Blog

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy that waste disposal licences are not issued by the Environment Agency to individuals with criminal convictions or to companies controlled by individuals with criminal convictions.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency can already refuse an application for an environmental permit if it considers the applicant or another relevant person is not competent or unwilling to comply with the conditions of a permit. Where disclosed as part of an application, relevant convictions may be considered by the regulator as part of its assessment of an operator’s competence to hold an environmental permit.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency has taken to identify those responsible for the fly-tipping of plastic and other rubbish in Cornwall Road, Smethwick in March 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency is continuing to investigate the case of illegal dumping on land in Cornwall Road. As this is an active investigation I am unable to provide further details at this stage.

    Illegal dumping and waste crime more generally is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land.

    The Government is taking action to crack down on this unacceptable behaviour and has pledged an additional £20 million of funding for waste crime enforcement over the next five years as part of the Spending Review. We are also working with the Environment Agency through a joint Waste Crime Action Plan to ensure its regulatory effort is targeted effectively and focussed on speedy and tough enforcement action

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil law suits have been brought against her Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.

    George Eustice

    The Human Rights Act 1998 has been in force since October 2000. There is no central record of civil cases brought against Defra where a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998 was alleged.

    There have not been any cases since 2010 settled by payment of damages which alleged a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

    George Eustice

    The table below shows the amount of overtime paid to staff in core-Defra in each of the last 24 months.

    Month

    Amount

    Month

    Amount

    January 2016

    £33,554

    January 2015

    £35,948

    December 2015

    £27,057

    December 2014

    £28,661

    November 2015

    £22,909

    November 2014

    £16,501

    October 2015

    £16,567

    October 2014

    £13,301

    September 2015

    £15,046

    September 2014

    £17,162

    August 2015

    £24,904

    August 2014

    £36,683

    July 2015

    £20,092

    July 2014

    £22,531

    June 2015

    £14,361

    June 2014

    £10,520

    May 2015

    £7,956

    May 2014

    £18,307

    April 2015

    £25,870

    April 2014

    £29,799

    March 2015

    £18,566

    March 2014

    £45,721

    February 2015

    £23,534

    February 2014

    £34,667
  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In the period January 2014 to end January 2016 overtime payments made totalled (to the nearest £k) broken down as shown below:-

    2013-14

    £k

    2014-15

    £k

    2015-16

    £k

    January

    43

    April

    63

    April

    26

    February

    52

    May

    85

    May

    34

    March

    58

    June

    10

    June

    32

    July

    60

    July

    34

    August

    38

    August

    22

    September

    30

    September

    21

    October

    32

    October

    23

    November

    47

    November

    32

    December

    59

    December

    37

    January

    36

    January

    28

    February

    49

    March

    49
  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many civil law suits have been brought against her Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.

    Andrea Leadsom

    When the Human Rights Act came into force, no specific arrangements were put in place by the then government to record cases in the way requested.

    Litigants in civil cases can rely on arguments based wholly or partly on the Human Rights Act 1998. In some cases, the Act is relied on in addition to other claims. Neither Government Legal Department (GLD) records nor the County and High Courts case management systems distinguish between cases where the Act is invoked and cases where it is not. As a result, there are not currently data published which distinguish between cases where the Human Rights Act was or was not invoked.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of existing capacity of existing Capacity Market Units that were awarded Capacity Market contracts did not place an exit bid in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Andrea Leadsom

    All existing Capacity Market Units (CMU) participating in the 2014 and 2015 auctions submitted exit bids in accordance with the auction rules. Confidentiality rules mean that the Government is unable to obtain from National Grid, the delivery body for the Capacity Market, the detailed information on individual exit bids.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what capacity of existing Capacity Market Units were awarded Capacity Market contracts in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The capacity of existing Capacity Market Units awarded Capacity Market agreements including those awarded refurbishing agreements was:

    a) 46,464MW in 2014; and

    b) 42,099 MW in 2015.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much her Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf.

    “

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The hourly rate of pay for cleaners working in the Department of Energy and Climate Change is between £7.85 and £9.15 depending on location.

    From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.