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Tag: 2015

  • Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the announcement by BAE Systems on jobs, related to production of the Eurofighter Typhoon on 12 November 2015, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be lost which are related to the production of that aircraft.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    BAE Systems issued a statement on 12 November 2015 confirming that the company was taking action to reduce the Eurofighter Typhoon production rate; it also confirmed its intention to reduce the workforce within its Military Air and Information business by up to 371 roles. The majority of the affected posts are based at the company’s Samlesbury site, with the remainder at its Warton facility.

    Decisions on the capacity and capability of any company, including the division of work between sites, primarily rests with the company concerned.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the benefits that the Growth Accelerator Programme has had for small and medium-sized enterprises since the launch of that programme.

    Anna Soubry

    The Growth Accelerator was launched as our economy was still recovering from the worst recession this country had faced in 100 years, presided over by the hon Member’s party. An interim evaluation of the Growth Accelerator programme was published in November 2014.

    Thanks to the difficult decisions made by this government and the last, we now have the fastest growing economy in the developed world and a record number of businesses and as part of our continued commitment to live within our means and pay down our debts, we took the decision to discontinue the Business Growth Service in the Spending Review.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to continue to ensure the security of the electricity supply in the UK.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The government takes security of supply very seriously. We have worked with National Grid and Ofgem to put an effective plan in place for this winter and we are already taking prudent steps to manage margins in winter 2016/17.

    DECC officials have worked with National Grid and Ofgem on National Grid’s winter outlook process for 15/16 which has informed the procurement of the Contingency Balancing Reserve for this winter.

    National Grid and Ofgem agree that Grid should retain the ability to procure the contingency balancing services for the next two winters and the Government supports this position. On 15 October, Ofgem commenced its consultation on the extension of the cost recovery arrangements for the contingency balancing services to allow National Grid’s contingency balancing services to continue for the winters prior to the introduction of the Capacity Market in 18/19. National Grid’s Tender for the Contingency Balancing Reserve (subject to the outcome of the Ofgem consultation) opened on 2 November.

    The Capacity Market, a key part of our reform of the electricity market, will drive new investment in gas and demand side capacity in the future. The first Capacity Market auction was successfully concluded in December 2014 and the next will commence on 8December 2015. We have announced our intention to procure a total of 47.9GW capacity for the delivery year 2019/20 and that the target capacity for the auction this December will be 45.4GW. The balance (2.5 GW) will be procured in 2018, one year ahead of delivery.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Israeli government on the provision of services to communities of different ethnicities in the Negev region.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to demonstrate our concern by regularly visiting the Bedouin communities. They have raised the issue of provision of services with the Arab Affairs Officer in the Prime Minister’s Office and will continue to do so.

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many times the National Grid has used the demand side balancing reserve in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Demand Side Balancing Reserve (DSBR) was introduced by National Grid ahead of winter 14/15 to help manage electricity margins ahead of the introduction of the Capacity Market in 2018/19. Since its introduction, the DSBR has only been despatched on one occasion.

    Both last year and this year, National Grid will have instructed units within the DSBR as part of testing their capability to ensure they are able to achieve the level and speed of turn-down for which they are contracted.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government is doing to encourage the equal treatment of mental and physical health within the NHS; and if he will introduce waiting time targets for children accessing all specialist child and adolescent mental health services.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government is committed to ensuring parity of esteem between physical and mental health which is legislated by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It also holds the NHS to account for achieving the objectives set out in the NHS Mandate, which includes ensuring that mental and physical health conditions are given equal priority.

    NHS England’s Five Year Forward View set out a clear commitment to driving towards a more equal response across mental and physical health and achieving genuine parity of esteem by 2020. NHS England’s Planning Guidance for 2015/16, Forward View into action: planning for 2015-16, sets out the expectation that clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) spending on mental health services in 2015/16 should increase in real terms, and grow by at least as much as each CCG’s allocation increase to support the ambition of parity between mental and physical health. Compliance with the Planning Guidance is being assured at national and Area Team level.

    The Government remains committed to a phased approach to developing further access and waiting standards across mental health. The most recent of which was the Eating Disorder Standard announced in August 2015.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost of protection and conservation of UK coastlines has been over the last five years; and what the projected cost of such protection and conservation will be over the next five years.

    Rory Stewart

    Flood and coastal erosion risk management is devolved in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. In England, over the past 5 years total Government capital expenditure on building and improving defences to provide protection against coastal flooding or erosion was £750 million. In the five years that started in April 2015, £875 million of capital funding has been indicatively allocated for the same purpose.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, section 10.5, when he plans to launch the consultation on the future status of the Land Registry; and whether the status quo will be one of the options put forward in that consultation.

    Anna Soubry

    In the Spending Review Autumn Statement 2015 the Chancellor announced the Government’s intent to consult on options to move operations of the Land Registry into the private sector from 2017.

    We intend to launch the consultation in the New Year setting out Government’s proposals. Final decisions on the options to be included in the consultation have not yet been made.

    No decisions on the options will be taken until after the consultation, but, if Government chose to proceed we would look to then introduce any legislation required.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Hodge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made by the Turks and Caicos Islands in meeting the Prime Minister’s ambition for a public register of beneficial ownership since June 2013.

    James Duddridge

    I refer the Right Honourable Lady to the answer given by my Hon Friend the member for Hertfordshire South West (David Gauke), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to questions 10437, 10438 and 10448, which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

    We are in discussions with the Turks and Caicos Islands authorities on this and are offering technical assistance as they develop their proposals.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries have not received a visit by a UK Minister since 2000.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    This information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    Ministers regularly make visits overseas in pursuit of UK interests.