Tag: 2015

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress achieved at the meeting of the Middle East Quartet on 10 September.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 30 September 2015, the Quartet met in the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Quartet released a statement reaffirming its commitment to the two state solution and noting the urgency of progress towards this objective, in the context of the intensifying threat of terrorism, sectarian extremism and radicalisation in the Middle East. Amongst other things, the Quartet expressed concern at current trends, and stressed the need for significant steps on the ground, consistent with past agreements. The UK, represented by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), attended the expanded second part of the meeting. The Foreign Secretary stressed the need for practical actions which would have impact on the ground and expressed concern at settlements, housing demolitions and population clearances.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 25 September (HL2301), how many job vacancies there were in each of the industries covered in the most recent Vacancy Survey.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Baroness Worthington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Worthington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Worthington on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken to limit their exposure to costs arising from the decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas infrastructure.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    There are robust safeguards in place to prevent the costs of decommissioning falling to the taxpayer. Measures under Part 4 of the Petroleum Act include the ability for the Secretary of State to require the owners of an offshore installation or pipeline to prepare and execute a decommissioning programme for those assets, and to take financial securities from those companies to protect the tax-payer from any default.

    We are committed to ensuring decommissioning programmes represent value for money, which is why the Government intends to bring forward amendments at Lords Report Stage of the Energy Bill to: require decommissioning programmes to be cost effective, ensure the Oil and Gas Authority has the powers it needs to scrutinise companies’ decommissioning plans to ensure they are cost effective, and enable the Secretary of State to require a company to take specific action to reduce the costs of decommissioning to address cost overruns.

  • The Earl of Dundee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The Earl of Dundee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how frequently, and in what way, they monitor and compare their performance in attracting overseas students to study and work in the United Kingdom with that of other countries; and following such analysis, whether they plan to make adjustments to their current policies.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    Overseas students are welcome in the UK and there is no cap on the number of such students. The OECD’s Education at a Glance, published annually, compares our performance with that of other countries. In 2012, the UK was estimated to have a 13% share of the international student market (OECD, 2014), second only to the US. The Government is committed to increasing education exports from £18bn in 2012 to £30bn by 2020and our International Education strategy is helping to achieve that.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average length of tenure of chief executives in the National Health Service.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This information is not collected or held centrally.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which sections of United Kingdom immigration regulations are, or will be, relaxed for Syrian refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

    Lord Bates

    The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme has been running for around 18 months already, and has not involved any relaxation of the UK’s immigration rules. The Prime Minister announced on 7 September an expansion of that scheme.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to (1) investigate options, and (2) consult on proposals, to widen the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down following the A303/A30/A358 corridor feasibility study last year, and which organisations and individuals they plan to consult during each exercise.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Road Investment Strategy is clear that the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme involves a tunnel of at least 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres). Highways England is in the early stage of scheme development, looking at options, including the length of tunnel. Consultation on options will take place in 2017 and will involve stakeholders, local residents, businesses, road users and interested parties.

    Highways England does not yet have reliable cost estimates for a 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometres), or 4.3 miles (7 kilometres) tunnel. This information would become available during the consideration of options. The A303/A30/A358 Corridor Feasibility Study indicated that the cost estimate for a 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) tunnel is in the range of £864m to £1321m.

    To date, Highways England has not sought funding outside of their own resources to fund a solution for the A303 past Stonehenge although this does not preclude them from considering other funding sources in the future.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the interest rate hedging products redress scheme operated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The information requested is available on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website:

    http://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/financial-services-products/banking/interest-rate-hedging-products.

    “

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department assessed the merits of a carbon price support exemption scheme for (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

    Damian Hinds

    Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities and ultimately with the Scottish Government. The Treasury has fully considered the two proposals put to them for addressing the shortfall of land restoration on abandoned Scottish coal mines: an exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) tax and a direct grant from the Exchequer. Following discussions with Hargreaves, the UK Coal Authority, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and DECC, the Treasury has had to decline both proposals after thorough consideration. The reasons for this include: – Addressing the shortfall in land restoration is not the responsibility of the UK Government. Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities. – The proposals are unaffordable in the current fiscal climate. They would also set a precedent that would risk discouraging companies and local authorities from making proper financial provision for the cost of site restoration and future environmental liabilities. – A CPS exemption would be an inefficient means of addressing the shortfall of land restoration, as the money would not go directly towards this aim and it would incur significant administration costs. – A CPS exemption would distort the market by making non-exempt coal less competitive, and by discouraging investment in low carbon power generation. I have written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism informing him of this decision and I would be happy to consider any other options put forward.

  • Ranil Jayawardena – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ranil Jayawardena – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ranil Jayawardena on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of mobile telephone operators in order to ensure that customers receive the service that they pay for and are properly compensated if they do not; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    There are a number of coverage and quality measures that apply to communications providers; for example, spectrum licence conditions on mobile coverage and targets for Openreach on repair and installation times for fixed line and broadband services. Ofcom is working with the main broadband providers and mobile operators to ensure that appropriate redress is available to consumers when necessary, including when coverage and quality is unsatisfactory. Consumers can also seek redress on an individual basis, under the term implied into service contracts by the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, that the service will be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Effective from 1 October 2015, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes clear the rights of redress for consumers who do not receive a service that conforms to their contract; depending on circumstances, suitable remedies can include a price reduction, compensation or a right of exit.