Tag: Adam Afriyie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the fixed charge system outlined in the Smart Energy Code on the ability of small energy providers to access the services of the Data Communications Company.

Andrea Leadsom

The Data Communications Company (DCC) charges for access to the DCC’s services in proportion to suppliers’ market share, calculated on a meter point basis, rather than an equal amount per supplier. This is designed to strike a balance between ensuring a fair contribution from all parties who will have access to the DECC services, and not disadvantaging those parties that are likely to use these services less than others.

The amount small energy providers will pay in fixed charges is therefore directly reflective of their smaller customer base and likely more limited use of the system that results from their lower market share.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the annual cost to British businesses of the EU’s pollution directive.

Rory Stewart

There are a number of EU directives covering a wide range of pollution issues. This answer refers to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), which was transposed into law in England and Wales in February 2013. The Directive requires operators in a range of industrial sectors to comply with certain standards to ensure the reduction of emissions from their activities.

Prior to transposition of the Directive, our impact assessment estimated that the annual regulatory and compliance costs for the main affected sectors would be £105m for operators of large combustion plants and £0 – £15m for a range of other installations in the waste treatment and wood treatment sectors.

The impact assessment estimated that the annual human health benefits due to a reduction in emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter from large combustion plants alone would be £188m. Other benefits for human health and the environment were also expected to arise from other pollutants that could not be monetised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is considering a ban on all night flights at Heathrow Airport.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Airports Commission’s final report recommended noise mitigation options such as a ban on night flights, in the event of a decision to expand Heathrow.

The Government’s position on airports capacity has not changed since the Airports Commission published their final report on 1 July 2015. Government is still reviewing all of the evidence before coming to any decisions.

The Prime Minister has said a decision will be made by the end of the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the noise impact of the Future Airspace Strategy on Windsor constituency.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government has not made such an assessment.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) led Future Airspace Strategy provides a framework for how the UK’s airspace should be managed in the future. It is a CAA requirement that any proposer of an airspace change should consult with their local communities on how the implementation of the strategy will affect them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will introduce a cap on the amount of public money used to fund surface access costs arising from the construction of a new airport runway at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report, including its examination of the costs and financing of the schemes, before taking any decisions on next steps.

In terms of surface access proposals, the Government has been clear that it expects the scheme promoter to meet the costs of any surface access proposals that are required as a direct result of airport expansion and from which they will directly benefit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Space Agency in promoting the UK space industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Willetts

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) was created in April 2011 to lead and foster the growing UK space sector. It does so through funding and delivery of civil space projects and downstream space related activities, developing space policy including advice to Ministers and regulating UK space activities to meet international obligations.

The UKSA formally tests its performance against such objectives in a number ways and includes amongst these a measure of its effectiveness in promoting the UK space industry. This is primarily through an independent bi-annual “Size and Health” survey of the UK industrial sector which assesses the growth of the UK space economy. The Agency also monitors contracts that flow back to UK industry from Agency-targeted subscriptions to the European Space Agency as well as monitoring where Agency-supported research and development work has positioned UK industry for success in future operational contracts. More recently the Agency has extended its role in actively supporting and promoting UK industrial exports of both satellite and emerging space-related data services.

All objective measures from these activities point to a growing success story for our space industry. Indeed it is one of our economy’s fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The role of the Agency in this development is significant and it has developed close relationships with industry.

The Size and Health survey due to be published in autumn 2014 is expected to show that the Space Economy has continued to grow between 2011 and 2013.

Its coordination of a business-driven industrial space policy has provided leadership for the UK industrial community (acknowledged by the UK space Innovation and Growth Strategy published in 2013) and this has been recognised by the Parliamentary Select Committee report into the UKSA which was published in October 2013.

The Agency serves as an effective platform to raise awareness of the successes of the UK space sector. BIS and Agency officials continue to evaluate its success in promoting that work using Government Communications Service best practice.

A further key measure of success is the increasing number of overseas space companies choosing to invest in the UK and so growing the UK’s wider space capability and economic development.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled entrepreneurs have been able to access additional support funding through the Access to Work programme.

Mike Penning

In the financial year April 2013 – March 2014 DWP supported 4066 disabled customers who are registered as self employed through the Access to Work programme. Of which 57 customers were also from The New Enterprise Allowance programme.