Tag: Alan Brown

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received of allegations that UK funding through the UN to MINURSO is being misused and that UN personnel are being overcharged by hotels at which they stay; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received no representations on this issue. The UK contributes towards the UN Peacekeeping funds, and FCO officials have raised the alleged fraud with the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Western Sahara and the local authorities have investigated the allegations and taken the necessary steps to address the situation and prevent a recurrence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of exempting operators of electricity storage from Balanced Services Use of System charges.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department and Ofgem are jointly considering the need to address the legislative status of storage, which has potential implications for the charging regime for storage. Ofgem have recently published “Making the electricity system more flexible and delivering the benefits for consumers”, in which they state, “While storage has been providing flexibility in other countries, and pumped storage has historically played a strong role in GB, the potential of battery and other forms of storage to smooth intermittent generation or contribute to local balancing has not yet been fully realised in the UK… We will therefore: undertake work with DECC to clarify the legal and commercial status of storage and explore whether changes to the regulatory and commercial framework are needed to enable its efficient use, seeking input on options from stakeholders. Where changes are needed, they will be informed by considering the interactions and implications of a new regulatory framework for storage on all segments of the market”:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2015/09/flexibility_position_paper_final_0.pdf.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17622, if he will identify separately the marginal costs associated with maintaining the Vanguard submarines in service for five years longer then envisaged.

Mr Philip Dunne

As announced in Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2010 we can extend the life of the existing Vanguard class submarines into the early 2030s. Cost estimates for supporting the ballistic missile submarines during the transition from Vanguard to Successor are not materially affected by minor changes to scheduled dates.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for the outcome of the consultation on the resettlement of Chagos Islanders to the British Indian Ocean Territory and on the funding for that resettlement.

James Duddridge

The public consultation on a potential resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory concluded on 27 October 2015, and the summary of its responses was published by the Government on 21 January 2016. The Government is now considering all the relevant material, including these responses, and the recent independent feasibility study published in February 2015. The consultation is now closed and it is for the government to now make a decision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 23 February 2016, Official Report, column 82WH, on the Motability car scheme, whether the ability to walk 20 metres is one of the assessment criteria for enhanced mobility.

Justin Tomlinson

As with all the activities, a claimant should be assessed as satisfying a descriptor only if the reliability criteria have been fully considered. The reliability criteria are a key protection for claimants being assessed for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and are a new introduction that did not apply under Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Claimants who cannot walk 20 metres reliably are guaranteed to receive the enhanced rate mobility component.

PIP has also introduced a new criteria around the ability to plan and follow a journey, which is designed to recognise the mobility challenges of non-physical conditions and ensure these claimants also have access to the highest level of support where appropriate.

Further information on how the reliability criteria should be applied can be found in the PIP Assessment Guide for Health Professionals carrying out assessments.

This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449043/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on payments for people affected by contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison

I have had a number of discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being and we are working together to facilitate the increased payments using the current scheme administrator.

We both want these payments to be made as quickly as possible to people infected in Scotland, and across the UK.

Officials in the Department and Scottish Government have been working together to facilitate the increased payments using the current payment scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the speech of the then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 18 November 2015, on a new direction for UK energy policy, when the terms of reference of the review into coal will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman

The continued use of unabated coal for power generation is not consistent with our policy of decarbonising the economy. The role of coal for electricity generation has declined rapidly in the last couple of years due to the success of the Government’s policies to penalise emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants and encourage investment in lower carbon alternatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what comparative cost-benefit analyses her Department has made of electricity storage and constraint payments.

Andrea Leadsom

The Network Options Assessment (NOA) was introduced as a result of Ofgem’s Integrated Transmission Planning and Regulation project.It is an holistic, forward-looking analysis of the options for the development of the transmission system.The NOA has a 10-year outlook and will be published annually.In developing the annual statement, National Grid as System Operator must work closely with the three GB transmission operators to propose network solutions which facilitate an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity transmission. As part of this process, National Grid is required to consider the merits of solutions other than transmission build, such as storage. A cost-benefit analysis of storage compared to other assets is performed by National Grid as a part of this assessment, in which constraint payments form a part.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10602, on which dates he has held meetings with HM Treasury on the potential effects of a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland in the last year.

David Mundell

Since the Opencast Restoration issue arose I have raised this formally and informally on numerous occasions with Government colleagues. I can confirm that I met with the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the Carbon Price Support Exemption Proposal specifically on 14 July 2015. I have not formally met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss this issue. In addition, Scotland Office officials have raised this matter with DECC and HM Treasury colleagues.

As the hon Member knows, I have taken a keen interest in this issue since it arose including attending the Industry Taskforce and meeting with him in his constituency office last year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans not to make a final decision on resettlement of the Chagos Islanders until after the Supreme Court judgement on the 2008 decision of the House of Lords.

James Duddridge

The public consultation on a potential resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory concluded on 27 October 2015, and the summary of its responses was published by the Government on 21 January 2016. The Government is now considering all the relevant material, including these responses, and the recent independent feasibility study published in February 2015. The consultation is now closed and it is for the government to now make a decision.