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Tag: 2015

  • Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many key performance indicators are used by the Office of Rail and Road to monitor Network Rail’s performance.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have informed me that in the current five yearly regulatory cycle (Control Period 5) that started on 1st April 2014, they established 13 categories of regulated outputs,some of which are disaggregated further, such as by franchised train operator route or by delivery milestones.These outputs include train service reliability, enhancements, health and safety, network availability, network capability, stations, depots, asset management and environment.

    There are 25 categories of core indicators from these outputs, which are disaggregated further. Full details of the regulated outputs can be found on table 3.11, page 125 of the Final Determination for Control Period 5, a copy of which is attached.

    The ORR publishes six monthly reports on Network Rail’s progress in relation to these regulated outputs in the ‘Network Rail Monitor’ and the ‘Network Rail Monitor for Scotland’.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many citizens of each European Union member state, other than the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over are resident in the United Kingdom; and of those, how many have been resident in the United Kingdom for more than five years, broken down by their country of citizenship.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to hold an inquiry into testing processes for emissions from diesel vehicles and so-called defeat” devices.”

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There is no plan to hold an inquiry, however, the Government is taking this issue very seriously. The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the UK vehicle approval authority, is working to ensure that the use of defeat devices is not industry wide. VCA is rerunning laboratory tests starting with those VW Group engines for which VCA has provided approvals. These tests are comparing real world driving emissions against laboratory performance.

    There is no evidence that these emissions tests have been falsified in the UK.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which towns in the United Kingdom have been designated as potential destinations for Syrian refugees arriving under the Government’s Gateway Protection Programme; which town councils have so far indicated acceptance; and of what numbers.

    Lord Bates

    Syrian refugees are brought to the United Kingdom as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme. This scheme has been expanded to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. This is in addition to those we resettle under the Gateway and Mandate schemes which are completely separate schemes.

    Resettlement under the government schemes is voluntary on the part of local authorities. We are grateful to those who take on this role and will continue to work in partnership with them. We do not disclose the details of where refugees will be resettled upon their arrival in the UK under the Government resettlement schemes as this may undermine the privacy and recovery of this vulnerable group of people.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether hon. Members are always informed when a post-16 area-based review is announced for an area which includes their constituency.

    Nick Boles

    Yes. The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will advise Hon. Membersas a matter of course when reviews are due to be undertaken in any part of their constituency.

    Area reviews should take place as quickly as possible, the typical timescale being 3-4 months but this could vary depending on the number of colleges and complexity of the local issues involved.

    The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Their purpose is not to secure savings to Government. However, early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.

    All applications to open a free school, academy, school sixth form or university technical college will be assessed on a case by case basis against the published criteria and taking account of local needs and circumstances.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review to provide ring fenced funding for a feasibility study into the trunk road section of the A595.

    Greg Hands

    Highways England will soon start a new programme of Route Strategies, aiming to develop an investment programme for the years 2020-25. These will be the forum where MPs and members of the public can make the case for improvements in their area. If improvements to the A595 are proposed through this process, they will be considered carefully for investment in the next Road Investment Strategy.

    Further details of Spending Review decisions will be announced on 25 November.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the potential effects of changes in the Merseyside Police mounted division on that forces’ capacity to police football matches at Anfield and Goodison Park.

    Tracey Crouch

    I have had no such discussions. Policing outside of sports stadia is a matter for individual clubs and the local police to determine. My Department has responsibility for ensuring the safety of spectators inside of sports stadia.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many locally-employed Afghan interpreters who worked alongside the British Army have (a) approached the Government for help and (b) been resettled in the UK under his Department’s intimidation policy.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Since June 2013 around 330 locally employed staff have approached our dedicated team in Kabul for assistance under the Government’s Intimidation Policy. As the Intimidation Policy is open to all staff, regardless of their role, not all of these staff are interpreters: they carried out a variety of roles in support of our operation in Afghanistan. All cases are investigated thoroughly by experienced and trained police officers, in the majority the risk can be successfully mitigated in country, through provision of bespoke security advice and guidance to the former staff member. We consider relocation to the UK if it is assessed the individual would not be safe if they remained in Afghanistan. We have offered financial support to over 30 staff to move to a new location within Afghanistan to maintain their safety, and one former staff member has been relocated to the UK.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 49 of his Department’s Defence Equipment Plan 2015, what the reasons are for the increase in planned spending on land equipment; and on what items that additional funding will be spent.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the Defence Equipment Plan 2015, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-defence-equipment-plan-2015. Paragraph 11 explains the movements in the high level elements of the equipment plan from the previous financial year. Each of the operating centre breakdowns in Section C of the Equipment Plan contains an explanation of any increase or decrease in spending from the previous financial year.

    “

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many officials in her Department are working on its review of post-16 education and training institutions.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), along with respective funding agencies, have re-prioritised staffing resources to support the review of post-16 education and training.

    There are seven reviews in the first wave of area reviews which have either launched since September or will launch in the next few weeks. Each review will take 3-4 months to complete and will be supported by resource from the DfE, BIS, EFA and SFA.