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  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost was of the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities’ recent visit to Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/expenses-and-hospitality

    The latest data available at this time is:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what future foreign visits the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities has planned in relation to her departmental duties; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    A number of visits have been proposed by other government departments but I currently have no plans for any further foreign visits at this time.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on dealing with trees that are subject to a preservation order.

    Nick Boles

    In March we issued new web-based planning guidance on the Tree Preservation Order system. It is available at http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/tree-preservation-orders/.

    “

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to free (a) swimming and (b) other leisure services to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    No costing has been estimated.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to school clothing grants via (a) vouchers and (b) cash or cheque to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Mr David Laws

    There is no national school clothing grant operating currently in England.

    Individual local authorities and academies may choose to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. In such cases, it is for the local authority or academy concerned to decide the criteria upon which pupils are entitled to this support. Local authorities and academies which choose to run such schemes must do so from within their existing delegated budgets.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many councils in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland funded discretionary housing payments beyond the funds allocated to them by his Department in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

    Steve Webb

    In 2013/14, a) 85 (out of 326) English authorities, b) 15 (out of 27) Welsh authorities and c) 27 (out of 32) Scottish authorities spent more than the contribution provided by DWP towards Discretionary Housing Payments.

    Figures for 2014/15 will not be available until after 30 April 2015 – the deadline for local authority DHP returns for the year in question.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of his Department’s consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month.

    Brandon Lewis

    Under this Government, the DCLG Group has made considerable financial savings in energy consumption, reducing its greenhouse emissions by 54 per centre from 2009-10 to 2013-14, saving £1 million comparing 2009/10 energy costs to 2013-14, through energy efficiency measures and better procurement practices.

    I would note that under the last Administration, the Department’s main building (Eland House, Victoria) was one of the least energy-efficient buildings in Whitehall, despite it being the lead Department on energy efficiency standards in buildings. In June 2011, the building was awarded a ‘D’ grade display energy certificate, having improved from a notional ‘G’ grade in 2006-07.

    It is not possible to provide meaningful comparable monthly figures since June 2010, as (a) from 2011, the residual parts of the Government Office for the Regions estate became part of the core DCLG estate, (b) due to billing credits following consumption estimates by suppliers, (c) changes in consumption due to cold weather and (d) additional consumption due to empty office space being sub-let to third-party tenants, generating income to save taxpayers’ money.

  • Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s publication of work carried out by the Government Actuary’s Department Costings and Correspondence on 12 June 2014, what plans he has to bring forward new proposals based on options set out in that document negotiations on firefighters’ pensions.

    Brandon Lewis

    As set out in my response to the hon. Member of 24 June, Official Report, column 131W, we are currently consulting on draft regulations to implement the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015 and this consultation concludes on 4 July 2014. The Department will consider all the responses received to that consultation and final decisions will subsequently be taken on the design of the scheme to be implemented. It is open to the Fire Brigades Union, or any other interested party, to respond to the consultation in a way that builds on the costings carried out on behalf of the Union by the Government Actuary’s Department. However, it would be premature to pre-empt the outcome of that consultation.

  • Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of how many pumps were available in each fire and rescue authority (a) during periods of Fire Brigades Union strike action in 2013-14 and (b) on comparable non-strike days in the same period.

    Brandon Lewis

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 June, Official Report, Column 409-410W.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 29W, on gold: prices, and to the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to fine Barclays Bank for gold fix manipulation, if he will make an assessment of the effect of (a) US regulatory authorities’ interventions in the gold market and (b) such interventions on gold market-related securities in ISAs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government monitors all aspects of the gold market. Although no specific assessment of US regulatory interventions has been made, the Government is committed to taking action, whenever necessary, to ensure the efficient functioning of these essential markets. In order to raise standards of conduct in the financial system the Government has launched a joint review by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority into the way wholesale financial markets operate, including commodity markets.