Tag: Ian C. Lucas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the average annual energy charges paid by (a) existing and (b) new customers in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman

Average annual domestic bills for gas and electricity and industrial energy prices are published as part of the BEIS’s quarterly energy prices publication. The latest available figures are for the average annual domestic bills in 2015 which are £714 for gas (GB) and £584 (UK) for standard electricity.

The information required to distinguish between existing and new customers is not held by BEIS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office on privatisation of Channel 4 in the last year.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office to discuss matters relating to DCMS policy. The government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4. The government is considering a range of options as to how best to ensure Channel 4’s future sustainability while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit, including options put forward by Channel 4.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will estimate the number of passengers from North Wales and Cheshire who are projected to use Liverpool Airport in (a) 2015, (b) 2020 and (c) 2025.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The last aviation forecasts made by the Department for Transport were produced in January 2013. These gave the following forecasts of passengers using Liverpool Airport who began or ended their journeys in North Wales or Cheshire in the central demand case:

(a) 2015 : 0.81 million

(b) 2020 : 0.78 million

(c) 2025 : 0.82 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20950, which routes would offer greater benefits from the additional paths referred to in that answer than the proposal from Arriva Trains Wales.

Claire Perry

The successful bidder for the new Northern franchise has proposed new direct links between Manchester Airport and Bradford (via Rochdale, Halifax and the Calder Valley), and between Manchester Airport and Liverpool (via Warrington Central). It will be for the Office of Rail and Road to determine the allocation of scarce capacity to/from Manchester Airport between the competing potential uses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to provide funding to the Welsh Government until the end of the Parliament for payments under the Independent Living Fund.

Greg Hands

Following the closure of the Independent Living Fund, £30 million was transferred to Welsh Government budgets to reflect the ILF’s previously-forecast expenditure in Wales. The Welsh Government is responsible for the allocation of this funding, in line with its devolved responsibilities. This funding was subsequently included in the Welsh Government’s Spending Review 2015 allocation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reported crimes, (b) arrests, (c) charges, (d) cautions and (e) other disposals for (i) anti-social behaviour and (ii) public order offences, committed by young people in North Wales were recorded in each of the last six years.

Brandon Lewis

Data for (a) the number of public order offences and (c-e) detections and outcomes in each of the last six years are provided in Table 1. These figures are not available by age of suspect. Data on crime and outcomes are routinely published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Figures for the total number of anti-social behaviour incidents are provided in Table 2. Outcomes, arrests and age of suspect for anti-social behaviour incidents are not collected by the Home Office. Data on anti-social behaviour are routinely published here:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables/current/crimeinenglandandwalesyearendingmarch2016policeforcearea.xls

Figures for (b) the number of arrests specifically for public order offences were collected and published for the first time for 2015/16, and are shown broken down by the available age groups in Table 3. These data are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2016

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of Government funding of free TV licenses from the over 75 on future availability of such free licences.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government is committed to protecting pensioner benefits for the entire period of this Parliament, and the agreement to transfer responsibility for over-75s TV licences to the BBC makes no change to that commitment. People who are over 75 will still receive a free TV licence under the terms of this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make a comparative assessment of rail links to (a) Cumbria and (b) North Wales from Manchester Airport.

Andrew Jones

We are aware that Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), and other operators, are seeking to operate additional services to Manchester Airport; however, capacity through central Manchester and at the Airport is limited, though infrastructure investment to deliver the Northern Hub (including the recently-opened fourth platform at the Airport) will improve this situation.

Please note that it is the Independent Office of Road and Rail which is responsible for the allocation of train paths and not the Department, and it is therefore for the Office of Road and Rail to consider ATW’s application alongside other potential uses of the limited available capacity for additional rail services to/from Manchester Airport. Detailed information regarding these rail links is publicly available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20950, how many other rail franchises his Department has commented on to the Office of Rail and Road in relation to track access when new additional paths are created.

Claire Perry

The Department does on occasion offer comments to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on track access applications that could affect the Department’s franchised train operations, in order to ensure that the ORR is aware of the potential implications of such applications for the Department’s financial and policy position. During the course of 2015 the Department offered comments in response to applications from Arriva Trains Wales, Crossrail (MTR), Hull Trains, Grand Central, Alliance Rail (GNWR) & (GNER) and Heathrow Express.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will place in the Library the most recent submissions made by the parties involved in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

Anna Soubry

The European Commission has published a large number of documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on its website, including EU proposals for legal text, position papers and factsheets.

The Commission and the US have agreed that national parliamentarians should have access to classified TTIP documents, including consolidated texts, via reading rooms in national ministries. Restrictions placed on these rooms include that they are only accessible to officials of Member State central governments and Members of Member State national Parliaments.

The UK intends to establish such a reading room in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). This will give equivalent access to documents for Members of both Houses to that afforded to Members of the European Parliament. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.