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Tag: 2015

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of homes and businesses that will not benefit from the roll-out of superfast broadband in each of the 11 Cheshire parliamentary constituencies.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s is committed to achieving the availability of superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises by December 2017. Broadband Delivery UK’s (BDUK) modelled estimates of the currently planned superfast broadband coverage for the 11 Cheshire constituencies predict 96% coverage, and are set out in the table below. These estimates are based on modelled coverage at the end of the Connected Cheshire Phase 2 project. Further coverage will be possible through additional funding sources including the gainshare funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved.

    As you will be aware the Prime Minister recently announced the Government’sintention to introduce a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) by 2020. The USO will be demand-led and will give people a legal right to request anaffordable connection to broadband of a minimum specified speed, from adesignated provider, no matter where they live, up to a reasonable cost threshold. This reflects that many people now see broadband as a basic service similar to thepost and telephone.

    Constituency

    Total

    Planned Coverage (%)

    City of Chester Constituency

    46,652

    97%

    Congleton Constituency

    44,269

    96%

    Crewe and Nantwich Constituency

    49,984

    97%

    Eddisbury Constituency

    39,293

    89%

    Ellesmere Port and Neston Constituency

    41,636

    99%

    Halton Constituency

    44,739

    98%

    Macclesfield Constituency

    45,198

    95%

    Tatton Constituency

    40,592

    95%

    Warrington North Borough Constituency

    44,770

    98%

    Warrington South Borough Constituency

    50,656

    98%

    Weaver Vale Constituency

    40,411

    97%

    Total

    488,200

    96%

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effects of zero-hour and uncertain hour contracts on the mental health of people holding such contracts.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has no plans to make any such assessment.

    Research undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that, compared to the average employee, zero hours contract workers are just as satisfied with their job (65% versus 63%) and happier with their work-life balance (62% versus 58%).

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has been provided with a copy of the US President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board report of 15 February 1990, entitled The Soviet ‘War Scare’, by the US administration.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The document referred to by the hon. Member is available in redacted version over the internet. This Department has no record of receiving a copy from the United States administration.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by her Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.

    Karen Bradley

    Target times for replying to correspondence from hon. Members differ in operational and non-operational areas of the Home Office. Information for the period 1 January to 30 September 2015 is included in the attached table. Across the department correspondence unanswered after eight weeks is approximately 0.3% of that received.

    Volume

    Target

    Average response time

    Unanswered after 8 weeks

    UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force

    25,111

    20 working days

    9 working days

    21

    Home Office HQ

    4,608

    15 working days

    11 working days

    78

    HM Passport Office

    2,522

    15 working days

    12 working days

    2
  • Michael Dugher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michael Dugher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of jobs in the solar sector that will be lost as a result of the Government changes to the feed-in tariff in (a) Barnsley East, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government proposed changes to the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) as part of the FIT review, on which we consulted widely between 27th August and 23rd October.

    Part of the purpose of that consultation was to gather views on the broader economic impact of the proposals. The actual impact on the sector will, of course, depend on the options taken forward after all responses to the consultation have been considered. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation and intend to publish a Government response in due course.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what form of transport she used to travel to the COP21 conference in Paris in December 2015; and for what reasons she used that form of transport.

    Justine Greening

    I flew to the COP 21 once which was the most cost effective and efficient means of travel. DFID offsets all its air and train travel.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department has received on the welfare effect of lead ammunition in sports shooting and hunting.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effect of lead shot on human and wildlife health and will respond as soon as possible.

    The Food Standards Agency has produced advice on the consumption of lead shot game which can be accessed at https://www.food.gov.uk/science/advice-to-frequent-eaters-of-game-shot-with-lead.

    “

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were in open prisons (a) in the most recent period for which figures are available and (b) in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Progression to open prisons is never automatic, and prisoners must generally be within two years of release before they can be considered for allocation. Public protection is paramount, only those prisoners who are assessed as low risk of escape/abscond and low risk of causing harm to the public are transferred to an open prison.

    The following table shows the number of male and female prisoners held in open prisons as at the last Friday in June in each of the last five years and as at the last Friday in November 2015, which is the most recent period for which figures are available.

    The data below does not include the number of male and female prisoners held in category D units in otherwise closed prisons.

    Number of male and female prisoners held in dedicated open prisons from June 2011 to November 2015.

    Date

    Population

    June 2011

    4,808

    June 2012

    4,953

    June 2013

    4,981

    June 2014

    5,087

    June 2015

    5,020

    November 2015

    5,137
  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what preparations her Department is making to support the agricultural economy in the Northern Ireland in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    George Eustice

    The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation. We believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Cadbury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that (a) lorry drivers from outside the UK have the appropriate licences and skills to drive on roads safely and (b) left-hand drive lorries have appropriate extra mirrors to improve visibility of cyclists and other road users to the lorry driver.

    Andrew Jones

    Road traffic legislation applies to everyone using British roads and this includes the obligation to provide documentation if required to do so by the police.

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has check sites in the Port of Dover and throughout the strategic road network of Great Britain. At these sites, all classes of Large Goods Vehicles are checked to ensure vehicle roadworthiness, the correct documentation and compliance with drivers’ hours regulations.

    The mirror requirements for heavy goods vehicles are the same throughout the EU.However, Department for Transport officials have currently negotiated improved requirements for mirrors on the passenger side of vehicles. The implementation process is now underway in the EU and means that drivers of newly registered HGVs from 1 July 2016 will have a better view of the area adjacent to the cab on the passenger side, which should improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Furtherchanges will also allow camera monitoring systems and enable the redesign of lorry cabs for better vision.