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  • Lord Farmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Farmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Farmer on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on Children’s Centres since June 2010, (1) in total, and (2) in each financial year.

    Lord Nash

    Between April 2010 and March 2015 the total spent on children’s centres was £5.2 bn.

    Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that currently forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme.

    Since April 2010, local authorities have reported spending on children’s centres through an annual return to the Department of Education (Section 251 returns; available on GOV.UK).

    There will be variation in the way local authorities deliver their services, which may not be captured in within this data. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres again this will not be included in this data.

  • Lord Clark of Windermere – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Clark of Windermere – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Clark of Windermere on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with National Grid in relation to the erection of pylons to carry power through the Lake District National Park from the proposed nuclear generation station adjacent to Sellafield.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Government holds regular discussions with National Grid across a range of energy matters. Some of these include factual updates from National Grid on its proposed major electricity transmission projects. When this occurs, Ministers and officials do not provide any views to National Grid due to the role DECC Ministers would play in the determination of any development consent applications.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what responsibility they have for examining how the costs of heavy rail might be reduced.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Government has a strong interest in reducing the net cost of the railway for the benefit of passengers, freight users and taxpayers, and this has been an important theme of the recent Hendy, Bowe and Shaw reviews.

    In respect of infrastructure costs, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has a remit to determine the efficient cost of provision by Network Rail in each five yearly rail control period, which helps to determine the cost of track access charges for Network Rail’s customers – passenger and freight train operators. ORR sets an efficiency target for Network Rail’s operations, maintenance and renewals. Any material increases in expenditure must be agreed with the Department for Transport.

    Separately, following the Bowe and Hendy reports, the Department has set in place new oversight arrangements to ensure best value is obtained from proposals to enhance the rail network, as reflected in the recently published Memorandum of Understanding between the Department and Network Rail.

    In respect of train operations, the Department seeks to achieve improved value for money through the way it lets and manages contracts for passenger train services.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the proposed increase in penalty points and fines for those who use mobile phones while driving, in the light of the number of road fatalities in which that offence was a contributing factor.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Evidence shows that hand-held mobile phone use by car drivers decreased after the legislation was introduced in 2003, and after the first increase in the penalty in 2007. However, I know that dangerous in-car mobile phone use remains a key concern amongst motorists. That is why the previous Government increased the level of fine in 2013 and this Government has brought forward a further package of measures to increase the current 3 penalty points to 4 and the fixed penalty notice to rise from £100 to £150.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to set up a stakeholder working party with an independent chairman to make recommendations to them concerning any damage to rights of way caused by motorised traffic.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    On 11 February Minister Stewart wrote to all the national park authorities to explain the Government was not going to establish a motor vehicle working group, as he believes in locally brokered solutions as the long term solution to issues around motor vehicles on public rights of way.

    Defra and Natural England are offering to hold a one-off forum for all motor vehicle stakeholders to share their knowledge and expertise and to discuss ways of working together in the future.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 25 April (HL7484), whether they still stand by the commitment, made by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence during the launch of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, to increase the number of ships in the Royal Navy.

    Earl Howe

    The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review announced our intention to launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate so that by the 2030s we can further increase the total numbers of frigates and destroyers. We stand by this commitment and work has begun.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 25 April (HL7482), whether views have been expressed by non-executive members of any Service Boards to the Permanent Secretary about rebalancing funds between the fighting environments.

    Earl Howe

    Non-executive members of Service Boards are able to offer their views on defence matters to the Permanent Secretary. We do not comment on the detail of internal discussions.

  • Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the obligations upon member states of the EU include any duty to observe the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The EU is not itself a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Any agreement for the EU to accede would need to be agreed unanimously by all EU Member States (including the UK) and all other contracting parties to the ECHR.

    Our renegotiation deal reaffirmed that the Charter of Fundamental Rights does not extend the ability of the Court of Justice of the European Union or domestic courts to rule on compliance with fundamental rights.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote Bristol as a location for small businesses with an eco-agenda.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Supporting our cities to grow is a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan. As such Government departments are working together to support UK businesses by creating an effective business environment that allows them to flourish.

    An example of this work can be seen in the Bristol City Deal. As part of this deal the Government agreed to provide over £2m towards creating Invest in Bristol and Bath, a dedicated service established to attract investment to the region. In its first year of operation, Invest in Bristol and Bath helped 30 new companies locate or expand in the West of England area. This has the potential to deliver more than 530 new jobs by 2017.

    Building on the Bristol City Deal, the recently announced West of England Devolution Agreement sets out further ways in which Government will work with the planned West of England Combined Authority to support business growth across the city-region.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent claims by the President of the United States that the UK leaving the EU could cause severe consequences to UK and US trade.

    Lord Price

    The Government has assessed that the total volume of UK trade with the world would be between 9% and 24% lower after 15 years if the UK left the EU.

    If the UK withdrew from the EU we would no longer benefit from the trade agreement the EU is negotiating with the US. Negotiating a replacement agreement would take years as the US would almost certainly want to conclude its negotiations with the EU first before deciding whether to enter into separate negotiations with the UK.