Tag: 2015

  • Ian Liddell-Grainger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ian Liddell-Grainger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Liddell-Grainger on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many telephone masts have been erected under the Government’s mobile infrastructure project.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government has committed to ensuring that 90 per cent of the UK landmass will have voice and SMS coverage by 2017.14 telephone masts have been completed and are providing mobile coverage in areas of Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Lincolnshire, Somerset, Suffolk and Northern Ireland. Over 50 other ​potential mast sites are currentlybeing progressed by our supplier with the aim of delivering as many of these as possible by the project end date of 31 March 2016.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on house building of the Office of National Statistics reclassifying housing associations as public sector bodies.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Office of National Statistics has concluded that housing associations should have been classified as public rather than private since 2008, due to several of the regulatory requirements imposed by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 introduced by the last Labour Government. This decision is purely a statistical change. Reclassification makes no material changes to the operation of housing associations. The Government is committed to developing deregulatory measures to help housing associations build more homes and help more people into home ownership.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lucy Frazer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Frazer on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to reform the allocation of funding to increase participation in sport.

    Tracey Crouch

    The funding model used to date has not delivered the sustained increase in participation we want to see across the country. The new sport and physical activity strategy will ensure that funding is clearly targeted at those organisations that can best deliver results.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils (a) in each age group were enrolled at each university technical college (UTC) in the 2014-15 academic year and (b) were enrolled in each UTC in September 2015.

    Nick Boles

    Figures for the number of pupils enrolled in each UTC by age group are available in the underlying data of the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015 statistics’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015

    The figures for the numbers of pupils enrolled in each UTC for the academic year 2015/16 are not yet available.

  • Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table 7.1 of the Final Report of the Airports Commission, published in July 2015, if he will commission an assessment of the effect on the data in that table under the Commission’s (a) global growth, (b) relative decline of Europe, (c) low-cost is king and (d) global fragmentation scenarios.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.

    The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out, including that on costs, when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the estimated cost per household will be to suppliers of having to issue an in-home display as part of the smart meter home display.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic customers an In Home Display (IHD) for no upfront charge. Our latest Impact Assessment published in January 2014 estimates that IHDs will cost energy suppliers £15 per display.

    GB trials and international experience demonstrate that real time feedback from In Home Displays are instrumental to energy savings.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the decision was made by Defence Equipment and Support to transport special nuclear materials through Glasgow on 29 July 2015.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The decision to withdraw the High Security Vehicle from service on 31 July 2015 was made in February 2015.

    Decisions and timings on the routes to be used for the transportation of Defence Nuclear Material are part of the operational planning process. I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) targets and (b) goals the Bahraini authorities have been asked to work towards in the reform programmes in that country funded by his Department; and what progress has been made towards achieving those goals.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Government of Bahrain set out its own programme of reforms to implement the recommendations of Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry in 2011 and to respond to recommendations made at the UN Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain’s human rights situation. Our assistance supports Bahrain’s reform programme and is focussed on strengthening human rights and the rule of law. We welcome progress made in areas including: youth justice; the establishment and increasing effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office, the Prisoner and Detainees’ Rights Commission and the reformed National Institute of Human Rights. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 26 November 2015, Official Report, columns 1489-94, what representations he has received from members of the International Syria Support Group on his proposed strategy for tackling ISIL.

    Mr David Cameron

    We have regular discussions with fellow members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes the US, France and regional partners, about our strategy for tackling Daesh. The most recent ministerial meeting of the ISSG took place in Vienna on 14 November. We expect that a further meeting will take place in December. Such fora are an important means making steps towards the common goal of achieving a political solution to the Syria crisis and the defeat of ISIL. We will continue to play a leading, active role as a member of the ISSG.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect civilians in Syria.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the conflict in Syria. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion aid in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second biggest bilateral donor after the United States. We are exploring with the UN and other major donors how best to ensure that the momentum on fund-raising is maintained over the longer term, including how to respond to the 2016 Appeals, once these have been issued. The UK has provided £6.7m for the Syrian civil defence teams (known as ‘White Helmets’) to carry out search and rescue, fire fighting and First Aid in besieged areas. They have saved over 14,840 lives since March 2013. We are also working with other international donors to establish and build up the Free Syrian Police, a moderate police force in opposition-controlled areas in Syria. We are also taking action internationally. The UK co-sponsored and lobbied hard for UN Security Council Resolutions 2165 and 2191 which enable the UN to deliver aid across borders, without the consent of the regime, to assist those in the hardest to reach areas. By 31 August 2015, the UN and its partners had delivered 175 convoys of aid cross-border.