Tag: Michelle Donelan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the national living wage on sleep-in shifts in the learning disabilities sector.

Margot James

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) independently advises the Government on the trajectory of the National Living Wage (NLW).As part of their remit, the LPC continues to consult a broad range of stakeholders within the social care sector on the impact of the NLW.

Furthermore, from April 2017, the Spending Review makes available social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019/20, to be included in the Better Care Fund.

From 2016/17, local councils have also been able to introduce a Social Care Precept, allowing them to increase council tax by 2% above the existing threshold. This could raise nearly £2bn a year for social care by 2019/20. Taken together, these measures mean that local government has access to £3.5 billion of support by 2019/20 – the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.

Andrea Leadsom

The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.

In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is provided to GPs to inform them of the research related to and treatments for people with mental health conditions.

Alistair Burt

The Health Education England (HEE) Mandate for 2015-16 reported that “HEE, working with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Royal College of General Practitioners has developed an e-learning package to support continuing professional development for GPs in mental health ensuring that GPs have ready access to the most up to date knowledge available in this vitally important area of health care. This will enable recognition of mental illness and access to the right care pathway including improving access to psychological therapies and specialist mental health services.”

Further information can be found at:

http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/mental-health-awareness-programme/more-information/

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce driving tests for drivers who have previously passed that test (a) who are over 70 year old and (b) every 20 years.

Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport considers that medical fitness and practical competence, not age, are the relevant factors in deciding if a driver can continue to hold a licence. The rules for drivers renewing a license at the age of 70 are designed to be fair and proportionate, and there are no plans to change them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of students who have taken up computer science as an option in the EBacc in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb

Computer science has been included in the science element of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) since 2014. To enter the EBacc science pillar, pupils can enter core and additional science GCSE; enter GCSE science double award; or enter three single sciences at GCSE. The single sciences are biology, chemistry, computer science and physics.

A time series of the total number of entries in GCSE computer science for the last three years is published as part of the “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015 (revised)” statistical first release (SFR).[1]

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502685/SFR01_2016_Subject_Timeseries.xls (“Subject time series tables: SFR01/2016” document)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide additional funding for battery and fuel cell electric vehicles research and development.

Mr John Hayes

The government allocated more than £600 million to support the uptake, development and manufacture of ultra low emission vehicles in the 2015 Spending Review. Our comprehensive package of support includes funding provision for research and development projects, and the scope of a new competition launched on 5 September 2016 includes battery and fuel cells.

Further details are available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-competition-low-emission-vehicle-systems-idp13.

The UK already provides one the most comprehensive support packages for ultra low emission vehicles anywhere in the world. We shall keep the funding requirements for the OLEV program under constant review.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.

Andrea Leadsom

Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. [1]

In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.

Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.

We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.

[1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments his Department has made of the potential economic benefit of (a) opening new stations on the Great Western Main line, (b) running later services on the Great Western Main line and (c) reducing rail fares on the Great Western Main line.

Claire Perry

Any specific project that may bring such benefits to passengers is assessed during the planning stage of that project.

I completely understand your concern about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. That is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (RPI) for three years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We have also stopped operators increasing individual fares by up to 2% more. This means those fares we regulate will only rise by 1% in 2016 making it the lowest fare increase since 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 1.302 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what progress his Department has made on consulting on options to move operations of the Land Registry to the private sector from 2017.

Anna Soubry

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills launched a public consultation – Moving Land Registry operations into the private sector, on 24 March 2016. This public consultation will remain open for nine weeks until 26 May to allow public and stakeholders to respond to it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the conservation of nestling swifts in the demolition or renovation of old housing estates.

Rory Stewart

Natural England has part funded the production of book called Designing for Biodiversity: A Technical Guide for New and Existing Buildings. The publication includes detailed advice on provision for swifts (as well as a range of other species) in new developments, which local authorities may find useful.

No specific guidance has been issued to local authorities on the conservation of nestling swifts in the demolition or renovation of old housing estates.