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  • Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what advantages he expects to accrue from the new bespoke trading fund status of the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation; and what new freedoms that organisation will have which were not previously available to it.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Copies of the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Corporate Plan and the Framework Document will be placed in the Library of the House in due course, and published on the gov.uk website and the Defence Intranet. The Corporate Plan sets out the DE&S strategic objectives and timelines for the next three years. The Framework Document includes the function and governance arrangements for the new DE&S, including the freedoms and benefits.

  • Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the corporate plan of the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation relating to its new bespoke trading fund status.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Copies of the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Corporate Plan and the Framework Document will be placed in the Library of the House in due course, and published on the gov.uk website and the Defence Intranet. The Corporate Plan sets out the DE&S strategic objectives and timelines for the next three years. The Framework Document includes the function and governance arrangements for the new DE&S, including the freedoms and benefits.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned in-service date is for the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon; how many will be procured; and what estimate he has made of the (a) total programme and (b) unit cost.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The planned in-service date for the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) (FASGW(H)) is 2020. I am withholding the information relating to the number being procured as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

    The total programme cost for FASGW(H) is £500 million and is a joint investment with the French Government. The UK’s contribution is £280 million (contract value excluding VAT). I am withholding information on the unit cost of FASGW(H) as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

    I am also withholding all information on the FASGW (Light) as contract negotiations are ongoing and disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the 60 mathematics teachers brought to the UK from Shanghai for an exchange organised by his Department were chosen.

    Elizabeth Truss

    We launched the Maths Teacher exchange between England and China in March 2014. The exchange will start in the next academic year. We are in the process of confirming arrangements, including which teachers from Shanghai will participate.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.42 of Budget 2014, whether the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will only be available to new domestic routes; which regional airports will be eligible; when funding is likely to become available; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that funding to maintain existing air connectivity to London – first announced in the 2013 Spending Round last June – will increase from £10million to £20million per year. The Chancellor also announced that support from this funding will be provided for start-up aid for new air routes from UK regional airports. European Union aviation State aid guidelines allow for start-up aid to be provided under certain conditions to facilitate the development of new routes from airports which handle fewer than five million passengers per year. This currently includes Newcastle Airport.

    The Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will ordinarily expect to interpret the European Union State aid guidelines, and explain how the funding process will operate.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress he has made in negotiations with the European Commission on a derogation from the ban on the import or manufacture of incandescent bulbs; and if he will make a statement.

    Gregory Barker

    Responsibility for energy-using products policy, including negotiations for product-specific regulations under the Ecodesign for Energy-related Products Directive, was transferred from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 3rd March 2014.

    There are no provisions allowing the European Commission or individual Member States to create exemptions from Regulation 244/2009, which phases out of incandescent bulbs.

    The UK has been proactive in pressing to ensure EU policy and legislation takes full account of the potential health implications of artificial lighting, and has raised the issue in two recent meetings in Brussels. EC regulation 244/2009 will be reviewed later this year and we will continue to press for potential health implications to be considered.

  • Karl Turner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Karl Turner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to reduce the effect of rises in rural and off-grid energy bills on the cost of living.

    Gregory Barker

    In addition to the £50 reduction in energy bills we have delivered, we are committed to helping the most vulnerable, including those in rural areas and off-grid.

    This year’s Buy Oil Early campaign, coordinated by DECC, was launched by industry in September. DECC has also worked with industry and consumer representative organisations to provide guidance on forming oil buying clubs which will allow savings through bulk buying.

    Making homes more energy efficient is vital in order to reduce energy bills. The Green Deal offers a way for homeowners to identify and pay for the most effective energy efficiency measures for their home, such as insulation and more efficient boilers.

    Customers on a low income or in a hard-to-insulate property may be able get additional support through the Energy Company Obligation. We are also currently consulting on changes to the Energy Company Obligation that will drive greater delivery to off-gas households and make it easier for suppliers to deliver to rural areas.

    Renewable heating systems allow off-gas grid householders to switch from more expensive fossil fuels. The launch of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive by Easter will provide payments to homeowners and help drive the uptake of such systems.

    DECC is also working to ensure the fuel poverty strategy will reflect the needs of the most severely fuel poor in off-gas grid areas when it is published later this year.

  • 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 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria will be used by his Department to determine how much funding each local authority will receive to investigate those eligible to receive a refund of under-occupancy payments.

    Esther McVey

    An estimate of the overall costs has been made based on discussions with individual local authorities and local authority representative organisations. The allocation of funding has been based on the total number of claimants who currently have their spare room subsidy removed. The estimate reflects the work likely to be undertaken by local authorities, including the inspection of claim records to identify those potentially affected, collect further information, and make a decision

  • Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what powers the Child Support Agency has to investigate the weekly expenses of parents who are paying child maintenance.

    Steve Webb

    Section 14 of the Child Support Act 1991 and the Child Support Information Regulations 2008 provide the Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Service with wide powers to obtain information from parents and third parties for the purpose of making decisions relating to child maintenance, including those decisions which relate to establishing the child maintenance of a Paying Parent.

    The Receiving Parent is not responsible for estimating the weekly expenses of a Paying Parent. The Child Maintenance Service, which administers the 2012 Scheme, is built to make best use of taxable income information that is regularly and reliably available from HMRC. However, in the 1993 and 2003 schemes, administered by the Child Support Agency, the Receiving Parent can sometimes be asked to provide evidence of expenditure in order to support an application for a variation on the grounds of “lifestyle inconsistent with declared income”.

  • 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 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much additional funding each local authority will receive to enable it to investigate whether claimants are eligible for refund of under-occupancy penalty payments in 2014-15.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has allocated a total of £18.4 million to local authorities to support the ongoing administrative costs of implementing welfare reform changes in 2014/15. This includes £2.1million for the estimated costs of identifying claimants affected by the unintended exemption, which will be allocated to local authorities in line with the published number of claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy in each local authority. Further details are included in a Housing Benefit circular at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hb-subsidy-circular-s22014-additional-funding-to-meet-the-costs-of-implementing-welfare-reform-changes-in-apr-2014-to-mar-2015

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