Tag: Michael Tomlinson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department and the Rural Payments Agency will issue partial payments to farmers that have not been paid by early February 2016.

George Eustice

In the past part payments has led to years of confusion for farmers and additional costs in processing and disallowance for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The RPA, therefore, will not be making partial payments but is instead focusing on paying all farmers as promptly as possible.

As of 25 January the RPA had paid around 61,100 farmers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what requirements his Department places on local authorities to demonstrate that their Local Plans will meet identified national house-building need.

Brandon Lewis

This Government does not set national housing targets. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that Local Plans should meet the full, objectively assessed needs for housing in the housing market area, as far as is consistent with the policies set out in the Framework. As part of this, local authorities should identify, and update annually, a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years of housing against their housing requirements. Local authorities also have a duty to cooperate on strategic planning priorities such as providing the homes that are needed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides for local authorities on the administration of blue badge disabled parking arrangements.

Andrew Jones

The Blue Badge scheme applies to on-street parking only. The Department for Transport (DfT) has produced non-statutory guidance designed to help local authorities with the administration and enforcement of the scheme. The guidance can be viewed at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance-england

The guidance also includes a link to a good practice guide on inclusive mobility which includes a chapter on parking issues aimed at helping local authorities meet their obligations under the Equalities Act 2010.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land in the Poole Unitary Authority area has been redesignated as community land trust in the last five years.

Brandon Lewis

The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by community land trusts.

The Department’s annual Green Belt statistics monitor the amount of land designated as Green Belt in England and any changes to the designated area since the previous year. The statistics record the change by local planning authority.

Of the local planning authorities for which information was requested, the following have made changes to the Green Belt in the last five years:

East Dorset reduced the area of designated Green Belt in 2014-15 by 160 hectares to 16,720 hectares, a reduction of 1 per cent; and

Purbeck increased the area of designated Green Belt in 2012-13 by 460 hectares to 8,200 hectares, an increase of 6 per cent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Rural Payments Agency will inform all farmers who are expecting payments of the specific timings that those payments will be expected.

George Eustice

The Rural Payments Agency has already written to farmers whose claims are deemed more complex and who are unlikely to be paid by the end of January, giving an indication of the earliest point at which they will receive payments. As of 25 January the agency has paid around 61,100 farmers and is working on paying the remaining claims as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide additional funding for broadband provision to difficult to reach properties in (a) rural and (b) urban areas which have not been provided with access under the Universal Service Obligation to date and where Openreach fibre rollout has been delayed for more than a year.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Superfast broadband coverage will reach 95% of UK premises by the end of 2017. Further funding from clawback and efficiency savings in the local broadband contracts with BT will allow this coverage to be extended further.

In addition it is the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation. This will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament. Our ambition is that this should initially be set at 10 Mbps.