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Tag: 2015

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the funding allocated for the Northern Powerhouse will be spent on (1) repairs of potholes and damaged carriageways, and (2) other highway maintenance that would normally come out of annual revenue budgets; and how much of such spending will be allocated to (a) the Highways Agency, and (b) local highways authorities.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport is allocating £1.3billion capital funding between 2015 and 2021 to local highway authorities that fall within the Northern Powerhouse for local highways maintenance. This funding can be used to repair potholes. The funding is not ring-fenced and it is entirely for each highway authority to decide, based on their needs and priorities, as to how this funding is spent. In addition the funding the Department for Transport allocated to local highway authorities in England to improve road conditions was £1 billion more over the last Parliament compared to what was provided between 2005 and 2010.

    Local authorities are able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant.

    The Department for Transport is funding a local highways maintenance project in Sheffield as well as street lighting schemes in Blackpool, Knowsley, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Oldham, Redcar & Cleveland, Rochdale, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Wakefield, through the Private Finance Initiative.

    In addition we are also allocating £2.9 billion for improvements to the strategic road network within the Northern Powerhouse managed by Highways England as set out in the Road Investment Strategy published in March 2015 for the period between 2015 and 2020.

  • Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord MacKenzie of Culkein on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many ships were on the United Kingdom register in 2005, and in each year thereafter to date.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The number of ships over 100 GT on the UK register in 2005 and to date are detailed below. All totals were correct at 31st December in the respective year.

    December 2005 1,438

    December 2006 1,456

    December 2007 1,481

    December 2008 1,550

    December 2009 1,553

    December 2010 1,503

    December 2011 1,469

    December 2012 1,401

    December 2013 1,360

    December 2014 1,327

    The figure for 2015 – 1,328 is up to and including 31st August.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning Israel offering refuge to Palestinians fleeing Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not made any representations to the Government of Israel on this issue.

    The UK has pledged £1billion to date – our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis – to provide humanitarian assistance and long-term support to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people living in Syria and refugees across the region, which includes Palestinian refugees who have also been affected by the crisis.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that criterion 8 of the consolidated EU Licensing Criteria document is consistently applied to all export licences.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for assessing licence applications against Criterion 8. DFID considers export licence applications destined to all International Development Association eligible countries and may also ask to see applications in respect of other countries of concern. Further information on DFID’s role is given in the Government’s Strategic Export Controls Annual Report for 2014, which was presented to Parliament on 16 July 2015 and is also available on the gov.uk website.

  • 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, with reference to paragraph 2.260 of the 2015 Budget, what alternative options his Department has considered to address the environmental liabilities associated with unrestored opencast mines in Scotland; and for what reasons each such option was not chosen.

    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.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of giving tenants in the private rental sector the right to end a tenancy with their full deposits if they discover that the landlord has been convicted of a housing offence.

    Brandon Lewis

    A tenancy agreement is a contract between a landlord and tenant. If the conditions of the agreement are breached the affected party will normally have the right to end that contract; any tenant deposit due to be returned will be repaid through the normal procedures. We do not have any plans to alter this arrangement.

  • Greg Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Greg Knight – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will require road safety and information on the dangers of the highway to be taught to all children in all schools as part of the national curriculum.

    Edward Timpson

    Schools can choose to teach about road safety in their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons and the non-statutory programme of study for PSHE education includes road safety, cycle safety and safety in the community.

    The government expects all schools to teach PSHE and made this expectation clear in the introduction to the national curriculum. It is for schools to tailor their PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils.

    Schools may wish to use the resources provided by organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), which offer a range of materials to help schools and teachers incorporate road safety education into lessons and school activities. ROSPA’s resources are available free on their website: http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/resources/free/teachers/

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  • Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to bring forward further amendments to the Hunting Act 2004.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government stands by its manifesto commitment to give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a Government Bill in Government time.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the new junior doctors’ contract to be published; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    After the British Medical Association (BMA) left negotiations in October 2014, the Government asked the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) to make recommendations on a new contract for junior doctors. The DDRB report published on 16 July considered evidence from employers, Government, the British Medical Association (BMA) and other interested parties and made recommendations on a new pay structure for doctors and dentists in training.

    The Secretary of State accepted the recommendations of the DDRB as the basis for implementing a new contract and invited the BMA to re-enter negotiations to take forward the recommendations with NHS Employers. Although the DDRB accepted the principles of the reforms there remained significant work to finalise and agree the details of the contract and it was expected that these would be agreed between the parties on the basis of a negotiation. It is disappointing that on 13 August the BMA announced that it would not re-engage in negotiations based on the independent report and absented itself from participating in making important design decisions on the new contract.

    The Government cannot accept that a Trade Union should have a veto on making changes to an outdated employment contract that the BMA agreed urgently needed reform. The Department has therefore asked NHS Employers to take forward the work of developing a new employment contract without the BMA. NHS Employers are arranging to consult with junior doctors and other interested stakeholders directly and will shortly launch a series of roadshows across the country. The Government would still welcome the BMA re-entering the negotiation.

    The new contract will prioritise safe care by strengthening safeguards on doctors’ working hours and reward junior doctors more fairly for the work they do. No financial savings will be made from implementing the new contract. It will be finalised in the new year and is due to be implemented from August 2016.

  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding within police budgets to deal with non-crime demands, such as cases involving missing persons.

    Mr John Hayes

    Police and Crime Commissioners, working with their Chief Officers, are responsible for allocating funding according to local priorities. This includes providing resources for cases involving missing persons. The Government is clear that the way that funding is allocated is currently opaque and out of date and have consulted on a new model to ensure fairness and transparency. The consultation closed on 15 September and responses are being analysed. The consultation drew on the recently published College of Policing report “Estimating demand on the police service” which included analysis of non crime demand. The report is available on the College of Policing website.