Tag: 2014

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2014 to Question 206270, what (a) inquiries have been made and (b) investigations have been carried out by (i) Ministers in his Department, (ii) officials in his Department and (iii) Business Bank staff into allegations of misselling relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme since 2012.

Matthew Hancock

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been pro-active in its engagement with Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) lenders, with regular audits of the use of the scheme since its launch. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers. Following evidence of concerns of lending by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in August 2014, BIS officials asked RBS to instigate an internal review into this issue.

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met with RBS to discuss these findings, and I have asked the British Business Bank – which now administers the programme on behalf of the Department – to continue to closely monitor the action being taken by RBS to address these issues. I have been given assurance from RBS that they will put right any cases where they are at fault to ensure that no detriment is suffered by either the borrower or the taxpayer.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee remains a valuable programme which helps viable businesses gain access to finance where they have insufficient security or an inadequate track record to access finance.

November 2, 2022
Damian Collins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Collins on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support Sport England has given to organisations in Folkestone and Hythe constituency since 2010.

Mrs Helen Grant

Since 2010 Sport England has invested £212,836 of National Lottery and Exchequer funding in 19 community sports projects in Folkestone and Hythe constituency.

November 2, 2022
Damian Collins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Collins on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the future operating life of Dungeness B nuclear power station; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock

On 20 January 2015, EdF announced that the life of Dungeness B has been extended to 2028. This was a decision for EdF as the owner and operator to make in consultation with the regulator.

There is no regulatory requirement for nuclear plant operators to gain permission from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), for a plant life extension. Plant operators must instead demonstrate that plant will continue to run safely and in compliance with site licence conditions in the course of regular ONR assessments. However, in the case of Dungeness B, EdF and the ONR agreed it would be beneficial for ONR to review the life extension proposals in advance of the life extension announcement, which they have done.

Separately, in order to ensure that the extension does not impact on the UK taxpayer, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) reviewed the impact of the decision on the UK’s Nuclear Liability Fund last year. The NDA approved the life extension to the plant. The assessment showed net savings rather than net costs.

November 2, 2022
Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what limits are in place in relation to noise from (a) aircraft and (b) motor vehicles.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Civil aircraft using UK airports are subject to international noise certification standards. These are set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and applied at the time of manufacture. In addition some airports may have restrictions in place to limit noise, which will be set out in their Noise Action Plans.

The limit in place in relation to noise for modern passenger cars is 74 decibels. For motorcycles it is between 75 and 80 decibels depending on the size of the machine. For large buses and coaches the limit is between 78 and 80 decibels. For small buses and light goods vehicles it is between 76 and 77 decibels and for heavy goods vehicles the limit is between 77 and 80 decibels. These figures are all measured using a microphone fixed 7.5 metres from the line along which the vehicle is travelling.

November 2, 2022
Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many disposal notices he has issued as a result of bids under the Community Right to Reclaim Land.

Brandon Lewis

I have attached a table which outlines the actions we have taken in response to each substantive request under the Right to Reclaim since its introduction in 2011. Each case is considered on its individual merits. Even where a direction to dispose is not issued, the whole process of challenging the local authority can help fast-track their own disposal plans. We do not hold information on the status of the applicant.

The act of Whitehall forcing councils to dispose of land is controversial, there is a high threshold for deciding whether a disposal can be ordered..

There is a strong commitment from the Government to making the best use of its land and disposing of land that is no longer needed. As such in addition to the Right to Reclaim Land powers which relate primarily to local government or other public bodies, a new Right to Contest was created in January 2014. This gives individuals, communities and businesses the ability to challenge Government on land and property owned by Whitehall departments and their agencies which is being used, but where, if sold, a better economic use could be made of it. Whilst theoretically people can still use the Community Right to Reclaim Land for Government land, in practice, most will now be dealt with under Right to Contest.

November 2, 2022
Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of homes not yet under construction but for which planning permission has been granted.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October 2014, to Question, UIN 207630.

We do not hold the requested figures on planning permission and the length of time.

November 2, 2022

Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recorded number of sea bass was discarded in the (a) Irish and (b) Celtic Sea by UK registered vessels in each of the last five years.

George Eustice

Under long standing Irish national measures to protect bass stocks their commercial fishing vessels are not permitted to land bass for sale, which means a degree of discarding of bass by-catch from mixed fishing activity will occur. We have no data available to us, however, on the level of such discards by Irish vessels.

For UK vessels we have discard estimates for the last five years combined for the Irish and Celtic Seas. These relate to otter trawlers, netters and beam trawlers, based on the numbers of sampled trips (see table (b)). We do not sample hook and line boats although these report a sizeable fraction of bass landings in these areas, as survival rates for discarded bass from commercial rod-and line or hand-line boats (under 10 metre inshore vessels) are considered potentially relatively high.

(a) Numbers (thousands) and weight (tonnes) landed and discarded for sampled fleets (otter, nets, beam) in Irish and Celtic Seas, raised to fleet landings for each gear, based on at-sea observer sampling by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

Number ‘000s	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Mean
Landed	48	36	29	39	30	36
Discarded	8	9	10	10	4	8
% discarded	14	20	25	21	11	18

Tonnes	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Mean
Landed	107	58	71	94	80	82
Discarded	3	3	4	6	2	3
% discarded	3	5	5	6	2	4

(b) Number of trips sampled, Irish and Celtic Seas

No. trips sampled	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	Total
Beam trawls	1		1			2
Netters	4	4	16	12	10	46
Otter trawls	23	20	21	21	12	97
Grand Total	28	24	38	33	22	145

November 2, 2022

Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of human rights in North Korea; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

We remain deeply concerned by the UN Commission of Inquiry’s findings of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). We have seen no evidence to suggest the human rights situation has improved since the Commission published its report in February 2014.

On 22 December, following a request by the UK and others, the UN Security Council formally recognised the human rights situation in the DPRK as a potential threat to international peace and security and held a first discussion of this new agenda item. During this meeting the UK repeated its serious concern at the human rights situation in the DPRK and its belief that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, then the international community must be ready to do so.

We also reitarated that the DPRK authorities bear primary responsibility for protecting human rights in DPRK and expressed our regret that the DPRK had withdrawn the offers of engagement made ahead of the UN General Assembly Third Committee resolution in November 2014.

November 2, 2022
David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ruffley on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her Department has used police cells to hold immigrants in each police force area in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each year since 2004.

James Brokenshire

The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

November 2, 2022
Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders were sentenced to a custodial sentence for each offence by each magistrates’ court in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mike Penning

The information you have requested cannot be extracted from our raw data due to the extensive nature of what you have requested. I will therefore write to my honourable Friend as soon as it is available.

November 2, 2022