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  • Chris Law – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chris Law – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a security assessment has been made of the potential use of non-HM Passport Office (HMPO) sites for interviews when HMPO plans to replace face-to-face interviews with video-link interviews.

    James Brokenshire

    When commissioning new video interview sites, a security risk assessment is undertaken and the service has to be suitably accredited. Video interviewing, using this approach, has been used successfully for customers in other locations since 2007.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons a high-sided heavy goods vehicle which overturned on the Humber Bridge on 1 February 2016 was permitted to cross the bridge while the bridge was closed to all high-sided vehicles due to high winds; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    Safety on the Humber Bridge is the responsibility of the Humber Bridge Board in cooperation with the local police.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to ascertain the reason for a large number of whales becoming stranded on the east coast of the UK in 2016; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Mass stranding events of whales are rare and ascertaining what causes them can be difficult. This is why Defra, in conjunction with the Devolved Administrations of Scotland and Wales, funds the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP). Although it is still too early to draw any conclusions on what may have caused the recent mass strandings of sperm whales in the North Sea, the CSIP will be working with stranding networks in Germany and the Netherlands over the coming months to try to identify the potential cause.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commission a study into the effect on bird and marine life of off-shore windfarms; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    The Planning Inspectorate is responsible for examining development consent applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects, including offshore renewable energy installations over 100MW in English and Welsh waters and their adjacent offshore waters, and then making a recommendation to the Secretary of State at Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the final decision.

    As part of the planning process, the environmental impacts of offshore renewable energy installations are considered through the requirement to undertake project level Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs). In order to improve the evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of offshore renewable energy installations, the Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP) was initiated by DECC, Marine Scotland and The Crown Estate. ORJIP includes a longer-term project to improve empirical evidence on the impacts of offshore renewables on marine species, such as birds and marine mammals. Further information is available at http://www.carbontrust.com/client-services/technology/innovation/offshore-renewables-joint-industry-programme-orjip/.

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  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to incentivise developers to co-fund the deployment of local fibre broadband networks to properties which are not scheduled for connection free of charge.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s recent announcement of a new deal bringing industry together will see fibre-based broadband offered to all new developments for free or part of a co-funded initiative. In addition, the Home Builders Federation are committed to promoting and supporting uptake of the co-funding offer among their membership.

    This new offer sets a high bar for all suppliers and developers in the market, and Government will be working with industry closely to monitor success over the next year.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will maintain the policy that payments made by Alliance House in relation to infected blood are disregarded for the purpose of tax or benefit assessments once the reformed system of payments is introduced.

    Jane Ellison

    As under the existing schemes, the current consultation on reform of the schemes proposes that any future payments would be in addition to any other source of income an individual may receive, and disregarded for the purposes of calculating income tax and eligibility for calculating other state benefits.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government determines the Scottish Government’s allocation of non-cash departmental expenditure budget for student loans.

    Greg Hands

    The Barnett Formula is applied in the normal way to calculate the Scottish Government’s allocation of non-cash departmental expenditure budget for student loans.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25906, if he will place in the Library a copy of the analysis carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs on benefit and tax credit claims by recently arrived EEA migrants.

    Damian Hinds

    On 10th November 2015, DWP published an ad-hoc statistical release that provides the background to DWP’s figures regarding recently arrived EEA nationals’ claims to benefits. This can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-benefit-and-tax-credit-claims-by-recently-arrived-eea-migrants

    The background to the figures on tax credits claimed by recently arrived EEA nationals can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status is of the 2003 Le Touquet Treaty in international law.

    James Brokenshire

    Juxtaposed Controls were introduced for short sea crossings by the “Treaty Between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the French Republic Concerning the Implementation of Frontier Controls at the Sea ports of Both Countries on the Channel and North Sea”, signed at Le Touquet on 4 February 2003.

    This bilateral agreement between the UK and France provides for immigration controls to be conducted by the country of arrival in designated control zones in the country of departure at both French and UK sea ports on the Channel and North Sea, including Calais and Dunkirk in France, and Dover in the UK.

    The Le Touquet Treaty is an agreement concluded between the UK and France under international law.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the proposed location is for the new primary academy to be opened in West Christchurch from September 2016 by Twynham Learning Foundation; and what financial contribution her Department plans to make to that academy’s premises.

    Edward Timpson

    The proposed location for the new school is in Marsh Lane, West Christchurch, subject to local planning approval. Whilst we require local authorities to provide a site for schools under the free school presumption, the choice of site is an entirely local matter. Basic need funding is allocated to local authorities to help them create new school places. Dorset has been allocated £15 million of basic need funding for the period 2015-18. It is for the local authority to determine how much of this to allocate to individual projects.