The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage zero-carbon housing; and if he will make a statement.
James Wharton
I refer my rt. hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 23 October 2015, PQ 12627.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will liaise with Ofgem in taking steps to ensure that savings accrued to suppliers are returned to consumers in lower prices.
Andrea Leadsom
The government expects suppliers to pass through to consumers any reductions in the costs of supplying energy.
Strong competition is key to ensuring that prices are kept as low as possible and reductions in the costs of supplying energy are passed through to consumers. There are now 34 companies supplying gas and electricity to households, compared to 13 in 2010.
The Government has worked with the industry to cut the time it takes to switch from 5 weeks to 17 days. We are now working with Ofgem to deliver reliable next day switching by 2018.
Smart meters will make the energy market more accessible, and energy consumers will feel more in control. This increased engagement will drive a more vibrant and competitive market.
Ofgem has referred the energy markets to the Competition and Markets Authority for investigation. The Government has committed to acting on the Competition and Market Authority’s recommendations which are due to be published by June this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries British Service personnel are deployed.
Penny Mordaunt
Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.
Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.
The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.
Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.
Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what timescale he has set for the completion of the next tranche of zero carbon housing.
James Wharton
As detailed in the Productivity Plan – ‘Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ – the Government will not be implementing zero carbon homes. The zero carbon homes standard, in particular the ‘allowable solutions’ carbon off-setting element, would have placed a significant regulatory burden on the house building industry.
The energy performance standards for new homes were strengthened by over 30% during the last Parliament. The latest changes to standards came into force last year and it is important for those changes to be given time to bed in.
The Government is keeping the energy standards for homes under review and must also meet its obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. As part of this the Government must report to the European Commission in 2017 on whether UK building standards are ‘cost optimal’ and ensure that all new buildings are ‘nearly zero energy buildings’ from 2021.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote zero carbon housing.
James Wharton
As detailed in the Productivity Plan – ‘Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ – the Government will not be implementing zero carbon homes. The zero carbon homes standard, in particular the ‘allowable solutions’ carbon off-setting element, would have placed a significant regulatory burden on the house building industry.
The energy performance standards for new homes were strengthened by over 30% during the last Parliament. The latest changes to standards came into force last year and it is important for those changes to be given time to bed in.
The Government is keeping the energy standards for homes under review and must also meet its obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. As part of this the Government must report to the European Commission in 2017 on whether UK building standards are ‘cost optimal’ and ensure that all new buildings are ‘nearly zero energy buildings’ from 2021.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the Government’s aims are for the forthcoming Paris Climate Summit; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government is committed to securing an ambitious, legally binding, global deal on climate change at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in Paris in December.
The UK is working with other countries to secure ambitious mitigation commitments from all parties that together keep the global goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C within reach. We also want an agreement that includes a regular review of targets to increase ambition over time, a global long term goal and a robust, legally binding rules framework to ensure transparency and accountability of commitments to help the world track progress, improve competitiveness and provide business certainty.
It will also be important that the Agreement supports the most vulnerable countries to build climate resilience. I am pleased that my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a significant uplift in funding through the International Climate Fund (ICF) providing at least £5.8 billion over the next five years. This complements commitments from other countries such as France and Germany and should help build momentum for climate action beyond Paris.
However, there remains a lot of work to do and we are working closely with international counterparts to help secure an ambitious deal.
Following the outcome in Paris, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will lay a statement in the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the threat ISIS and other Islamist groups in Syria pose to (a) the wider Middle East and (b) other areas.
Hugh Robertson
The UK is deeply concerned by the growth of terrorism in Syria and Iraq. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion.
ISIL’s advance in Iraq shows that they are a serious threat. It shows clearly the importance of taking a strong stand against extremists, and that is why we are giving our full backing to the moderate groups in Syria who are fighting them. It is not yet clear what the recent developments in Iraq mean in the longer term, but clearly ISIL’s ability to operate in both Syria and Iraq is a cause of concern for the international community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of imprisoned extremists returned from terrorist operations overseas (a) radicalising the Muslim prison population and (b) recruiting other prisoners to commit terrorist acts in the UK or overseas.
Jeremy Wright
I am responding to this question as I am the Minister responsible for the prison estate. We are well aware of the risks posed by individuals who return to the UK having gained experience, through training or participation, in terrorism overseas. At the current time clearly those travelling to and from Syria are of particular concern.
The Prison Service works closely with the Police and other Agencies in all areas of Counter Terrorism work; including where individuals are held in custody having returned from overseas. All prisoners are managed according to the risk they pose, taking into consideration all relevant information and intelligence that is identified.
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has long recognised the threat posed by terrorists and extremists, and has considerable experience in managing this threat. The Prison Service will continue to use its well established and effective three-tiered response: to identify behaviour that may indicate extremism, to report it using established intelligence systems, and to manage it through disruption and intervention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of Islamic extremism among the prison population.
Jeremy Wright
We are alert to the risks posed by individuals who may wish to radicalise others, and we are committed to tackling radicalisation in the prison environment as an important element of our responsibility to protect the public and reduce re-offending.
NOMS has in place a wide-ranging programme of work to manage individuals convicted of terrorist or related offences. This programme focuses on: increasing the counter-terrorism intelligence infrastructure working with partner agencies; ensuring provision of an effective Chaplaincy which can challenge extremist ideology; structured risk assessment tools and bespoke interventions; staff briefing and training, and robust processes for the management of offenders on release.
NOMS contributes to the cross-Government CT strategy CONTEST, and works alongside other Departments to manage the threat posed. As with all significant criminal threats, a multi-agency approach is taken to ensure that information and learning is shared between agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of recent territorial gains of the Islamist insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; and if he will make a statement.
Hugh Robertson
The situation in Syria and Iraq is very serious and the territorial gains made by ISIL are deeply concerning. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion. Our objective is to see a prosperous and stable Iraq as part of a stable region. The recent developments clearly threaten this. In the immediate term we are very concerned about the large numbers of Iraqis being displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas. As well as a strong security response by the Iraqi forces, there needs to be a strong political solution.