Tag: 2016

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of staff departing from (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister’s Office who accepted jobs with Heathrow Airport Limited; and what estimate he has made of the number of staff arriving in (i) his Department and (ii) the Prime Minister’s Office from Heathrow Airport Limited in each of the last five years.

    Ben Gummer

    The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

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

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to respond to the Ewins review of overseas domestic work visas.

    Lord Bates

    The Government is considering carefully James Ewins’ recommendations and will respond after meeting with Peers, following Committee stage of the Immigration Bill and by Report stage.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 25075, from which countries steel was sourced for the manufacture of the offshore patrol vessels currently under construction; and what proportion of that steel was sourced from each such country.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    For the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) currently under construction around 4,000 tonnes of steel is needed in total for the three ships. Dent Steel Services (UK) was awarded the contract by BAE Systems to source and supply the steel required for the OPVs.

    Around 60 per cent of the total steel required for the OPVs consists of thin plate (between four and five millimeters ) which can be sourced only from steel mills capable of rolling the material to that thickness.

    UK steel suppliers were approached by Dent but none were able to meet the thickness specification. As a result this steel was sourced from overseas suppliers.

    Around 60 per cent of the overall requirement was sourced from Sweden; 20 per cent from UK steel mills; 10 per cent from Spain; and the remaining 10 per cent from Dent’s existing stock, of unknown origin. The use of overseas suppliers was necessary to obtain the required specification of steel at a competitive price for delivery at the time required.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide ring-fenced funding to local authorities to ensure they can effectively meet the Government’s childcare provision targets.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have already announced over £1bn more for the early years entitlements within the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant by 2019-20, which includes £300m to uplift the funding rate to providers. The increase to the funding rate is based on robust evidence from the Review of the Cost of Childcare. We have made clear our commitment to maximise the amount of this funding which reaches front line childcare providers, and will consult on proposals for achieving this as part of our consultation on early years funding reform later this year.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether regulations are in place to ensure that (a) town councils, (b) parish councils and (c) local communities receive regular updates from highways authorities about (i) the sum total for Section 106 contributions for highways infrastructure works promised and delivered within their areas each year and (ii) a breakdown of expenditure on individual works within their areas.

    Brandon Lewis

    Section 106 agreements are negotiated and agreed between a local planning authority and a developer and/or landowner along with other interested parties in the land, such as mortgage providers. National planning policy makes clear that Section 106 requirements, modifications and discharges should be transparent and available for inspection.

    Local planning authorities are expected to use all of the funding they receive through planning obligations in accordance with the terms of the individual planning obligation agreement. This is to ensure that new developments are acceptable in planning terms; benefit local communities and support the provision of local infrastructure.

    Planning decisions should be based on Local Plan policy unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Representations from interested third parties may constitute material considerations. Town councils, parish councils and local communities can influence infrastructure and other considerations in Local Plans through the consultation process.

    The Community Infrastructure Levy was introduced to provide a faster, fairer and more transparent approach to collecting developer contributions toward infrastructure. The Government launched a review of the Levy in 2015. This review will consider a range of issues, including the relationship between the Levy and Section 106 planning obligations.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to inform public sector workers of the implications of the public sector exit payment cap.

    Greg Hands

    The Government announced on 31st July 2015 that it intended to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers, acting on its manifesto commitment. A public consultation over the summer of 2015 asked for views on the details of the policy, which received over 4,000 replies.

    The public sector exit payment cap has now been legislated for in the Enterprise Act. The Government intends to publish draft regulations over the summer setting out the detail of how the policy will be introduced, alongside accompanying guidance. All affected parties, including public sector workers, will have a further opportunity to comment on the regulations and supporting guidance during that time.

    The regulations implementing the public sector exit cap will not come into force before 1 October 2016 at the earliest. They will apply to bodies in England and those in Wales where the workforce is not devolved in this context. It will be for Welsh Ministers to determine when they bring into force the regulations in the Enterprise Act for bodies devolved to Wales.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to stop the illegal export of electronic and other hazardous waste from the UK to Africa.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK is a Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal, which sets controls on the shipments of waste from developed to developing countries. This is implemented through the Waste Shipment Regulations and the UK Plan (on import and export of waste) which bans the export of waste for disposal to non-OECD countries.

    The UK environment agencies enforce the Regulations in the UK. They have adopted an intelligence-led approach to identify and disrupt the movement of waste intended for illegal export.

  • Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will clarify in his planning policy guidance that (a) students aged over 18 years in higher education in any local authority area with significant higher education establishments should be regarded as transient and not permanent residents and (b) particular care in identifying the objectively assessed need for housing should be taken not to count such students as in-migrants who remain resident in the area, but rather as a special element of the population which continually replaces itself.

    Gavin Barwell

    The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to assess their full housing needs and identify the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures that the local population is likely to need over the plan period. Our planning guidance sets out a clear methodology for assessing development needs for housing and is clear that local authorities should plan for sufficient student accommodation in their area, including through engaging with universities and other higher educational establishments. It is for local authorities to establish a robust housing evidence base to justify their proposed approach.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 8 December 2015 (HL3838), how they define reasonable access to all methods of contraception in the context of open access sexual health services; what steps they have taken to ensure that local authorities are commissioning open-access sexual health services as mandated by legislation; and whether reasonable access to all methods of contraception includes access to long-acting reversible contraception as recommended by NICE guideline CG30.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department issued guidance to local authorities in March 2013 Commissioning Sexual Health services and interventions (a copy of which is attached) to help local authorities (LAs) to fulfil their legal requirements in relation to open access sexual health services. The guidance sets out that in relation to contraception “reasonable access” is for local determination, but also highlights “there is evidence that it may ultimately be better for patient outcomes, and more cost effective, to offer unrestricted access to all methods for all age groups. This supports women controlling their fertility and ensures contraceptive needs are met using the most effective methods”. The guidance also highlights key findings from the National Institute Clinical Excellence on long-acting reversible contraception.

    Departmental officials meet regularly with sexual health organisations to consider the commissioning of sexual health services by LAs. Public Health England is undertaking a survey of local commissioning arrangements for sexual health and developing a tool that will improve monitoring of contraception use at LA level.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic progress he has made in delivering a peaceful transition in Libya.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK continues to play an active role in supporting the Libyan dialogue facilitated by the UN. The signing of the Libyan Political Agreement in Skhirat, Morocco on 17 December was a significant step forward. The Agreement sets out the process for establishment of a Government of National Accord (GNA). We continue to work with partners in the international community to encourage the Libyan parties to implement the Agreement in full.

    The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for the GNA. In October, we hosted a meeting with the UN and international donors and agencies to discuss plans for coordinated support from the international community to the GNA. This has been followed up through UN-hosted coordination meetings in Tunis. We stand ready to work with the international community to deliver a significant package of support to help a Government of National Accord to achieve a stable and prosperous future for all Libyan citizens. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I both spoke recently with Prime Minister designate Serraj and also with UN Special Representative Kobler to underline the UK’s continued support for the GNA process and UN efforts in this area.