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  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will introduce an online pension calculator for use by those who have left the armed forces.

    Anna Soubry

    The Armed Forces Benefits, Pension, Scheme Pays and Redundancy Calculators are available for serving Armed Forces personnel, but will not provide an accurate forecast for ex-Service personnel. They are able to request pension forecasts directly from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) which will be re-named Defence Business Services – Veterans UK with effect from 1 April 2014.

  • Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Madeleine Moon on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 534, what the date and location is of his planned small and medium-sized enterprise meeting in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I look forward to visiting Wales to meet small and medium-sized enterprises which support defence, as part of my routine engagements with defence suppliers. I plan to visit in coming months.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget Statement on 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 784, what effect making departmental underspends permanent and locked-in will have on his Department’s budgetary assumptions in relation to his Department’s (a) revenue and (b) capital budget until 2015-16.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    (holding answer 31 March 2014)

    The Chancellor’s Budget statement did not change the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s budgetary position until 2015-16 from that set out at the Autumn Statement in December 2013.

    The Treasury has confirmed that Defence’s overall position remains unchanged as a result of the Budget: there has been no change to the MOD’s budgetary baseline for 2015-16.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2014 to the hon. Member for Crawley, Official Report, column 219W, on War Memorials: World War II, what the reasons are for the disparities between the income per visitor from grant-in-aid and LIBOR fines allocated to the (a) Royal Navy Museum, (b) National Army Museum, (c) Royal Air Force Museum and (d) National Memorial Arboretum; if he will take steps to reduce such disparities in future; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Service museums and the National Memorial Arboretum play an important role in the heritage of the three Services and the nation, and it would be inappropriate for visitor numbers to determine the provision of funding.

  • Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government Response to Lord Heseltine’s report No Stone Unturned: in Pursuit of Growth, when he expects to publish a draft legislative reform order to ensure that the current legislation on combined authorities is fit for purpose.

    Brandon Lewis

    As I told the House on 18 March 2014, Official Report, Column 704, and as my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles) indicated on 3 March 2014, Official Report, Column 621, we are minded to amend legislation to allow councils that do not share the same boundaries to join a combined authority, if they wish. This change can be delivered through a Legislative Reform Order, subject to statutory consultation and approval of Parliament.

  • Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Laurence Robertson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2014, Official Report, column 558W, on land drainage, what funding will be made available to SuDS Approving Bodies to enable them to maintain balancing tanks and sustainable urban drainage systems; who will be responsible for providing that funding; and if he will make a statement.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Department will be consulting shortly on funding arrangements for the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) that will be subject to the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

    Brandon Lewis

    The proportion of Department staff currently working reduced hours by Civil Service pay grade is as follows:

    Administrative

    Officer

    Executive Officer

    Higher Executive Officer

    Fast Stream

    % Part-Time

    8.7%

    11.4%

    10.3%

    2.1%

    Senior Executive Officer

    Grade 7

    Grade 6

    All Senior Civil Servants

    Total

    % Part-Time

    12.5%

    14.8%

    10.0%

    12.5%

    11.7%

    The proportion of Department staff currently working reduced hours by gender is as follows:

    Male

    Female

    Total

    % Part-Time

    2.7%

    20.3%

    11.7%

    With regards to flexi-time, the Department operates a Flexible Working Hours system of attendance under which managers may agree that staff work flexibly within certain set hours. This policy applies to all non-Senior Civil Service staff at all office locations and is subject to operational need.

    The Department does not hold a central record of staff working from home, a compressed working week, job share, and term-time only. These arrangements are agreed between managers and staff and may reflect very short term arrangements as well as those of a more enduring nature. As home working and compressed hours arrangements do not impact on pay or employment terms these arrangements are not recorded on the Department’s central HR system. Where job share and term-time arrangements have an impact on pay or employment terms and conditions these staff are recorded as part-time on the Department’s central HR system.

    The Department’s definition of part-time working is the same as reduced hours and so the above proportions still apply.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides on how much funding from the Local Government Finance Settlement local authorities should allocate to virtual headteachers.

    Brandon Lewis

    Both Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates, the two local authority funding streams directly included within the Local Government Finance Settlement, are unringfenced, therefore, authorities can use them to fund any service, provided they meet their statutory duties. It is up to authorities to decide how to set their budgets, taking into account local priorities.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of wind turbine developers using the Community Right to Build scheme to circumvent the local planning process.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Community Right to Build allows local communities to undertake small-scale, site-specific, community-led developments. It may only be used by community organisations in which local people in the relevant neighbourhood area have a majority of the voting rights and have the majority on the board of directors or governing body of the organisation, and, include different people from at least 10 different addresses within the area. This means the Community Right to Build cannot be used by property developers, including wind turbine developers, to gain planning permission for their development proposal – unless that development is something that the community wishes to see and which the community initiates.

    Proposals that require an Environmental Impact Assessment or are likely to have significant effects on a site protected under the Habitats Regulations are not eligible to use the Community Right to Build. Where proposals are eligible they will be tested by an independent examiner to see that they are appropriate in the light of national planning policy and generally conform with the strategic policies of the Local Plan for the area and any neighbourhood plans that are in force.

    The National Planning Policy Framework is very clear that local councils should design their policies to ensure the adverse impacts of renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily. To help implement the environmental balance expected by the Framework, we issued new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy last July. The guidance makes clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local communities.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help local authorities control the sale of legal highs.

    Norman Baker

    In December 2013 the Home Office published guidance for local authorities which sets out the range of legislative tools they can use to tackle the ‘head shops’
    where legal highs are often sold. This was developed in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and the Trading Standards Institute. The guidance covers offences head shops may be committing under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, and various consumer protection regulations.

    The Home Office also provides local authorities and their trading standards officers with technical and financial support with drug testing through the Forensic Early Warning System. This supports local authorities in their action against the sale of legal highs by helping them to identify the contents of legal high products. To date, we have brought well over 250 substances under control through the use of ‘generic’ legislation and temporary class drug orders. We also work closely with law enforcement to tackle this reckless trade. Concerted action, started in November 2013, has so far resulted in over 40 arrests and seizures of new psychoactive substances, including 9 kilograms by Kent Police.

    Last summer we also ran a targeted communications campaign to raise awareness of the risks in taking new psychoactive substances amongst young people; providing information on these substances through our FRANK online service.

    However, we accept that more can be done, hence my announcement on 12 December 2013 of a review by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s response to new psychoactive substances can be enhanced beyond the existing measures. The expert panel includes a senior policy advisor from the Local Government Association to inform the work of the panel from a local government perspective. The panel is due to report its recommendations by the end of spring 2014.