Tag: 2016

  • Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to classify grass as a crop for the purpose of consideration of biogas options in the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC has consulted on changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive. Whilst there is no specific category for “crop”, one proposal is to limit payments for biogas or biomethane derived from feedstocks other than wastes or residues. Grass grown for the purpose of producing biogas or biomethane would not be categorised as a waste or residue and therefore would be subject to limited payment according to the proposal set out in the consultation.

    The final decisions will be set out in the Government Response later this year, having taken into account the views and evidence submitted in response to the consultation.

  • Alec Shelbrooke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alec Shelbrooke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alec Shelbrooke on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how the wishes of victims of a crime perpetrated by a foreign national offender are taken into account when considering whether to deport that offender to a foreign prison.

    Andrew Selous

    It is the Government’s position that, wherever possible, prisoners should serve their sentences in their home countries, reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding whether to remove foreign national offenders to serve the remainder of their sentence abroad, including the wishes of victims or their representatives. It is our normal practice to inform victims of the possibility of the transfer of an individual and to give them the opportunity to make their views known.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what annual change there has been in the number of BAME people serving in the police in each year since 2010.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Home Office publishes data on the number of individuals working for the police, broken down by worker type and ethnicity, as part of the ‘Police workforce in England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.

    The attached table contains data on the number of police officers who were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as at 31 March in each year between 2010 and 2016. To provide the appropriate context, tables of total worker numbers and the proportion that were BAME are also provided.

    These were published in the latest police workforce bulletin (for March 2016) and the tables can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2016

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers are available to highway authorities to enforce traffic management law; how many highway authorities have decided to use any powers available to them, and which highway authorities have chosen not to do so.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Highway authorities have a wide range of powers that they can use to deal with particular traffic management issues. A number of enforcement authorities are involved as well and, depending on the issue, includes local authorities themselves, Transport for London, Highways England and the Police. The Government does not keep central records of which enforcement authorities operate which regimes and to collate that information would not be possible except at disproportionate cost.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to improve customer satisfaction with South Eastern, Southern, and Govia Thameslink train services, and whether they have plans to take over any of those franchises.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    It is for the operators of the relevant franchises to take steps to improve customer satisfaction and deliver the requirements set out in their respective Franchise Agreements.

    Gatwick Express and Southern are operated as part of the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). The Franchise Agreement includes a Passenger Experience Metric which was developed for this franchise to measure, reward and incentivise good levels of customer satisfaction. GTR failed to meet its benchmark for cancellations set out in its Franchise Agreement. In order to address the poor performance, the Department issued GTR with a Remedial Plan Notice that requires them to set out the measures they will take to improve their performance. GTR submitted its Remedial Plan and discussions are on-going to ensure the plan is robust. Once the measures are agreed they will become contractually binding through a Remedial Agreement.

    This year GTR will introduce new trains on the Gatwick Express service, replacing the current 25-year-old trains with a fleet better suited to the needs of airport passengers.

    The Southeastern franchise includes a financial penalty regime if the operator does not achieve the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) benchmarks for stations, train services and customer service. We will review performance against these benchmarks in March 2016, and any penalties incurred must be re-invested into raising passenger satisfaction, with plans agreed by the Department.

    The Department has no plans to take over either of these franchises.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2016 to Question 27234, how many of the 135 women referred to in that Answer became widows after 31 March 1973.

    Mark Lancaster

    A war widow(er) is the spouse of an ex-Service person whose death in Service, or subsequently, was attributable to injury or illness caused by Service in the Armed Forces before 6 April 2005.

    Of the 135 women who remarried between 6 April 2005 and 1 April 2015, 110 registered as a war widow from 1 April 1996 onwards and 20 women registered as a war widow prior to 1 April 1996. The Ministry of Defence is unable to determine the registered date for war widows prior to 1996, and therefore cannot confirm whether they were registered before, or after, 31 March 1973.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the East Midlands that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

    Anna Soubry

    HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.

    HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the Rural Payments Agency call centre service.

    George Eustice

    The Rural Payments Agency always receives a high volume of calls on a wide range of subjects and continues to review its resources in response to demand. A number of new measures have recently been introduced, including more automated options, to help route customers to the best solution for their enquiry. The agency’s helpline, based in Workington, played an important role in the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 application campaign.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the independent review by Andy Ward into UK Anti-Doping’s handling of intelligence in relation to Dr Mark Bonar to be finalised, and whether they intend to lay a copy of that report before Parliament.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The review is expected to conclude during the summer. UK Anti-Doping will publish the report.