Tag: 2015

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect on the competitive parity of the Northern Ireland energy sector with that sector in other countries of the UK of the decision not to introduce a small-scale feed-in tariff scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and it is for Ministers in Northern Ireland to decide on what support mechanisms they deem appropriate and to assess what impact their decisions have on the competitive parity of the Northern Ireland energy sector.

    The primary focus of the current review of the Feed-in Tariffs is to ensure generators are incentivised appropriately whilst seeking views on how to control future costs. We therefore do not consider it appropriate at this moment to extend the scope of the scheme.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to provide additional practice guidance on applying planning policy and legislation in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

    James Wharton

    The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is for decision makers to apply that policy and related legislation. The local planning authorities have responsibility for determining planning applications and developing local plan policies in the first instance.

    The strong protection for these valued areas is supported by planning guidance. We keep this guidance under review to ensure it reflects up-to-date planning policy.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    “

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department assesses the cost per trainee for force development and adventure training; whether costs for force development are assessed separately to those for adventure training; what the cost is for (a) force development and (b) adventure training; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have accessed the Government support package for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar.

    Anna Soubry

    There are a number of different elements of support for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar. These include:

    • Redundancy-related payments paid by the Redundancy Payments Service. 1988 payments are currently being or have been processed and the majority of payments made to individuals.

    • A Jobs Fair, which was attended by over 1800 people

    • A Jobcentre Plus helpline, which has dealt with around 4000 calls

    • A support Hub, which has provided a wide range of advice and guidance to over 2000 individuals

    The Government will not impose solutions from Whitehall and will continue to work closely with the local taskforce to deliver the proposals it has identified as having a real and lasting impact. This includes:

    – a £1.7m support fund to enable SSI’s 50 apprentices complete their training

    – a £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years

    – £16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the effect of replacing the UK’s existing coal fired power stations through a combination of energy conservation, demand side measures and renewable power instead of new gas fired power stations on (a) job creation, (b) carbon emissions, (c) household energy bills, (d) long-term energy security and (e) the UK’s global influence on securing international action on climate change; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department will be launching a consultation in the spring on the closure of unabated coal fired power stations. This will include an impact assessment, and I encourage the honourable lady to examine these documents when published next year

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following links:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly-archive.htm

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.dca.gov.uk/foi/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm

    “

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason UK consular services did not allow medical experts from Gaza to travel to the UK to attend the recent conference at Kingston University on trauma in war zones.

    James Brokenshire

    In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is, therefore, unable to provide the information requested.

    All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what preparatory work his Department has undertaken in advance of sending letters to tax credit recipients on changes to tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    HM Revenue and Customs will be ready to notify tax credit claimants of their 2016/17 tax credit award in good time.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultants have opted out of routine weekend working through the schedule 3 paragraph 6 of the NHS consultant contract in the last year.

    Ben Gummer

    This information is not held centrally.

    Schedule 3 Paragraph 6 of the 2003 NHS consultant contract allows consultants to refuse non-emergency work after 7pm and before 7am during weekdays and weekends. The definitions section clarifies that this also applies to emergency work for those consultants whose specialty by its nature involves dealing routinely with emergency cases, e.g. accident and emergency consultants.

    NHS trusts hold information on consultant working patterns. However, this information would not reveal how many individuals have relied on the clause to not participate in weekend work as part of their contract, or to work them at expensive locally negotiated rates.

    In its 2013 report ‘Managing NHS hospital Consultants’ the National Audit Office (NAO) reported that 91% of trusts who responded to its survey paid for additional work using locally agreed rates, with rates of up £200 per hour reported. The NAO expressed the view that “This is likely to be linked to the fact that the contract allows consultants to refuse to work outside 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.”

    A subsequent report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts concluded that as a result of the opt out, hospitals struggle to provide the appropriate level of consultant-led care for patients.