The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was for a rating assessment appeal to be considered by the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months.
Mr David Gauke
Based on data used to publish the latest Official Statistics, the average time taken to resolve a challenge to the rating list is 13 months for the 2005 list and 14 months for the 2010 list.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Government spending on the BBC World Service is recorded as Overseas Development Assistance.
Greg Hands
We have committed to increase funding for the BBC World Service to £34 million in 2016/17 and £85 million a year up to 2019-20. As a provider of accurate, impartial and independent news the BBC World Service helps to strengthen democratic accountability and governance, meaning that a significant portion of the funding provided can be classified as Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA is subject to approval via the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which oversees international ODA classification. We will work with the BBC and DAC to make the case for classifying up to £28m of the £34m in 2016/17 as ODA, and up to £70m per year in three remaining years of programme as ODA spend.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the change in the number of firefighter posts was in the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.
Greg Clark
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 November, PQ 13946.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of capping housing benefit for social tenants at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate on social housing supply.
Justin Tomlinson
Capping high social sector rents at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate does not come into effect until April 2018 and then only where a new tenancy is taken out or a tenancy is renewed after April 2016 and the resulting social rent charged exceeds the appropriate Local Housing Allowance rate for the size of household in the area at that time
Because a range of factors will influence where and when a cap is applied, including behavioural responses from both claimants and landlords, it is not possible to assess the potential effect of the policy on social housing supply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the seaworthiness is of (a) HMS Torbay, (b) HMS Trenchant, (c) HMS Talent and (d) HMS Triumph.
Mr Philip Dunne
The safety of the UK submarine fleet is of paramount importance. The Ministry of Defence assesses seaworthiness for submarines through a robust sea clearance process. This assessment is kept under continuous review.
I am withholding the seaworthiness state of each submarine as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much (a) capital funding and (b) funding in total has been allocated by (i) his Department and (ii) bodies funded by his Department to support Hull City of Culture 2017.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS is investing £1.5 million in the Ferens Gallery to help them host the Turner Prize; plus £0.5 million to help create a lasting cultural legacy for Hull. The Gallery will receive a further £0.5m from ACE for refurbishment. My department is also providing £3.1 million to three ACE-funded organisations -Artlink, Freedom Festival and Hull Truck Theatre – who will play a key role in the 2017 events. Hull Museums, now among ACE’s Major Partner Museums, have been awarded £2.5m between now and 2018; and an additional £3 million from ACE will help raise the profile of culture in the city and promote new partnerships throughout 2017. This amounts to over £11 million and does not include additional investment that might come from other bodies such as the BBC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will establish an examination of objections to her departmental minute of 21 October 2015 including the entering into contracts regarding the Hinkley Point C power station that could give rise to liabilities.
Andrea Leadsom
I will be writing to hon. Members who have signed EDM 619, in which I will respond to the objection. I will deposit a copy of the response in the Libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Police Officers he estimates will be employed by his Department in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.
Mr Julian Brazier
The number of Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers employed by the Ministry of Defence is estimated as follows:
|
Financial Year |
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
|
MDP Officers |
2,666 |
2,631 |
2,631 |
2,631 |
2,631 |
Note: Figures are for funded posts and figures for 2016-17 onwards are provisional until the implications of the Strategic Defence and Security Review have been worked through.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe on 2015-11-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their health impact assessments relating to reducing and freezing alcohol duties do not refer to consultations with Public Health England and NHS England.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Treasury Ministers and officials discuss a variety of issues with a range of stakeholder throughout the year, including in the run up to Budget.
The Government published its assessment of the impacts of the alcohol duty change in the Tax Information and Impact Notes published alongside the March 2015 Budget document. This information is available on the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of its ability to (a) forecast and (b) mitigate the impact of extreme weather events on the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
The Flood Forecasting Centre – jointly operated by the Environment Agency and Met Office – combines world class science, knowledge and experience on meteorology and hydrology to forecast flood risk. The daily assessment of risk enables extra time for emergency responders to prepare.
The Government has recently announced funding for a £97m supercomputer that will cement the UK’s position as a world leader in weather and climate prediction. In addition to this, the Environment Agency operates a flood forecasting and warning service for over 3000 local communities at risk from both rivers and the sea. Advice is provided by phone and text to over 1.1m home and business owners when their property is at risk.
Further investment to improve timely and accurate information to the public is underway. A £6m programme of improvements to weather radar will be completed this year and live data on river levels from across England was made available on the Government’s website earlier this year.
Climate change is factored into all the modelling work that the Environment Agency does, but in light of this extreme weather we must look at that modelling and ensure it is fit for purpose for future decisions.