The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants he plans to employ in the new EU Unit once that unit is at full capacity.
Mr Oliver Letwin
The new Europe Unit will bring together officials and policy expertise from across Whitehall. Structures and staffing are being determined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 September (HL1533), whether work has commenced on the third Offshore Patrol Vessel contracted for in August 2014; and if not, why not.
Earl Howe
Construction of the third Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMS TRENT, began in October 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Chairman of Committees what assessment he has made of the case for creating a circular economy for leftover paint in Parliament, in the light of the recommendations made in the British Coatings Federation’s interim report published on 19 November 2015.
Lord Laming
No formal assessment has been made of the Report. The House keeps minimal base colours in stock for touch-ups etc. and orders specific quantities as job requirements dictate. Any leftover paint is dealt with in compliance with legal disposal requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the loan guarantee facility offered by his Department to EDF Energy for construction of the twin Hinkley Point C nuclear power plants will be conditional on the prior successful operation of the same model elsewhere in the world before entering into force.
Greg Hands
The Chancellor announced in September 2015 an initial guarantee of £2 billion of bonds which must be repaid by December 2020 by the shareholders of the project company. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have raised the treatment of political prisoners with the government of the United Arab Emirates.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our relationship with the United Arab Emirates allows us to discuss a range of important issues, including human rights. If we have concerns regarding arrests, convictions or sentencing we make these clear to Emirati authorities as part of our broader strategic engagement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department last reviewed its statutory guidance on post-16 transport to education and training.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The statutory guidance for local authorities on post-16 transport was updated in February 2014 following the implementation of Raising the Participation Age (RPA). It was last reviewed in February 2016 and was found to be still up-to-date; there are no immediate changes planned to the guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The requested information is not recorded in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
My department follows the Government Buying Standard for food and catering to be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the technical guidance on householder permitted development rights to minimise the visual impact of loft extensions.
Brandon Lewis
Permitted development rights for householders are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The rights allow for loft extensions to the rear or side of dwellinghouses. To minimise the impact on the amenity of an area there are conditions limiting their size and appearance. These are explained in the Technical Guidance which was reviewed and updated in April 2016. Where the development exceeds the thresholds, or is to the front of a dwellinghouse, an application for planning permission is required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hughes of Woodside on 2016-09-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 12 September (HL Deb, col 1308), what are the remit and terms of appointment of the anti-corruption champion, and what staffing and financial support arrangements have been put in place to assist him in carrying out his duties.
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Anti-Corruption Champion, Sir Eric Pickles, is a personal appointment of the Prime Minister. The main elements of the Champion’s role were set out in the UK’s Anti-Corruption Action Plan and include: scrutinising the performance of departments and agencies, as co-chair of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Anti-Corruption; responsibility, along with Home Office Ministers, for approval of the UK’s Anti-Corruption Plan and for parliamentary and public accountability of the Government’s performance against the Plan; responsibility, along with other Ministers, for leading the UK’s push to strengthen the international response to corruption; and a mandate to engage with external stakeholders, including business and civil society organisations. The Champion is supported by the Joint Anti-Corruption Unit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit payments cap on the ability of public sector employees to reduce the number of public sector workers through voluntary redundancy.
Greg Hands
The Government consulted on implementing a public sector exit payment cap in July 2015. The Government response to this consultation was published on 16 September 2015. This response provides detail on the potential impacts of the cap and sets out which organisations the Government intends to capture within scope of the public sector exit payment cap. The final policy is in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment to end tax payer funded six figure payoffs for public sector workers.
The consultation ran from 31 July to 27 August 2015. Over 4000 responses were received. These representations were considered during and after the consultation to inform the Government response that was published on 16 September 2015.
The response document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/464367/Public_sector_exit_payments_response.pdf
An impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government worked with departments and took into account consultation responses received after the official deadline to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and for different categories of workers. This assessment gave due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty.
The exit payment cap is intended to capture organisations classified as public sector by the Office for National Statistics with few exceptions as identified in the consultation response.
The Government does not expect the cap to have a widespread impact on the take-up of voluntary redundancy.
At the 2015 Spending Review the Government announced it will consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms. This consultation will provide a good opportunity to collect further information on the trends in the level of exit payments between the private and public sector.