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  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the additional £5 million for tackling waste crime announced in the budget statement will reduce in the planned workforce and associated workload in the enforcement and legal department of the Environment Agency.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra and the Environment Agency have been working together to ensure that the additional funding is targeted effectively to tackle waste crime. A decision on how the additional £5 million will be spent is subject to Defra Ministerial approval.

    Depending on how the £5 million is to be spent, the Environment Agency will review its planning assumptions to determine the impact on its workforce and associated workload

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy that householders may choose a conventional or analogue water meter instead of a wireless smart water meter where their water supplier is rolling out water metering; and if he will make a statement.

    Dan Rogerson

    Metering can be a fair way of charging for limited water resources. As circumstances are very different in different regions, the Government does not take a blanket approach to metering policy. In areas of serious water stress where there may not be enough water available to meet demand, a water company can include plans for metering all of their customers in their Water Resources Management Plan. In all other areas, household customers are entitled to have a meter installed free of charge by their water company on request, but cannot be required to have one fitted. Thetype of water meter to fit is a matter for the water company to decide.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the food industry about its compliance with food-related legislation.

    George Eustice

    My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State and I meet regularly with food industry trade associations and with individual food businesses to discuss a wide range of current policy issues. This often includes proposals for changes in food-related legislation and food industry practices, to ensure legislation is fit-for-purpose and regulation is risk-based. Compliance with existing food-related legislation is something the Government expects from all food businesses. Primary responsibility for enforcing compliance with food-related legislation rests with local authority environmental health and trading standards departments, overseen by the Food Standards Agency.

  • Paul Maynard – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Maynard – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Administration Court decision in the case CO/6036/2013, Halite Energy Group Limited v The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

    Michael Fallon

    Following the decision of the High Court , Halite Energy Group Limited v The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will now re-determine the application by Halite Energy Group Limited for development consent for the proposed underground gas storage facility including associated development in Preesall, Lancashire. He is currently seeking further information in writing from interested parties in accordance with the Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010 to enable him to do that.

    The Secretary of State is considering any potential wider implications of the decision, in consultation with the Planning Inspectorate.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what oversight mechanisms his Department had in place of bid evaluations of the contract to award ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running the competition to secure a new Parent Body Organisation for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd. Bid evaluations were made by the NDA’s competition team in strict accordance with UK and EU procurement regulations. DECC was not involved in the bid evaluations. Oversight and governance of the wider competition process is provided by the NDA’s Competition Programme Board (CPB), on which DECC is represented by the Shareholder Executive. Formal Government approval will be required before the contract can be awarded in September.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority made of the performance on previous and existing Nuclear Decommissioning Authority programmes when awarding ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running the competition for a new parent body for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Limited using the Competitive Dialogue procedure, under which the evaluation must identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender measured against agreed evaluation criteria. Each consortium’s capability and expertise was assessed during the pre-qualification process; this included but was not limited to experience on NDA programmes. It would have been contrary to UK and EU procurement regulations to have made experience on NDA programmes an evaluation criterion in the bidding process.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the underlying calculations were for the statement by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that £1billion would be saved from awarding ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    Bidders were required to submit target cost proposals for delivery of the first seven years of scope within the contract. All four bids received showed savings compared to the extant programme in excess of £1 billion.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has paid in severance payments and associated pension contributions to employees since May 2010; how many such severance payments there have been; and what the average length of service in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was of those receiving payments.

    Michael Fallon

    Between May 2010 and 31st March 2014 the NDA paid a total of £5.058 million in severance payments to 76 members of staff in line with the Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules. The average length of service was 4 years 7 months. The NDA has made no associated pension contributions.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) highest bonus, (b) number of bonuses and (c) average bonus payments was that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority paid to employees in 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    As set out in the NDA’s Annual report and Accounts for 2013:

    · The highest bonus paid to an employee was £83,003;

    · The number of bonus payments made was 295;

    · The average bonus payment was £10,160.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) highest bonus, (b) number of bonuses and (c) average bonus is that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority plans to pay to employees in 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    No decisions have been taken yet on bonus payments for 2014. Bonus payments will be based on a review by the NDA’s Remuneration Committee of performance against targets across the year, with input from internal and external auditors, and from the Chief Executive. This process will not conclude until June The outcome will be reported in the NDA’s annual report and accounts.