Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what forecast his Department has made of the change in international and EU investment in UK-based science research in the next five years.

Joseph Johnson

The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to play a leading role in European and international science, research and innovation. The strengths of UK science and research draw in significant international and EU funding as evidenced by the £5.4 billion of overseas investment in UK research and development in 2014.

The Government’s commitment to supporting international collaborations is demonstrated by the introduction of the Global Challenges Research Fund which will provide £1.5 billion over the next five years to support research on global issues affecting developing countries. Our international partnerships are also supported by the Newton Fund linking UK researchers with researchers in 16 partner countries. The Government is committed to ensuring that UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which power plants are due to come offline in March 2016; and what plans she has to ensure peak energy demands are met after those plants come offline.

Andrea Leadsom

The following plants have announced that they will no longer be connected to the Transmission Grid from April 2016:

• Eggborough;
• Ferrybridge;
• Longannet.

These withdrawals have been announced over the past year. It is possible that they may still be available for winter 16/17 if they choose to bid, and are successful, in National Grid’s Supplemental Balancing Reserve. It should also be noted that these withdrawals are partly offset by new or increased thermal generation during 2016 from Wilton and Keadby CCGT plants. A large amount of renewable generation is also due to enter the market in 2016.

Our priority is to ensure that British families and business have access to secure affordable energy supplies that they can rely on and we are taking prudent steps to manage the margins in winter 2016/17. Since 2014 National Grid have had the ability to procure a Contingency Balancing Reserve (CBR), which consists of the Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SBR), where existing power stations stand by ready to generate additional electricity and the Demand Side Balancing Reserve (DSBR) where companies bid for contracts with National Grid to receive payments in return for reducing their electricity usage times of peak demand should National Grid so require. National Grid and Ofgem agree that we should retain the ability to procure CBR for the next two winters. Government supports this position and we expect confirmation later this month following an Ofgem consultation. Beyond winter 2017/18, the Capacity Market will take over as the long term solution for security of supply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on establishing marine protection zones in British Overseas Territories; and whether each such zone will require the consent of that Territory’s national assembly prior to its creation.

James Duddridge

Overseas Territory Governments are constitutionally responsible for the management of their marine resources, therefore any additional marine protection will have to be agreed, and implemented, by the Territory. In addition to the existing Marine Protected Area designations around South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory and the British Antarctic Territory, we intend to designate the world’s largest contiguous no-take marine protection area around Pitcairn, and are working with Ascension Island to close at least 50 percent of their waters to fishing activities. For other Territories we are at an early stage of scoping whether further marine protection measures are desirable and scientifically justified.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from the professional zoo community in relation to the management of bovine TB in non-bovine farmed animals.

George Eustice

On 28 August 2015 Defra issued a call for views on TB controls for non-bovine species, including companion and zoo animals. The call for views closed on 20 November 2015 and responses including those from the professional zoo community are being considered. Any proposals for regulatory changes flowing from the exercise would be subject to consultation in the normal manner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of the budget of the Turks and Caicos Islands has been allocated to the funding of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) and associated legal costs; and if he will take steps to offset the cost of SIPT for the Turks and Caicos Islands government to enable the necessary investment in other projects on those islands.

James Duddridge

In 2015/2016, expenditure on the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team represents approximately 1.34 per cent of Turks and Caicos Islands Government expenditure. Legal aid and security costs are 2.2 per cent and 0.98 per cent respectively. The Governor has committed to provide a full and transparent breakdown of Special Investigation and Prosecution Team costs, with as much detail as possible, once the trial has concluded. The implementation of good governance reforms alongside increased tourist arrivals means that Turks and Caicos Islands Government is projected to show a budget surplus of around $40 million in 2015/2016. This has also been supported by a loan guarantee from the Department for International Development to Turks and Caicos Islands Government of up to $260 million. Turks and Caicos Islands Government is therefore well placed to invest in projects without intervention from the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new EU regulations have become law in the UK since May 2015.

Mr David Lidington

There are different types of EU laws, some of which are directly applicable in the UK (regulations), and others which may require domestic implementing measures to give them full effect (such as directives). Sometimes administrative rules or guidelines will be needed in the UK whilst on other occasions legislation may be necessary. Additionally, EU legislation may be new, or it may amend or repeal existing legislation. There is often a delay before an EU law enters into force for instance in order to enable Member States to adopt the necessary domestic implementing measures; different parts of EU laws may enter into force at different times. The information which brings together all these categories of EU measures is not held centrally. However details of all EU-derived legislation currently on the statute book in the UK can be found on our website at: legislation.gov.uk and on the Official Journal of the EU at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will support a claim by (a) petroleum suppliers who supply home heating oil and (b) other petroleum suppliers for a derogation from the EU rules on the amount of weekly rest required by such suppliers’ drivers; and what stage that application for a derogation has reached.

Andrew Jones

In December 2015 the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers sent the Department for Transport an application for the UK to submit a request to the European Commission, under Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) 561/2006, for a derogation on the weekly rest requirement in the EU drivers’ hours rules for drivers of tankers delivering domestic fuel. This application is being considered and a decision on whether to support it and apply to the Commission will be made in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the maximum permitted spending by each campaign will be during the final weeks of campaigning on the referendum on EU membership; and what steps the Electoral Commission plans to take to ensure that spending by each campaign is subject to the same limit.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the spending limits that apply during the regulated referendum period at UK-wide referendums. The duration of the referendum period for the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be set out in secondary legislation.

PPERA does not set total spending limits for each of the referendum outcomes; rather it applies spending limits to individual campaigners that take part in the debate.

The Commission is already monitoring the campaigning activities of potential referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those that intend to campaign at the referendum. Once the rules come into force, the Commission’s campaign monitoring will inform the use, if necessary and appropriate, of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.

For the EU Referendum, Parliament increased the limits set out in PPERA to take account of inflation. The limits for political parties that register to campaign in support of a particular outcome are allocated according to the party’s share of the vote at the last UK Parliamentary general election. Campaigners that do not register with the Commission are limited to spending £10,000. The new limits are set out in the table below:

	EU Referendum Bill spending limits for a referendum held before 31 December 2017	2015 UK general election vote share
Limits for designated lead campaigners	£7,000,000	–
Limits for political parties with:
>30% share of the vote	£7,000,000	Conservative (36.8%)
>20-30% share of the vote	£5,500,000	Labour (29%[1])
>10-20% share of the vote	£4,000,000	UKIP (12.6%)
>5-10% share of the vote	£3,000,000	Liberal Democrat (7.9%)
	£700,000	SNP (4.7%) Green (3.8%) DUP (0.6%) Plaid Cymru (0.6%) Sinn Fein (0.6%) SDLP (0.3%) UUP (0.4%) Plus all other parties that stood at least one candidate at 2015 UKPGE
Limits for other registered campaigners	£700,000	–

[1] Labour Party share of the vote is adjusted because votes cast for joint candidates are divided by the number of parties the candidate is standing for i.e. Labour / Co-op candidates (PPERA Sch14, para 1(4))

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in dealing with the migrants who arrived (a) in October 1998 and (b) on 21 October 2015 in the RAF Dhekelia and RAF Akrotiri Soverign Base Areas in Cyprus.

Penny Mordaunt

The remaining migrants, both recognised refugees and failed asylum seekers, from those who arrived in the Soveriegn Base Areas (SBA) in 1998, are currently living in former Service Family accommodation close to the British Forces Garrison in Dhekelia. For those whose claims for asylum have not been accepted and who are unable to return to their country of origin, we continue efforts to identify a third country willing to accept them.

The majority of those migrants who arrived in the SBA on 21 October 2015 have transferred into the Republic of Cyprus asylum system and are housed in a facility in the Republic. Of those who remain in the Transit Facility in Dhekelia, all have either claimed asylum or are seeking voluntarily to return to their point of origin. Their asylum claims are being considered by the Sovereign Base Area Administration, with assistance from Republic of Cyprus immigration officials.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which serving ambassadors or high commissioners accredited to the Court of St James also hold UK citizenship or nationality; and what policy on the accreditation of such UK citizens or dual citizens as envoys of Commonwealth or foreign states.

James Duddridge

Details of serving Ambassadors or High Commissioners accredited to the Court of St James who may hold UK citizenship or nationality as well as the citizenship or nationality of their sending States are protected under the Data Protection Act. Dual nationals may not hold positions as heads of diplomatic missions in the UK unless they are High Commissioners or the Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland. The Diplomatic Privileges (British Nationals) Order 1999 (1999 No 670) allows High Commissioners and the Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland, who may also simultaneously hold UK citizenship, to enjoy privileges and immunities as if they were nationals only of their sending State.