Tag: 2015

Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to support the sustainable management of forests outside the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

Protecting forests delivers substantial climate, development, biodiversity and ecosystem outcomes. Stopping deforestation offers the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a globally significant scale, while protecting the vital services, such as regulating rainfall patterns, on which the world economy depends for agricultural productivity and sustainable economic growth.

Addressing deforestation and supporting the sustainable management of forests is a priority for the UK’s £3.87 billion International Climate Fund (ICF), and the Prime Minister announced in September that this will rise to £5.8bn over the next Spending review period. To date, over £700m has been programmed, including initiatives that: incentivise action to reduce deforestation and forest degradation; support forest management, governance and market reforms; curb illegal and unsustainable use of forest resources; and promote investments in sustainable forestry, agriculture and land management.

The UK also plays an active leadership role in international fora, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biodiversity, and the United Nations Forum on Forests. Last year, we played a key role in the negotiation of the New York Declaration on Forests, which set ambitious targets for halving (by 2020) and halting (by 2030) the loss of natural forests, eliminating deforestation from the production of key agricultural commodities by 2020, and accelerating restoration efforts.

January 1, 2023
Lord Rennard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to limit spending in particular constituencies during a general election campaign to prevent any imbalance in the funding available to candidates unduly affecting election outcomes.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Existing electoral law limits spending.The Representation of the People Act 1983 sets limits for spending by candidates, and for those campaigning for or against a candidate, at a General Election. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 sets constituency limits for spending by third party campaigners at General Elections.

January 1, 2023
Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) retired civil servants and (b) former Ministers travelled to Libya at public expense between 2002 and October 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Between 2002 and October 2011 the Government funded visits to Libya for current officials and Ministers as part of regular diplomatic relations.

No retired civil servants or former ministers visited Libya at public expense

January 1, 2023
Lord Trefgarne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women responsible for one or more young children are currently serving prison sentences in England and Wales, and what assessment they have made of the sentencing guidelines relating to such women.

Lord Faulks

The specific information requested is not held.

Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council. They are available on the Sentencing Council website.

January 1, 2023
Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former service personnel are in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

Mark Lancaster

As at 31 October 2015, there were 869 Service and former Service personnel in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

January 1, 2023
Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-12-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to give effect to the sections of the Traffic Management Act 2004 that allow for the enforcement of moving traffic offences by wardens employed by local authorities in England.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

London local authorities already have powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions alongside the police under London specific legislation. The Government however has no plans at present to enable moving traffic enforcement by local authorities outside London as the police already have the necessary powers to take action where it is needed.

January 1, 2023
Jonathan Edwards – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the minutes of all the meetings held during the St David’s Day process.

Stephen Crabb

I held a large number of meetings as part of the St David’s Day process. These included meetings with the parliamentary representatives of the four main political parties in Wales to identify which Silk Commission recommendations had political consensus to be taken forward. It was agreed that discussions at these meetings would remain confidential, and the Government has no plans to publish minutes.

January 1, 2023
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-12-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 25 November (HL3609), whether they plan to require nuclear power plants to collect and publish hourly or half-hourly radioactive emissions statistics, and if not, why not.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Current UK legislation requires nuclear power plants in England to limit their radioactive gaseous emissions to within safe levels. Similar legislation is in place in Wales and Scotland. The UK and territorial environmental agencies are responsible for implementing this legislation, which includes setting specific emissions limits and monitoring and reporting requirements for individual plants.

The regulators have powers to vary these requirements, including the scope and frequency of emissions monitoring and reporting, as they deem necessary for the purpose of verifying each plant’s compliance with its permitted emissions limits. The regulators also have powers to take robust enforcement action in respect of any breach in compliance.

The Government is satisfied that current legislation provides for effective control and monitoring of radioactive gaseous emissions and is content that the regulatory bodies should continue to mandate emissions monitoring and reporting requirements on a plant by plant basis.

January 1, 2023
Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to improve the representation of women among (a) hon. Members and (b) local councillors.

Caroline Dinenage

This is the most gender diverseParliamentin British history – we now have more female MPs than ever before and one third of those attending cabinet are women. However, we know there is more that can be done to increase women’s political representation. Getting more women into public life is vital to effectively represent and govern our country.

The Equality Act 2010 enables political parties to use positive action, should they wish, to increase participation by under-represented groups.

We also know that women are under-represented on local councils, making up only 31.7% of members. This is why schemes such as the ‘Be a Councillor Campaign’ run by the Local Government Association to encourage new candidates from all walks of life to come forward and represent their local community, are so important.

January 1, 2023
Lord Sharkey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2015-12-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the poor performance of Isle of Wight secondary schools, and in particular the level of fixed-term exclusions, as reported in the latest Ofsted Annual Report; and what measures are being taken to increase the rate of improvement in those schools.

Lord Nash

Secondary schools on the Isle of Wight face a range of complex and longstanding challenges similar to those faced by schools in other coastal areas. For example, they face difficulties in recruiting high quality teachers, particularly at senior levels. Inadequate school improvement support provided by the local authority in the past compounded further the difficulties faced by schools on the island.

The Department for Education’s latest data (2013/14) shows that the main specific reasons for fixed term exclusions in secondary schools on the Isle of Wight are: persistent disruptive behaviour; verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult; and physical assault against a pupil.

This government has acted decisively to improve educational performance on the island. In July 2013 the Department for Education directed the Isle of Wight Council to enter into a five year strategic partnership with Hampshire County Council which has a sound track record of educational performance. Under this arrangement the proportion of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics has increased at two maintained secondary schools since 2014.

To help bring talented new teachers onto the island, Teach First has commenced a pilot in three secondary schools on the Isle of Wight which they intend to expand next year.

The Regional Schools Commissioner for the South East and South London is working to support and challenge the island’s academies and academy sponsors, particularly the Academies Enterprise Trust, to ensure improvements in their performance continue, and that recent changes in school leadership lead to sustained progress.

Fixed-term exclusions in Isle of Wight secondary schools have fallen faster than the national average, from 1,136 (14.1% of the school population) in 2012/13 to 898 (11.8%of the school population) in 2013/14.

January 1, 2023