Tag: 2016

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on research by her Department in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

Research and development (R&D), analysis and monitoring and surveillance provide important input into evidence for decision-making, ensuring Defra’s polices are based on a sound, comprehensive understanding of current evidence. It helps us find new policy solutions and identify and tackle future issues.

The term ‘evidence’ encompasses material from a variety of disciplines – science research, statistics, economics, social research or operational research, and geographical information.

Core Defra’s spend in ‘evidence’, including its share of Research & Development (R&D), during the last five years is summarised in the table below.

Year	Core Defra total evidence spend	Core Defra R&D spend (within the evidence total)
2010/11	£209m	£106m
2011/12	£199m	£110m
2012/13	£189m	£101m
2013/14	£149m	£91m
2014/15	£123m	£71m

These figures include work commissioned by core Defra from its laboratory agencies, namely the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; the Food and Environment Research Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Due to both financial factors and wider changes in the context for how research and innovation are being organised (e.g. as set out in the Higher Education White Paper), Defra’s approach is evolving more towards that of consumer rather than commissioner of research. Defra’s role will be to set out its key evidence needs and work with providers to co-design research and other evidence, increasingly looking to the wider stakeholder community to deliver the necessary evidence. For that to work effectively Defra will strengthen relationships with research councils, other research funders, other government departments and other overseas governments.

01/01/2023

Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to re-establish the Economic Affairs (Airports) sub-Committee.

Ben Gummer

A full updated list of the Cabinet Committees will be published in the coming weeks. In line with the previous arrangements, there will be a Cabinet sub-Committee to consider airport capacity in the South East of England.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 43738, tabled on 20 July 2016 by the right hon. Member for East Ham.

Edward Timpson

Parliamentary questions 43736, 43737, 43738 were answered on 01 November 2016.

01/01/2023
Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the public are made fully aware beforehand of planned road works to be carried out by contractors on trunk roads and motorways which involve either lane or whole carriageway closures.

Andrew Jones

A range of communications activities are used to inform members of the public about road works taking place on major A roads and motorways, including information issued to the media and updates to pages on the Highways England and Traffic England web pages.

In addition to this, letters are issued to organisations, businesses and communities affected directly by the works. Highways England will also undertake specific community and business-to-business meetings for larger scale closures within the local area of each project if required.

As a standard, information and updates are issued a minimum of seven days in advance wherever possible.

01/01/2023
David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East to Question 222431, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Reaper User Group terms of reference.

Penny Mordaunt

Discussions with partner nations are continuing about the release of the Terms of Reference of the Reaper User Group.

01/01/2023
Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when a copy of DCDS(MilCap)/14/06/11, dated 18 June 2014, was presented to the Procurator Fiscal.

Penny Mordaunt

A copy of the document was placed in the Library of the house on 20 March 2015 in response to Question 227404. Ministry of Defence (MOD) records suggest that it was not asked for by or provided directly to the Procurator Fiscal. The MOD routinely provides support to the Procurator Fiscal as required in order to support their investigations.

01/01/2023
Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor on the concept of mission creep” as a characterisation of the European Court on Human Rights’ jurisprudence.”

Lord Faulks

This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. We will consider the devolution implications of our reforms and will continue to engage fully with stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with the devolved administrations, as we develop our proposals.

01/01/2023
Mark Pawsey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pawsey on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is offering to local authorities to promote the provision of electric car charging points.

Andrew Jones

This Government has committed to spend more than £600 million in this Parliament to support the uptake and manufacturing of electric vehicles in the UK. 61 Local Authorities have already benefitted from £12.8m of funding to deploy chargepoints across the UK. This included 253 rapid chargepoints and 587 fast chargepoints in train stations and public sector workplaces. The UK now has over 11,000 public chargepoints.

In January Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Nottingham were awarded funding of £35 million to promote green vehicles, as winners of the Go Ultra Low city scheme. A further £5m was awarded to the North East Combined Authority, Dundee, York and Oxford. We estimate that this scheme will deliver around 750 new publically accessible charge points. Our Local Authority-led schemes for low emission buses and taxis will also contribute towards the cost of new charging infrastructure, and we will shortly announce details of further support for the UK’s growing charging network.

In addition to public infrastructure provision, grants of £500 are available towards the cost of installing a domestic chargepoint, with over 18,000 now installed.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage UK nationals to take up junior and entry-level positions in the European Commission.

Mr David Lidington

UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. The EU Staffing Unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched.

01/01/2023
Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to mark National Road Victim Month which falls in August of each year.

Andrew Jones

The Department supports the purpose of National Road Victim Month. We recognise every death is a tragedy and we regularly attend the Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. We are determined to do more to make our roads safer. That’s why this Government has a Manifesto commitment to reduce road deaths and injuries every year. We are prioritising our efforts on delivering the actions set out in the British Road Safety Statement which we published on 21 December 2015 which is available on gov.uk and copies are in both libraries of the house.

01/01/2023