Tag: 2015

  • John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) passenger vehicles, (b) vans, (c) public service vehicles and (d) heavy goods vehicles are licensed; and how many vehicles in each such category (i) use petrol, (ii) use diesel and (iii) are hybrid.

    Andrew Jones

    The numbers of licensed vehicles in the categories requested are shown in the table below.

    Licensed vehicles of selected types of propulsion type in the UK as at 30 June 2015

    Vehicle Body Type

    Petrol

    Diesel

    Hybrid

    Other

    Total

    Passenger Vehicles

    1906892

    11592134

    22382

    5956

    30944434

    Vans

    1414

    3518023

    122

    14328

    3673873

    Public Service Vehicles

    4851

    164107

    1

    504

    169463

    Heavy Goods Vehicles

    2537

    498816

    0

    1085

    502438

    Notes:

    1. Vehicle types shown are based on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency vehicle body type definitions:

    Passenger vehicles = cars; Vans =Light Goods with a gross weight of up to and including 3.5 tonnes; Heavy Goods Vehicles = Goods vehicles with a gross weight of over 3.5 tonnes;

    Public Service Vehicles = Buses and Coaches (including minibuses with 9-16 seats)

    2. Hybrid vehicles may be under-recorded for Public Service Vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles: other includes gas and electric

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people in the social housing sector in Scotland will be affected by changes to the levels of housing benefit; and what the cost of such changes will be to the average household in Scotland.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This policy was introduced because in some areas, increases in social rents have outstripped the increase in private rents.

    The policy to cap social sector rents at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate for the area from April 2018 only applies to a new tenancy or a tenancy that is renewed after April 2016. As such it isn’t possible to accurately estimate the proportion of those in receipt of Housing Benefit in the social sector that will be affected by this policy, as it relies on the choice of those taking out new tenancies.

    The Discretionary Housing Payment scheme will be available to Local Authorities to protect the vulnerable.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This information is not available, as there is no central record kept of lost or stolen stationery.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the closure of the competition for carbon capture and storage projects was announced on a Stock Market news website on 25 November 2015, in advance of the Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015.

    Damian Hinds

    Following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, it was announced on the London Stock Exchange at 2:57pm on 25 November 2015 that HMG is not providing £1bn capital grant funding.

    We have not taken this decision lightly. However, this was a tight financial settlement and difficult decisions have had to be made. Support for the CCS competition projects has always been conditional on affordability and value for money.

    This decision means that the CCS Competition cannot proceed on its current basis. CCS has a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK and the government is engaging closely with the bidders on the implications of this decision for them.

  • Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that (a) there are persistent gender pay gaps among graduates and (b) employment and earnings premiums among graduates are lower for women than for men.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The EHRC is an independent body, and its report ‘Is Britain Fairer?’ covers a five-year period 2008-13 across both the Labour and coalition governments. We welcome the positive areas of progress it refers to and note the challenges it raises. The information in the report will be used by the EHRC to help develop its next strategic plan, covering the period 2016-19.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on the introduction of application fees for listed building consent.

    Tracey Crouch

    Ministers are considering a number of measures relating to local Heritage management as part of the Cultural White Paper, which will be published in due course.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Michelle Donelan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2015-10-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the effect on revenue to the Exchequer of allowing devolved local authorities to keep 100 per cent of the business rates raised from car parks in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) Wiltshire in each of the next three years.

    Greg Hands

    On 5th October we announced plans to reform business rates in England, a change that will see local government retaining all revenue for the first time since 1990. The new powers will come with new responsibilities and the phasing out of grants from Whitehall to ensure that the reforms are fiscally neutral. Over the course of the next eighteen months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme. Ahead of final decisions, it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the Apache helicopter upgrade.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Apache Capability Sustainment Programme is currently in the Assessment Phase and the investment decision is anticipated in summer 2016 to enable orderly upgrade of our existing fleet as they reach their out-of-service date.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of UK military activity in Syria in the last 12 months.

    Michael Fallon

    The net additional cost of UK military activity in Syria is not separately identified from that of the broader countering ISIL activity in Iraq and Syria. The net additional cost of countering ISIL activity between August 2014 and 31 March 2015, was around £45 million, met from the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP) and the HM Treasury Special Reserve. These details are published in the 2014-15 MOD Annual Report and Accounts.

    An initial £45 million has been requested in 2015-16 to meet the net additional costs of airstrikes in Iraq and airborne intelligence gathering operations in Iraq and Syria.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 30 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, when he plans for three new logistic ships to come into service.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 December 2015 to Question 17447 to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens).