Tag: 2016

  • Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Dowden on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued on whether the existence of extant planning permission for development in the Green Belt would count as exceptional circumstances to permit a planning application for an alternative, less intrusive form of development in that location.

    Brandon Lewis

    An extant planning permission does not prevent consideration of a further planning application for the same site. It would be for the local authority to assess each proposal on its merits, in the light of all material considerations, including the protections for Green Belt set out in our National Planning Policy Framework. If the development proposed would be inappropriate in Green Belt, the Framework states that planning permission should generally be refused. However, if the local authority finds that any harms caused by the development would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, and that very special circumstances justify planning permission, permission may be granted. If necessary the local authority can impose planning conditions or require design changes to mitigate any adverse impact.

    A Local Development Order or Supplementary Planning Guidance would also have to be designed by the local authority to accord with policies in the Framework, including the need to protect the openness of Green Belt land.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department reimbursing local authorities for payments to (a) households and (b) businesses in flood protection grants.

    James Wharton

    To date over £48 million has been paid out to local authorities through the Community and Business Recovery Fund and Council Tax and Business Rates discounts to assist households and businesses affected by the floods caused by Storms Desmond and Eva.

    Local authorities have not notified the Department of any allowable costs not covered by the sums transferred. It is expected that further payments will be made shortly as flooded property numbers are confirmed and further funds requested.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what costs the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion has incurred to date.

    Matthew Hancock

    Any costs incurred by the Anti-Corruption Champion in his role in overseeing the government’s work to address corruption in the UK and internationally, will be disclosed in the normal way. These are met by the Cabinet Office. In addition, staff support is provided from within the existing civil service workforce.

    The Anti-Corruption Champion is overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Plan. This includes meeting with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas, to champion UK anti-corruption policy.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of cases in each year since 2010 is delayed as a result of CPS files not being handed over to the defence in time before the start of proceedings.

    Robert Buckland

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain centrally held data on the number of cases delayed as a result of CPS files not being handed over to the defence in time before the start of proceedings. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.

    The CPS is however committed to reducing unnecessary delays in the magistrates’ court, together with other CJS partners, through the Transforming Summary Justice initiative (TSJ). One of the principles of TSJ is to implement a more effective disclosure process to ensure the streamlining of disclosure to defence practitioners for first hearings.

    The Better Case Management process (BCM) and the CPS Crown Court Strategy, which interlink with TSJ, also ensure that in cases destined for the Crown Court there is greater focus on Crown Court file build at the very outset to provide sufficient evidential material for the first hearing.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of treatment and provision of support through the NHS for patients of neuroendocrine cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has made an assessment of the need for national treatment decisions as to the commissioning of systemic therapies for neuroendocrine carcinomas. Based on this assessment, it has discussed the issue with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NICE has agreed to do a multiple technology appraisal of lanreotide, sunitinib, everolimus and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. NICE guidance on these treatments is due in the summer of 2017. In the meantime, sunitinib is available from the Cancer Drugs Fund and lanreotide is available through routine commissioning.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will call for an end to the extraction of natural resources from Western Sahara through agreements that disregard the interests and wishes of the indigenous Saharawi people.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    UK policy on commercial activity in Western Sahara is clear and longstanding and follows the legal opinion sought by the UN in 2002: that such activity is not in itself in violation of international legal principles unless it proceeds without respect to the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara. We continue to urge any commercial entity considering investing in Western Sahara to follow this advice and seek their own legal advice.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the relevant departments in the devolved administrations on ensuring the maximisation of treatment for life limiting conditions under best practice across the UK.

    David Mowat

    There have been no recent discussions between the Department and the devolved administrations on ensuring the maximisation of treatment for life limiting conditions under best practice across the United Kingdom. Whilst the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) meets regularly with other UK CMOs to discuss issues of mutual interest, this issue has not been specifically raised.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff vacancies there are at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of those vacancies on (a) staff workloads, (b) staff morale and (c) relations between staff and management.

    Andrew Jones

    The planned target for staff numbers, published in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency business plan, is no more than 4470 full time equivalent (FTE) staff by 31 March 2016. The DVSA FTE as at 30 November was 4,396.59 with a difference of 73.41 FTE (vacant posts).

    DVSA is aware that the level of change ongoing within the agency may have impacted on staff, their workloads and their relationships with management.

    A) The select use of temporary promotion and contingent labour has mitigated most of the impact on the workload of staff.

    B) While the results of the recent Civil Service staff engagement survey has shown that staff morale is lower than in previous years, this cannot clearly be linked to the level of vacancies. DVSA has been through a period of significant change which Senior Management believe is more likely to have had an impact on morale. A number of initiatives are being put in place to address levels of staff engagement and morale.

    C) The Civil Service staff engagement survey did show that relations between managers and staff at the local level were good. However, staff were less content with managers at senior levels who were more likely to be associated with issues of concern to many staff, such as the merger, restructuring and modernised terms and conditions.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is an approved Final Business Case for the £600 million of further design work proposed for the Successor submarine programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    In line with normal Ministry of Defence processes, a business case for the additional investment referred to in the Strategic Defence and Security Review is going through the formal approvals process.

    Options for the subsequent investment stages, including scope, time and cost are currently under consideration.

  • James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Davies on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government has taken to encourage underground cabling connecting (a) wind farm and (b) other such installations to distribution centres in order to present visual amenity and prevent adverse environmental impacts.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government expects network companies to use the most appropriate technologies available to provide the required connection for the particular project in line with its customer’s connection needs, its statutory obligations to have regard to the environment and to mitigating adverse impacts where reasonable, and relevant planning requirements.

    This is reinforced by the Government’s energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) in particular NPS EN-1[1] and NPS EN-52, which make it clear that proper consideration should be given to all feasible means of connection, including undergrounding.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47854/1938-overarching-nps-for-energy-en1.pdf

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47858/1942-national-policy-statement-electricity-networks.pdf

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