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  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she last discussed with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Energy and Climate Change the effect of climate change on global access to water and sanitation facilities.

    Grant Shapps

    Climate change is expected to reduce the availability of clean and safe water and sanitation facilities for the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world. Through the International Climate Fund (ICF) the UK government is providing significant investment to help improve water security and support sustainable growth to reduce poverty. The ICF is jointly managed by DFID, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Ministers from these departments have regular discussions on the UK government’s strategic approach to tackling climate change and poverty reduction.

  • Alec Shelbrooke – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alec Shelbrooke – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alec Shelbrooke on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s contract with Veolia for the disposal of hazardous, non-hazardous and special waste which expired on 31 March 2015, when the new tendering process will begin; and what weight will be given in that process to British companies.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The contract with Veolia for the disposal of hazardous, non-hazardous, special and dry wastes on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Other Government Departments was extended and is now due to expire on 31 March 2016. It is expected that an invitation to tender for a new contract will be advertised in early 2016.

    The MOD is required under relevant procurement regulations to treat all bidders equally and in a non-discriminatory way. This means that British companies will compete on an even playing field for this requirement.

  • Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Poulter on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has to support proposals for an electricity grid interconnector between the UK and Denmark.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Government is committed to increasing electricity interconnection that delivers benefits to GB consumers, and the Department is aware of the VikingLink project which proposes to connect GB to Denmark1. Ofgem have assessed the project as offering £2.6bn in consumer benefits and has granted it initial approval on this basis. Government has also supported it to gain access to European development funding as a Project of Common Interest.

    [1] Source, Ofgem: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/decision-initial-project-assessment-fab-link-ifa2-and-viking-link-interconnectors

    “

  • Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Poulter on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has to support electricity grid interconnections between the UK and other countries.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Electricity interconnection can lower consumer bills, improve security of supply and contribute towards decarbonisation.

    A number of interconnection projects are already progressing under Ofgem’s regulatory regime1, designed to bring forward interconnection investment in the interest of GB consumers. This includes projects to France, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Ireland, which have been assessed by Ofgem as offering over £11.8bn in consumer benefits. The Government has also supported a number of mature interconnector projects to benefit from access to European grant funding as Projects of Common Interest.

    Together these projects represent billions of pounds of infrastructure investment and aim to more than double our interconnection capacity by the early 2020s. This will make Britain more energy secure and will help lower consumer bills.

    [1] Source, Ofgem: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/decision-roll-out-cap-and-floor-regime-near-term-electricity-interconnectors

    “

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of annual income has been held in reserve by Herefordshire Constabulary in each of the past five years.

    Mike Penning

    It is up to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables to decide how to allocate their resources, including the efficient use of reserves, based on local priorities.

    Herefordshire is covered by the West Mercia police force area. The total amount of revenue funding received by the West Mercia PCC (formerly West Mercia Police Authority) and the total amounts of usable reserves, taken from publically available force area accounts are included in the following table.

    This includes total core Government funding area from the Home Office, Legacy Council Tax Grants and locally raised precept income. It excludes specific grants such as the Innovation Fund and other locally raised income.

    Year

    Reserves £m

    Revenue funding (government grant+precept) £m

    Reserves as % of total revenue funding

    31 Mar 2011

    43.8

    212.6

    20.6%

    31 Mar 2012

    37.8

    206.9

    18.3%

    31 Mar 2013

    46.1

    204.6

    22.5%

    31 Mar 2014

    53.1

    201.6

    26.4%

    31 Mar 2015

    63.9

    198.5

    32.2%
  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Hertfordshire Constabulary’s reserves have been subject to CIFPA auditing for the 2014-15 financial year.

    Mike Penning

    Hertfordshire Constabulary’s final 2014/15 Statement of Accounts are published on the force website. The accounts have been independently audited and include the force’s level of reserves for 2014/15.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults in Lancaster and Fleetwood comply with NICE guidance.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department does not collect clinical commissioning group (CCG) data for routine accountability purposes as it is for NHS England to assess the performance of each CCG to ensure that they are commissioning safe, high quality and cost effective services, to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. Public Health England is however commissioned by the Department to collect self-assessment data from local authorities and their partners on how the Autism Strategy is being implemented locally. The next exercise will commence in the spring of 2016 and this will include consideration of waiting times in local authority areas.

    NHS England has been working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre to develop the Mental Health Services Data Set. This will include provision for the diagnosis of autism in children to be recorded. This mandatory data set will, for the first time, provide ‘real time’ data about diagnosis rates. The data will be published and available to support and develop services. NHS England has a commitment, over the next five years, to improve waiting times and this data will be invaluable for this.

    For details of the position in Fleetwood and Lancaster in relation to autism diagnostic waiting times I refer to the answer given on 28 October 2015 to Question 12595.

    “

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date he expects the publication of new Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (2016-2017) indicators.

    George Freeman

    The 2016/17 Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator set will be published if new indicators are selected for 2016/17. NHS England are currently reviewing the process for new indicators for 2016/17 in light of wider work to assess local health systems, as detailed in the recent publication by The King’s Fund, Measuring the performance of local health systems. A publication date will not be set until the process for 2016/17 is agreed.

    The King’s Fund publication can be viewed at:

    http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/measuring-performance-local-health-systems.

    “

  • Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees the Government plans to plant during the current Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    A total of £31m per year of new Rural Development Programme funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 24,711 acres of new woodland.

    I will keep the House updated on our progress.

  • David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a representative of HM Prisons Service sits on the Mental Health Task Force.

    Alistair Burt

    The Mental Health Task Force does not include a representative of HM Prison Service amongst its membership.