Tag: 2014

  • Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons his Department did not provide supporting ICT infrastructure for Capita’s new recruitment software as required under its contractual arrangements with Capita in relation to the Recruiting Partnering Project.

    Anna Soubry

    A number of factors contributed to the problems experienced with the Information Communication Technology hosting environment provided for Capita.

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) on 14 January 2014 (Official Report, column 715) to the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker).

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) between 19 and 24 and (c) 25 years or over are employed at the Competition and Markets Authority.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Competition and Markets Authority employs no apprentices at this time.

    As a supporter of apprenticeships, the Government launched the first Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme in 2013.

    As at September 2013, the most recent date for which figures are available, the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme had 100 18-21 year old apprentices employed in permanent posts across government on the 2-year scheme.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on AWE, what his most recent estimate is of the (a) anticipated out-turn cost and (b) projected in-service date of each of the new build projects in the Atomic Weapons Establishment Site Development Context Plan.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The tables show the current new build projects, with approved costs and in-service dates, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

    Projected in-service dates are shown in bandings to avoid prejudice to national security and defence. No costs are attributed to projects detailed in table 2 as these have yet to be approved.

    Table 1 – current new build projects that have been through the Ministry of Defence approval process

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    Projected

    In-Service Period

    Approved cost

    £million

    Conventional Manufacturing – Phoenix

    Manufacturing/production

    2014-15

    57

    Hydrodynamics trials-Technology Development Centre

    Testing/research

    2014-15

    40

    High Explosives fabrication – Circinus

    Manufacturing/Production

    2014-15

    231

    Warhead assembly/disassembly – Mensa

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    734

    Uranium components – Pegasus

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    634

    Table 2 – projects currently planned for but which have yet to go through the formal Ministry of Defence approvals process

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    Projected In-Service Period

    Salts Processing – Octans

    Testing/research

    2020-25

    Initiator system manufacture-Taurus

    Manufacturing/production

    2020-25

    Large Scale formulations-Scorpius

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Small Scale formulations-Cepheus

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New Plutonium (Pu) Facility – not yet named

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New depleted Uranium Facility

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Assembly for Trials-Columba

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    High Explosive Climatic Trials

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Non-Metallics & materials R&D-Libra

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Chemical processing-Astra

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) two, (b) three, (c) four and (d) five or more jobs; and how many of such people’s total earnings do not meet the lower earnings threshold.

    Mr David Gauke

    Estimates of the number of (a) people and (b) women who work in more than one job but do not pay national insurance, even though their total earnings are above the lower earnings threshold; and, of those, how many are women, are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-coverage-lower-earnings-limit-and-multiple-jobs

    The rest of the information requested is not available.

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the criminal offences introduced between 1997 and 2013 in a form easily understood by the general public.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government wants to avoid bringing in new criminal offences where they are not needed and will continue to scrap unnecessary and out of date laws, but where there is a genuine need to create a new criminal offence we will continue to do so.

    To publish an accessible list of criminal offences introduced between1997 to 2008 would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.

    During this parliament, however, the Government committed to publishing the number of offences it created each year. My department is responsible for doing so and publishes an annual statistical bulletin on the number of new criminal offences added to the statute book. The bulletins cover primary and secondary legislation containing criminal offences enforceable in England and Wales. The latest bulletin covering the period 2009 to 31 May 2013 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-new-criminal-offences-statistics-in-england-and-wales-june-2009-may-2013. The next bulletin should be available in December and will cover the period from 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014.

    “

  • Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications made by betting shops have been rejected by local authorities and subsequently overturned by the Planning Ispectorate in (a) Newham and (b) the UK in each year since 2008.

    Nick Boles

    We hold information for England; information for other parts of the UK is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

    The table below sets out the number of planning appeals on betting shops decided by the Planning Inspectorate in England in each year since 2008.

    Decision Year

    Allowed

    Dismissed

    Total

    2008

    13

    9

    22

    2009

    9

    11

    20

    2010

    10

    7

    17

    2011

    18

    9

    27

    2012

    4

    10

    14

    2013

    8

    10

    18

    There is no clear trend, other than fewer appeals being allowed in the last two years, and I would note that the numbers involved are small. Any planning application or appeal needs to be considered on its individual merits in light of the prevailing local circumstances and planning policies.

    During this period, three appeals relating to the London Borough of Newham in 2011 were allowed involving changes to A2 use.

    The detailed reasoning for the approvals were outlined in the three decision letters, but it may assist the hon. Member to note that (a) one case involved an application which had been rejected on grounds it was a move to a non-retail use, yet the inspector noted that the premises had been operating as a non-retail use for over 40 years, (b) another had been rejected on similar grounds, yet there was already an extant planning permission for the premises to change to a non-retail use, and (c) the other was since the premises was changing from an amusement arcade and was already in use for a form of gambling.

    The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is undertaking a broader review of gambling policy. This Government is taking action to support healthy and vibrant local high streets. This is part of a wider set of measures designed to get empty and redundant buildings back into productive use and make it easier for valued town centre businesses like shops, banks and cafés to open new premises, while giving councils greater powers to tackle the harm to local amenity caused by a concentration of particular uses.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many consultation documents his Department issued which received fewer than 100 separate responses in each of the last four years.

    Jenny Willott

    Data on consultation response rates is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of combined heat and power plans delivering more than 10 per cent of input energy as heat output.

    Gregory Barker

    In 2013, the Government reviewed the minimum performance standards for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) set in our Quality Assurance programme. As set out in the Government response, approximately 70% of solid and liquid renewable fuel CHP schemes already certified to Combined Heat and Power Quality and Assurance (CHPQA) deliver more than 10% of their input energy as useful heat output.

    No similar assessment has been made for fossil fuel CHPs.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Tees Valley City Deal.

    Greg Clark

    All City Deals are available on gov.uk.

    A copy of the Tees Valley City Deal has been placed in the Library of the House.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Cabinet Secretary was tasked with assessing whether there were gounds for a further inquiry into the events surrounding the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

    Mr William Hague

    The Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood’s investigation looked at why the UK provided advice to the Indian authorities, the nature of the UK assistance and the impact of that assistance in Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple. As I told Parliament in my statement to the House on 4 February 2014, Official Report, columns 139-142, the report and the documents we published clearly show the limited nature of UK advice on Operation Blue Star, and that there were no grounds for a further inquiry.