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  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Zephyr 8 UAVs his Department plans to buy; what the estimated cost per unit is of that equipment; what the programme through life cost is of that equipment; and where he plans units of that equipment will be based.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As part of our commitment to providing next-generation battlefield intelligence capabilities to the UK Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence is planning to contract for the demonstration of two Zephyr Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This contract will allow the UK to understand whether Zephyr can fulfil the requirement for a high-altitude persistent surveillance capability, as announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

    The £10.6 million contract, due to be signed imminently with Airbus Defence and Space, is for an operational concept demonstration rather than individual platforms, so unit costs are not held. Furthermore, as the Zephyr demonstrators will not be in-service, they will not be based at a particular location and there will be no related support or through-life costs.

    Tests are due to take place in 2017 to assess Zephyr’s capabilities and explore its potential.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the cost to the tourist industry in Keswick, Cumbria, of the closure of the A591 due to recent flooding.

    David Evennett

    No assessment has been made by DCMS of the direct cost of the closure of the A591. Work is currently underway to repair the major route between Grasmere and Keswick, and the Department for Transport has announced that the A591 is set to reopen by the end of May.

    In Cumbria on the 28th January the Prime Minister announced a £1m PR campaign to support businesses ready to receive visitors, and this is part of a wider package of immediate measures to help the area.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on (a) allocating additional resources and (b) developing additional measures to monitor accidental interference to programme making and special events services from (i) licence-exempt and (ii) manually configure white space devices.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Government considers Ofcom’s existing powers of enforcement sufficient to address interference from unlicensed use at this time. Ofcom is working with the Federation of Communication Services to develop a Code of Practice for the installation of manually configured white space devices. Ofcom also plans to conduct early-phase compliance checks on licensees of manually configured devices.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the £600 million funding allocated for clearing the 700 MHz band of spectrum will be made available to the programme making and special events sector to compensate for the cost of new equipment required as a result of access to that band ending.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In March 2015, Government announced funding of up to £600m to fund the clearance of the 700MHz band and, as part of the programme, we are committed to safeguarding the ongoing benefits of PMSE to the UK economy. Ofcom have published a consultation outlining alternative spectrum bands for PMSE users, and we are currently working with Ofcom to look at how PMSE users can be supported if they need to buy new equipment.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the evidential basis is for clearing the 700 MHz band of spectrum requiring £600 million in funding; and what discussions his Department had with representatives of the programme making and special events sector prior to agreeing that figure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In March 2015, Government announced funding of up to £600m to fund the clearance of the 700MHz band and, as part of the programme, we are committed to safeguarding the ongoing benefits of PMSE to the UK economy. Ofcom have published a consultation outlining alternative spectrum bands for PMSE users, and we are currently working with Ofcom to look at how PMSE users can be supported if they need to buy new equipment.

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made in giving access to download speeds of at least 2mbps to residents of (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) the South East.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Nearly 90% of homes and businesses in the UK currently have access to superfast broadband – and we are on target for this to reach 95% by the end of 2017. All premises which cannot currently get 2Mbps will be able take advantage of a subsidised satellite broadband service which can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of homes in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) the South East have access to superfast broadband.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In the Woking constituency the Government expects 98% of homes & businesses to have access to superfast broadband at the end of the Superfast Surrey project. At county level Surrey will have over 99% superfast broadband coverage by the end of the Superfast Surrey project.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects to publish the reformed Electronic Communications Code.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that is clear, fit for purpose, and supports network coverage which provides consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services. We are considering the interests of all stakeholders. We will update Parliament on plans in due course.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has issued to its officials to support implementation of the Family Test.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In October 2014, the Department for Work and Pensions published guidance for Government officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy. Produced in collaboration with third sector partners from the Relationship Alliance, the guidance outlines the basis for the Family Test and provides policy officials with information on how the Test can be applied.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effects of changes in 2013 to permitted development rights on the roll-out of 4G mobile services; and what assessment he has made of the potential for reforms to lead to greater roll-out of 4G mobile services.

    Brandon Lewis

    The review of how the planning system in England can further support the delivery of mobile connectivity sought views on the planning changes made in 2013 including 4G deployment and the case for taller ground based masts. The outcome will be announced in due course.