Tag: Caroline Lucas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is offering to the government of Lebanon on the distribution of central resources to municipalities to enable host communities to assist refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is providing £9 million this year to support the Lebanese Host Community Support Programme. This programme is aimed at providing basic services to 49 of Lebanon’s most vulnerable municipalities (those most affected by the pressures of hosting large refugee communities). It is jointly run by the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The programme does not use central government resources, but the Government of Lebanon does provide strategic direction through consultations with UNDP. We hope that their involvement will help to strengthen their capacity to respond to the Syria crisis.

Since the start of the Syria crisis the UK has contributed over £330 million to help maintain Lebanese stability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20630, if he will publish the initial findings of the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study covering the establishment of a Brighton Mainline 2.

Claire Perry

The Government does not propose to publish the initial findings, which are being more fully developed at present. The Study is expected to be completed early in 2016, and the Government will subsequently consider the timeframe for releasing the study findings, including our response.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) AWE personnel and (b) contractors are working on legacy decommissioning projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Mr Philip Dunne

There are 209 contractors and 78 AWE personnel working on decommissioning projects, including demolition, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what contingency plans the Government has in place to ensure security of energy supply in the event of the proposed Hinkley nuclear power station not being completed.

Andrea Leadsom

We remain confident that Hinkley Point C will go ahead on schedule. Security of supply is ensured through the Capacity Market, in which National Grid recommends a volume of capacity to secure ahead of each four year- and one year-ahead auction. The process in determining the amount of capacity to secure, uses a thorough plant level assessment of what capacity the UK is likely to be able to rely on from other plants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed within his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit.

Priti Patel

Child Maintenance Group currently has 33.01 full-time equivalent staff working within the Financial Investigations Unit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27465, what the budget is for the Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit for 2015-16.

Priti Patel

The Financial Investigations Unit does not have a separate budget, but there is sufficient funding in the wider Child Maintenance Group budget for the planned level of staffing in the Unit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Base Case Conditions for EU approval of state aid for Hinkley Point C, whether there have been modifications to the (a) date of 31 December 2020 and (b) cap on the amount of debt drawn until Flamanville 3 has completed the trial operation period; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The Chancellor’s announcement on 21 September 2015 set out that the government and the Hinkley Point C project company had agreed the terms of a £2 billion guarantee through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This initial guarantee will be repaid in December 2020. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.

This initial guarantee is the first tranche of debt guarantees that was approved as part of the European Commission’s approval of the wider support package for Hinkley Point C. The government is satisfied that the terms of the guarantee remain within the Closing Decision of the EU Commission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33537 on Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints, how his Department defines a system control total; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The shared NHS planning guidance, ‘Delivering the Forward View: NHS Planning Guidance 2016/17 – 2021’, published in December 2015, stated that NHS England and NHS Improvement would continue to be open to new approaches to contracting between NHS commissioners and providers and that this could, for instance, include exploring with a few local health systems applying a single financial control total across local commissioners and providers. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work, where appropriate, with local health systems that wish to develop fuller proposals as part of their Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

The Guidance is now available at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/planning-guid-16-17-20-21.pdf

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the redacted Govia Thameslink Railway remedial plan, dated 12 February 2016, was not made publicly available until 26 May 2016.

Claire Perry

There is a process in place with regard to the publication of documents and any redaction of information. Only once the redactions have been agreed by all parties, including the Department, can publication take place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraphs 5.36 to 5.38 of the Cabinet Manual, whether the convention that a debate in Parliament should be held before troops are committed in military action applies to (a) the lethal use of armed drones, (b) military training and advisory missions (i) related to force-protection and (ii) where there is a risk of UK personnel engaging in combat in self-defence, (c) the use of special forces in long-term combat missions and (d) the embedding of UK military personnel in foreign militaries; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon

This Government is committed to the convention that before troops are committed to combat the House of Commons should have an opportunity to debate the matter, except where there was an emergency and such action would not be appropriate. The convention does not apply to British military personnel embedded in the armed forces of other nations.