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  • Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord de Mauley on 19 March (WA 34–5), what discussions they have had with the Environment Agency in recent years about the case for, and value of, dredging; and whether Ministers considered at any point the Environmental Agency’s plans for the Somerset Levels.

    Lord De Mauley

    We have had frequent discussions with the Environment Agency over the last few years about flood risk management, including the contribution and value of dredging, in Somerset and across the country. We have also been kept up to date with Environment Agency’s plans for the Somerset Levels.

    The Environment Agency will continue to undertake dredging where it is shown to be a genuinely cost effective way of managing flood risk, taking account of the other options available. In some areas, dredging will be the most cost effective approach. In others, it would divert resources away from other flood risk management activities which are far more beneficial to local communities, such as maintaining pumps, sluice gates or raised embankments. The Environment Agency will therefore continue to review the case for dredging area by area, given its variable impact on reducing flood risk.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is proposed to meet any shortfall in primary and secondary school places in some localities over the next five years, as predicted by the Local Government Association’s analysis of the Department for Education’s figures.

    Lord Nash

    In December 2013 the Department for Education announced an additional £2.35 billion in basic need funding to support local authorities to create the additional places that will be needed by September 2017, in addition to the £5 billion already committed for the period 2011-15. We have also allocated £820 million in targeted basic need funding to fund an additional 74,000 high-quality places in the areas that face the most demand.

    The Department allocates funding for new school places based on information provided by local authorities through an annual survey of the current capacity of schools in the area, and forecasts of future pupil numbers.

    Local authorities are legally responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient school places. The Local Government Association’s report shows how effective many local authorities have been in creating new places and the Department will continue to support local authorities in doing this.

    One of the recommendations of the Local Government Association’s report was for longer-term allocations. The Department wants to give local authorities as long as possible to plan their school places. This should not extend beyond a period where we have confidence in the underlying data and should allow the Department to allocate funding to reflect changes in projected population and in the number of places needed. The Department believes that three-year rolling allocations strike the right balance between these two objectives.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration has been given to local authorities and their partners having more responsibilities and commensurate finance to work with local employers to tackle unemployment and underemployment of young people.

    Lord Freud

    Through the City Deals, the Government has invited Local Authorities to develop proposals to tackle unemployment and worklessness in their areas. Several of these proposals have entailed working closely with local employers to enhance employment opportunities for young people, for example, Greater Manchester have developed a local employer-led jobs campaign to co-ordinate and simplify local and national employment schemes so that business can access young talent easily.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ouseley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action has been taken against those responsible for the abandoned case involving eight South Wales police officers charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in the 1988 Lynette White murder inquiry.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    This case is the subject of civil litigation. HM Government is, therefore, unable to comment at the present time.

  • Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Seccombe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown of departmental spending on Government Procurement Cards in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2009–10, including the name, merchant type, purchase date and transaction value.

    Lord De Mauley

    Officials’ spending on Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) in 2009-10 generated nearly 47,000 transactions totalling £3.9m.

    The breakdown requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    However, details of all GPC transactions with a value of £500 or above, incurred from 1 April 2010 onwards, are published online at http://data.gov.uk/dataset/defra-gpc-spend-over-500-pounds.

    “

  • Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Seccombe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown of departmental spending in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on catering, hospitality and refreshments in (1) 2008–09, and (2) 2009–10.

    Lord De Mauley

    This table sets out the information requested, in respect of Core Defra.

    £

    2008-09

    2009-10

    Catering and Hospitality

    426,317

    545,253

    Refreshments

    18,574

    7,114

    The figures for Catering and Hospitality include a subsidy paid to the Department’s providers of in-house catering, hospitality and refreshments. The Department no longer pays such a subsidy.

  • Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Seccombe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown of departmental private office spending on Government Procurement Cards between 2005–06 and 2009–10.

    Lord Deighton

    The breakdown of spend by Ministerial private offices in the departmental on Government Procurement Cards for 2005-06 to 2009-10 is in the table below. There are three types of spend within the definition of GPC, procurement, lodge and corporate cards.

    2005-06

    2006-07

    2007-08

    2008-09

    2009-10

    Chancellor of the Exchequer

    220,787.69

    239,967.84

    141,155.09

    95,124.66

    94,773.45

    Chief Secretary

    31,243.13

    40,350.89

    16,002.80

    13,834.62

    25,955.41

    Exchequer Secretary

    10,426.42

    12,784.10

    15,899.54

    17,146.39

    20,028.14

    Economic Secretary

    14,807.79

    80,689.90

    21,329.00

    14,060.81

    7,961.58

    Financial Secretary

    39,163.29

    28,673.99

    21,654.07

    46,993.19

    21,031.27

    Financial Services Secretary

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    16,187.33

    Total

    316,428.32

    402,466.72

    216,040.50

    187,159.67

    185,937.18
  • Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Seccombe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of surplus public land sold so far to support housebuilding and development.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The Government has taken action to free up land for productive economic use. At the end of December 2013, the Public Sector Land Programme had sold surplus Government owned land capable of delivering over 68,000 homes in England as part of our ambition to dispose of surplus land with capacity for 100,000 homes by 2015. And through the recently concluded Strategic Land and Property Review the Government has identified scope to release £5 billion from its land and property between 2015 and 2020, creating opportunities for housing and economic development.The Government will look to quantify the housing and growth ambitions for this new programme by the time of the Autumn Statement.

  • Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Seccombe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Seccombe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department for Communities and Local Government has taken to cut spending on Common Purpose leadership courses.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    I confirm that the Secretary of State has given a clear steer that spending on Common Purpose is not appropriate, and no expenditure has been undertaken since 2010. By contrast, the last Administration spent £235,950 on Common Purpose.

    In ’50 ways to save’ the Department’s best practice guidance on sensible savings, we recommended councils cancel spending on Common Purpose leadership courses as a practical way of saving money.

  • Lord Davies of Stamford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Davies of Stamford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Davies of Stamford on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of students aged 18 who are doing Level 1 or Level 2 courses in Lincoln and in the East Midlands.

    Lord Nash

    Data for the City of Lincoln is not available.

    There are 2,196 students aged 18 studying level 1 courses and 3,040 students studying level 2 courses who live in the East Midlands region.

    Data is based on the 2012/13 R14 Individualised Learner Record, the latest available full year of data. Data refers to 18 year olds. This will not include any students on apprenticeship provision. Students who live in Lincoln or the East Midlands region do not necessarily study there. The numbers of students identified at each Level are based on the Notional Level of the Student’s Core Aim.