Tag: 2016

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45695, on railways: fares, for what reason his Department uses the Retail Price Index as an index for inflation; and if he will consider using a different index for inflation.

    Paul Maynard

    The use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) is consistent with the general indexation approach adopted across the rail industry. The Office of Rail and Road uses RPI as the index for Network Rail’s revenues e.g. Track Access Charges. RPI is used widely across Government, including for index linked bonds, vehicle exercise duty, alcohol and tobacco duties, air passenger duty and climate change levies.

    It is worth noting that the July 2016 figures for RPI (published on 14 September 2016) and average weekly earnings growth stood at 1.9% and 2.3%, respectively. Each July’s RPI figure is used to set regulated rail fares from January 2nd the following year. On this basis average earnings continue to remain ahead of allowable regulated rail fares increases.

  • Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the funding received by police forces operating in areas where crime levels are rising.

    Mike Penning

    Police reform is working and crime is falling. According to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales, crime has fallen by more than a quarter since 2010. This is the lowest level since the survey began in 1981.

    The Government has protected overall police spending in real terms over the Spending Review period, when precept is taken into account. This is an increase of up to £900 million in cash terms by 2019/20. Funding allocations for individual police force areas were published in the Provisional Police Grant Report on 17 December.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold further discussions with the Indian government on the confiscation of property held by UK nationals in Goa.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    All confiscation orders are issued following an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and can be appealed. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not able to interfere in local investigations. However, we continue to identify opportunities to raise property issues at the appropriate levels. As an example, in December, our Acting High Commissioner to India met the Chairman of the Goa Property Working Group as well as the Goa Chief Minister. Our offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Goa have facilitated contact between the UK nationals in the Goa Property Working Group and officials working for the Goa Property Committee, the relevant Indian government body. The Property Working Group have reported significant progress has been made. We continue to assist them through our lobbying.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the threshold for the number of coasting academies in an academy chain above which her Department plans to take action.

    Edward Timpson

    An academy will be considered coasting where data shows that over a three year period it has failed to ensure that pupils reach their potential. An academy will only be coasting if performance data falls below the coasting bar in all three previous years. Therefore, no academy will be identified as coasting until after the 2016 performance data is published and there is 3 years of data available for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

    Regional Schools Commissioners will take action when any academy falls within the coasting definition and cannot demonstrate that it has a sufficient plan to improve rapidly without additional support.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vehicle the Royal Artillery’s 32 and 47 Regiments will operate instead of the Warthog once the Bv206 has been retired.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Warthog vehicle entered service in 2010 as an urgent operational requirement for use in Afghanistan. Since the end of operations in Afghanistan a range of armoured vehicles purchased specifically for operations in that theatre have been brought into the MOD’s core inventory; the Warthog vehicle was not one of these. The options for disposing of the Warthog are now being considered, including the possiblity of an export route, but no decisions have been taken at this time.

    5 and 32 Regiments Royal Artillery will receive the Bulldog armoured vehicle as a replacement for Warthog. 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to use the Coyote armoured vehicle.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to recruit more police firearms instructors as a result of the Government’s commitment to train 1,500 extra firearms officers by April 2018.

    Mike Penning

    At the Spending Review in December 2015, the Chancellor announced a major investment of £143 million to uplift armed policing capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to a marauding firearms attack.

    The Police have beenn working to allocate that spending to ensure maximum effect and are arranging for sufficient instructors and training places to be in place.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Tugendhat on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans for the disposal of his Department’s vacant properties in the UK.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing an ambitious programme of estate rationalisation which will provide a plan for a smaller, but significantly better Defence estate to meet the needs of the Armed Forces as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. This strategic review of the Defence estate will provide a more efficient and better infrastructure laydown in support of military capability for future generations. The MOD expects to announce the final results of this review in the autumn. When the MOD no longer has a requirement for vacant properties they will be disposed of in accordance with the standard disposal procedure.

    The MOD is also reducing the number of voids by leasing out vacant properties from directly renting to the general public and through other organisations. A number of properties are also vacant awaiting the return of remaining Army personnel and families from Germany over the next three years who will require accommodation.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish its Work and Health Green Paper.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We plan to publish the Work and Health Green Paper later this year to start to reframe the discussion with disabled people, those who have long term health conditions and their representative organisations. The Green Paper points towards long-term reform.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the net benefit to the Welsh economy of the steel to be used in the construction of the Hinkley C nuclear power plant.

    Alun Cairns

    The UK Government does not hold the specific figures requested. The decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation will provide a huge boost to the regional economy including South Wales. Construction at the Hinkley site will provide 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships, and 64% of the project’s costs will be spent in the UK.

    Welsh companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities this project presents, for example, Express Reinforcements in South Wales was given preferred bidder status for a £100m contract to supply 200,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel for the project.

    I would encourage businesses in Wales to register with EDF in order to take advantage of upcoming supply chain opportunities.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was allocated to the National Tactical Response Group in (a) 2010, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015; and what he expects that budget to be in 2016.

    Andrew Selous

    The budget allocation for National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is set out in the table below.

    These figures include pay and non-pay items (including training materials, operational incident consumables and vehicle costs). It is not possible to retrieve the 2010 data information within the time available. The resource allocation for 2016-17 is yet to be confirmed.

    NTRG Budget

    2011-12

    1.6m

    2012-13

    1.6m

    2013-14

    1.7m

    2014-15

    1.8m

    2015-16

    1.8m

    “