Tag: 2015

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has amended his advice on when high security vehicles for transporting special nuclear materials should be withdrawn from service; and for what reasons those vehicles continue to be used after their retirement date.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The High Security Vehicle was withdrawn from service on 31 July 2015 and has therefore not been used for operations since that date. The decision to withdraw the vehicle was taken by Defence Equipment and Support. I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Bridgend; and whether she has been subject to surveillance.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

    As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

    The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

    It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has on funding for onshore wind energy development.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We are delivering our election commitment to end subsidies for new onshore wind. We are seeking to legislate through the Energy Bill to close the renewables obligation (RO) to new onshore wind capacity from 1 April 2016, one year earlier than planned. To protect wider investor confidence we are proposing to allow projects which meet certain criteria extra time to accredit under the scheme.

    Fifteen onshore wind projects, with a combined installed capacity of around 750MW, signed a Contract for Difference (CfDs) earlier this year following the first CfD allocation round. These projects are expected to commission between 2016/17 and 2018/19. We will be setting out our plans for delivering a new generation of cost effective, secure, electricity supplies and confirming decisions in relation to allocations of further renewables contracts in due course.

    Small-scale onshore wind projects up to 5 megawatts in scale are eligible for support under the feed-in tariff (FITs) scheme. DECC has proposed action, through the FITs review consultation, to control spending and put FITs onto an affordable and sustainable footing. Further information can be found online at:

    https://econsultation.decc.gov.uk/office-for-renewable-energy-deployment-ored/fit-review-2015.

    “

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of Feed in Tariff component of the Levy Control Framework cost is accounted for by the cost of ongoing support for the installations made before 2012.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The cost to consumers of the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) in 2014/15 will be around £850m (in 11/12 prices). Our central estimate of the cost to consumers of FITs in 2020/21 is £1600m (11/12 prices) in the ‘do nothing’ option of the consultation impact assessment. The FITs levelisation fund in 2011/12, indicating total annual spend on the scheme at that point, was £151m (also in 11/12 prices). Therefore installations accredited in 2011/12 or before are forecast to make up approximately 18% of current spend on the scheme and 10% of the FITs LCF estimates in 2020/21.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer to Question 9571 of 14 September 2015, whether the Attorney General was clear there was a legal basis for this action in domestic law.

    Mr David Cameron

    As I said in my oral statement of 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 23, the action we took was entirely lawful.

  • 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 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas armed forces personnel have been recruited or loaned by other countries to serve in the UK armed forces in the last five years; and how many such personnel hold which ranks in the UK armed forces.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The attached tables show the number of non-UK armed forces personnel by rank and nationality which have been recruited into the UK Regular Armed Forces.

    The information in respect of the number of non-UK armed forces personnel who have been loaned by other countries will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects to inform the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon renewable energy project of its contract for difference strike price.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We are in the first phase of a negotiation with Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay PLC for a Contract for Difference (CFD) for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.

    This first phase is a due diligence exercise to establish a better understanding of the project, including detailed scrutiny of its costs, timescales and potential benefits.

    Being in a bilateral negotiation does not mean that an agreement on a strike price will be reached or that a CFD will necessarily be awarded.

    If there were to be a decision to offer a CFD, it would be subject to strict value for money considerations, the funds available within the Levy Control Framework at the time of a decision and be subject to State aid approval by the European Commission.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indian counterpart on (a) the treatment of and (b) the use of bullhooks on Asian elephants in the tourism and logging industry.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are aware of reports that some elephants in use in the tourist industry in India have been captured as calves and then beaten and mistreated. This practice is illegal in India. Officials have had discussions on this issue with Save The Asian Elephant (STAE), an organisation that hopes to stop this cruel procedure.

    The United Kingdom is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. The United Kingdom has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. We secured agreement in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.

    Although it is not for the Government to make British citizens aware of this practice, we will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to expand embassy and consular facilities in Latin America; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    As part of the Government’s Canning Agenda over the past five years we have revitalised relations with Latin America. I have opened new Embassies in El Salvador, Haiti and Paraguay. We have also opened two new Consulates General in Brazil, in Recife in 2011 and most recently last month in Belo Horizonte. We have also increased the number of diplomats in priority Posts and the number of Ministerial visits to the region.

    All future resource decisions are subject to the ongoing comprehensive Spending Review.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will respond to the Care Quality Commission’s Community Mental Health Survey 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department will not be responding to the Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s Community Mental Health Survey 2015. Surveys of this nature are an important part of the CQC’s role in improving services. We note them and take account of the findings when developing policies for improvement.