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  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department is funding on the effects of climate change on agricultural production in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. The first Climate Change Risk Assessment was published in 2012. Work is underway on the second CCRA, for which Defra is funding the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change to produce the underpinning Evidence Report by July 2016. This will include an up-to-date review of evidence on the effects of climate change on agriculture, and all other sectors. The CCRA Government Report will be laid before Parliament no later than January 2017.

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what meetings she has had with Jobcentre Plus to discuss measures to help redundant onshore wind workers back into employment; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government was elected with a commitment to end subsidies for new onshore wind projects. We are taking the steps necessary to deliver this commitment, which includes closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) early to new onshore wind projects.

    An Impact Assessment (IA) considering the potential effects of the Government’s proposals to close the RO early was published on 8 September, with an update published on 8 October. The IA suggests, under the central scenario, that ending RO support early could have a small impact on employment in this sector compared with the do nothing option.

    Under the Government’s proposals onshore wind is expected to deploy 11.6GW of capacity under the RO and an additional 0.75GW under Contracts for Difference by 2020. Taken together, this is sufficient to meet onshore wind’s expected contribution towards our renewables target as set out in the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan whilst minimising the impact of potential over deployment on consumer bills. This strong pipeline of projects will support jobs in this sector, including construction, maintenance and management opportunities out to 2020.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teacher training degrees incorporate modules on working with children aged 0 to 5 years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Early Years Initial Teacher Training was introduced in 2013. Early Years Teachers are specialists in early childhood development, trained to work with babies and young children from birth to five. Early Years Initial Teacher Training trainees who successfully meet the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) are awarded Early Years Teacher Status. All modules of Early Years Initial Teacher Training courses include working with children aged 0 to 5 years. All initial teacher training courses that lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status also cover the 3 to 18 age range.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of UK military activity in Syria in the last 12 months.

    Michael Fallon

    The net additional cost of UK military activity in Syria is not separately identified from that of the broader countering ISIL activity in Iraq and Syria. The net additional cost of countering ISIL activity between August 2014 and 31 March 2015, was around £45 million, met from the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) and the HM Treasury Special Reserve. These details are published in the 2014-15 MOD Annual Report and Accounts.

    An initial £45 million has been requested in 2015-16 to meet the net additional costs of airstrikes in Iraq and airborne intelligence gathering operations in Iraq and Syria.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which ongoing operations are funded by the core defence budget; and what the expenditure on each such operation was in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

    Michael Fallon

    The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The costs of military operations are compiled in terms of the net additional costs incurred, which are defined as those which the Department would not have incurred had the operation not taken place. The Department’s estimate of the net additional cost of military operations are recorded annually, and can be found in Table 2.3.1 in the Departments’ Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 which is available at the following link;

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462966/MOD_ARAc_combined_23_Sep_2015_web.pdf

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual average cost to the Ministry of Defence of (a) maintaining each grave for which it is responsible and (b) the value of the grant made to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of each grave maintained by that Commission.

    Mark Lancaster

    Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1948.

    Annual costs for the maintenance of each grave for which MOD is responsible are estimated to be between £65 and £205 depending on the location and condition of the grave. The MOD’s annual grant to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of the graves they maintain is in excess of £47 million.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to transfer responsibility for military graves maintained by his Department to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

    Mark Lancaster

    Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1948.

    Annual costs for the maintenance of each grave for which MOD is responsible are estimated to be between £65 and £205 depending on the location and condition of the grave. The MOD’s annual grant to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of the graves they maintain is in excess of £47 million.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on transferring to that Commission responsibility for the maintenance of military graves currently maintained by his Department.

    Mark Lancaster

    Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1948.

    Annual costs for the maintenance of each grave for which MOD is responsible are estimated to be between £65 and £205 depending on the location and condition of the grave. The MOD’s annual grant to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in respect of the graves they maintain is in excess of £47 million.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library the most recent quarterly assessment of the Force Elements at Readiness.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I am withholding the most recent quarterly assessment of the UK’s Force Elements at readiness as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which category (a) A, (b) B, and (c) C projects are managed by (i) Navy Command, (ii) Army Command, (iii) Air Command, (iv) Joint Forces Command and (v) the Strategic Programmes Directorate.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not held centrally and collating which individual category A, B, and C projects are managed by each of the Front-Line Commands would incur disproportionate cost.

    Further information on equipment projects can be found in the published Defence Equipment Plan 2015 and Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2015, both of which can be found in the Library of the House.

    The-Defence-Equipment-Plan-2015

    Major-Projects-Authority-Annual-Report-2015