and industry.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme on businesses planning to make an application ahead of the original closure date of March 2016; what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on securing the funding required to re-open and extend that scheme; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Broadband ConnectVoucherSchemewas hugelysuccessful, and has benefitted 55,000 small and medium businesses across the UK. BDUK issued regular updates to encourage firms to act quickly given the increasingly high demand for vouchers. All broadband connectionsvouchersissued to SMEs before theschemeclosed on 12 October that comply with thescheme’s terms and conditions will be funded. All further funding is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the number of businesses in Newton Abbot constituency which have superfast broadband of 24Mb/s.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government has committed to achieving availability of superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017. 88 per cent of homes and businesses in Newton Abbott are estimated to have coverage by the end of 2016, and additional funding sources, including the clawback funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up, will allow coverage to be extended further in Newton Abbott and the rest of the area covered by the Devon and Somerset broadband project. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the number of businesses in Newton Abbot constituency which have download speeds of 10Mb/s.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government has committed to achieving availability of superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017. 88 per cent of homes and businesses in Newton Abbott are estimated to have coverage by the end of 2016, and additional funding sources, including the clawback funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up, will allow coverage to be extended further in Newton Abbot and the rest of the area covered by the Devon and Somerset broadband project. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on introducing requirements on communications providers to improve access to relay video services since Ofcom’s review of relay services on 2011-12.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS has had several discussions with Ofcom to promote the provision of video relay services in the UK. In addition we have hosted meetings of the eAccessibility ForumVideo Relay Services Providers Working sub-group and have written to the FTSE 100 companies to challenge them to introduce the service.

    We welcome the increasing number of companies offering video relay services. Public facing Government departments will continue to work with interested parties to ensure this positive progress continues.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on tackling doping in sport.

    Tracey Crouch

    I will be meeting the World Anti-Doping Agency in the near future to discuss current doping issues. In addition, both my Department and UK Anti-Doping engage regularly with international counterparts on a range of sporting matters, including tackling doping in sport.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department’s budget is for the 2021 UK City of Culture competition; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The process for determining the winning city in 2021 is due to take place in 2017. All funding is subject to the forthcoming spending review.