Tag: Maria Eagle

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 17 of the White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, if he will provide details of how the more flexible payment plans for payment of television licence fees will help people on lower incomes.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The government intends to update legislation to allow clearer and more flexible payment schemes, especially for those facing difficulty in paying the licence fee. This will enable the BBC to trial alternative payment plans, including removing the requirement for individuals to pay the cost of a 12-month licence over six months. This would help those who struggle to make higher initial payments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the local discount scheme to residents across Merseyside to allow them to travel toll-free across the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges when they open in 2017.

Mr David Gauke

My officials continue to work with the Department for Transport on the financial and contractual implications of any further extension of user discounts. A decision will be made on this in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, when he plans for the Apache helicopter upgrade to take place.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Apache Capability Sustainment Programme is currently in the Assessment Phase and the investment decision is anticipated in summer 2016 to enable orderly upgrade of our existing fleet as they reach their out-of-service date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 30 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, when he plans for three new logistic ships to come into service.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 December 2015 to Question 17447 to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens).

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timetable is for introducing proposals to amend the legal standing on which the armed forces undertake operations, as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Penny Mordaunt

Work is under way to examine the options. We will announce further details in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many training places have been made available for the UK’s international partners in his Department’s military training facilities in each year since 2010.

Mr Julian Brazier

The number of International Defence Training places provided to partners at UK training establishments over the last five Financial Years (FY) is as follows:

2010-11 – 3,418

2011-12 – 3,087

2012-13 – 3,048

2013-14 – 2,674

2014-15 – 3,078

We provide International Defence Training places on a wide variety of military training courses. The allocation and take-up of places is a flexible process, driven partly by demand, and managed through arrangements particular to each course. Allocations are generally not programmed more than a year in advance. We cannot quantify in advance the total number of training places which will be offered in each year but intend to increase the training we offer to international partners. We have identified additional places on a number of specific courses including, for example, at the Defence Academy and the Royal College of Defence Studies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from planned reductions in travel expenditure in each of the next five years.

Mark Lancaster

As a result of Spending Review 2015 the Ministry of Defence will reduce its annual transport expenditure over the Spending Review period. The estimated savings from this measure are around £25 million per year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of his Department’s planned £8.4 million expenditure on armed forces veterans’ mental health services will be spent in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20; and in what areas of mental health services that funding will be spent in each of those years.

Alistair Burt

NHS England has £1.8 million per annum baseline (recurrent to 2019/20) funding for veterans mental health services. This funding is used to provide 10 veterans mental health teams across England to meet locally identified needs of veterans and manage the network of providers of National Health Service commissioned veterans mental health services.

The funding also provides access for veterans to on-line mental health counselling services provided by the Big White Wall.

In addition, NHS England provides £3.2 million a year to commission the Armed Forces service charity Combat Stress to provide specialised inpatient services for the treatment of complex post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 2014/15 additional funding of £1.68 million was used to fund three pilots to develop and test enhanced models of care for veterans.

The pilots will:

• develop a joint substance misuse and mental health service model for veterans;
• an outpatient service for veterans with moderate to severe PTSD; and
• develop a modal of care to address the barriers that some veterans experience in accessing mental health services.

NHS England will soon commence a consultation to explore the future service needs for veterans mental health services. Future procurement will depend upon the outcome of this consultation as services will be commissioned to take account of revised needs assessments.

Veterans are also able to access the full range of NHS mental health services in the same way as the wider public.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) armed forces personnel, (b) civilian staff, (c) equipment and (d) other military assets have been withdrawn from Germany since 2014.

Mark Lancaster

We remain on track to meet the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 commitment to withdraw our forces from Germany by 2020. The proportion of Armed Forces Regular personnel and civilian staff who have been withdrawn from Germany between the period 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2015 is 40% and 43% respectively. So far 74% of Service personnel based in Germany have relocated to the UK, which exceeds our 2010 SDSR target to relocate 50% of Service personnel by 2015.

Units are responsible for returning their equipment and other assets to the UK as required. Some equipment, for example left-hand drive vehicles and Main Battle Tanks, has remained in Germany and is managed on a fleet basis. Other equipments have been moved from the UK to Germany to be held in existing UK climate controlled facilities as part of our high readiness posture. As a result the overall proportions withdrawn from Germany are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the income that Arts Council of England will receive from National Lottery funding in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Edward Vaizey

As Good Cause income is dependent on sales, we can not provide precise figures for future forecasts; figures are a guide to likely overall income if sales remain at levels at the time of the review. However, Arts Council England’s annual share of income to the National Lottery Distribution Fund is estimated to be £255 million for each year from 2016/17 to 2019/20.