Tag: Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish a timetable for the roll-out of the General Practice Resilience Programme to support GP practices in Mid Sussex constituency; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat

The milestones for the General Practice Resilience Programme have been set nationally by NHS England and can be found in section 8 of the programme’s guidance document at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/gpfv/resilience/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the Future Combat Air System.

Harriett Baldwin

As set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), we are working in partnership with the UK defence industry and our closest allies to understand and develop the technologies that will be required for future combat air systems (FCAS). No decisions have yet been made as to what this system will consist of, nor the platforms and capabilities that it will include. We are focussing now on developing the core technologies that any such system will require. To do this we have developed and are implementing the FCAS technology initiative. This programme includes the development of an advanced unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstrator in partnership with France, bilateral projects with the United States (US) to mature other key technologies and a national programme to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in the combat air sector.

In Amiens in March 2016 we agreed to transition to the next phase of the UK/France UCAS programme in 2017 and to develop the full-scale demonstrators by 2025. In addition to the current projects we are in discussions with the US and other allies to understand areas of mutual interest for further collaborative work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which category (a) A, (b) B, and (c) C projects are managed by (i) Navy Command, (ii) Army Command, (iii) Air Command, (iv) Joint Forces Command and (v) the Strategic Programmes Directorate.

Mr Philip Dunne

This information is not held centrally and collating which individual category A, B, and C projects are managed by each of the Front-Line Commands would incur disproportionate cost.

Further information on equipment projects can be found in the published Defence Equipment Plan 2015 and Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2015, both of which can be found in the Library of the House.

The-Defence-Equipment-Plan-2015

Major-Projects-Authority-Annual-Report-2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to undersea internet and telephony cables; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government continually assesses a range of possible risks to the UK’s infrastructure, and arrangements are in place across Government and industry to ensure the ongoing resilience and availability of services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Navy plans to adhere to the 12-nautical mile territorial limit proclaimed by China around the Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

In accordance with international law as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Royal Navy warships exercise the right of innocent passage whenever transiting in another States’ recognised territorial seas. The exercise of the right of innocent passage requires neither prior authorization nor authorization from the coastal State. When operating in the Exclusive Economic Zone of a coastal State, RN warships will exercise full freedom of navigation and overflight whilst respecting any established safety zones, up to 500 meters, around an artificial island, installation or structure.

In the South China Sea the UK has a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, which is underpinned by respect for, and adherence to, international law. The UK strongly supports its right, and that of all States, to exercise freedom of navigation in accordance with UNCLOS. We urge all States to respect these very important rights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) labour and (b) materials data used to calculate the area cost adjustment factor element of the Sussex Police grant.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Area Cost Adjustment data referred to in the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 2015/16 is that used for the 2013-14 Local Government Finance Settlement.

The main data used for the labour cost element are anonymised personal records from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Any release is governed by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and is the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics.

The main sources of data used for the rates cost element come from Valuation Office Agency estimates for offices. This data is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-floorspace-experimental-statistics

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the emergency services mobile communications programme.

Mike Penning

The purpose of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is to deliver a mobile communications network for use principally by the Emergency Services – the Emergency Services Network (ESN). The ESN will deliver integrated critical voice and broadband data services to all three emergency services (3ES) and other users throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The aim is to provide a mobile communications network capable of providing the full coverage, resilience, security and public safety functionality required by the 3ES.

The procurement of the ESN is divided in 3 main procurement lots supplemented by a number of related projects. The contract for Lot 1 – Delivery Partner was awarded to Kellogg Brown and Root in August 2015 . The Home Office announced it’s intention to award contracts to Motorola – Lot 2 User Services and EE Lot 3 Mobile Services on 13th November 2015. The procurement process was halted following a legal challenge by Airwave Solutions Limited, the incumbent supplier, on 23 November 2015, the last day of the 10 day standstill period. The Home Office submitted an application to lift the automatic suspension of the procurement and had been working with Counsel preparing for a hearing in the High Court on 8th and 9th Dec.

On Saturday 5th December, the Home Office was informed that ASL would no longer contest the Home Office application to lift the suspension and that subject to the consent order being agreed by the Court today, the Home Office will seek to sign contracts with Motorola and EE on 8th December. This will then start the Mobilisation phase of the programme during which the network will be designed, built and tested over a 21 month period. The 3ES will start to use the network from late 2017 following extensive tests and trials.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients in England book their GP appointments online.

George Freeman

The latest figures available for November 2015 show 7.97 million patients are registered to enable them to book and cancel appointments online. This represents 13.9% of the general practitioner registered population.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the security of supply of (a) the rare earths neodymium and dysprosium and (b) tellurium.

Anna Soubry

Neodymium and dysprosium are rare earth elements, which means that they are included on the EU’s list of critical raw materials because of their high economic importance and high supply risk. Tellurium is not on that list but the Government is aware of its scarcity and importance to manufacturing of alloys and some electronic equipment. The UK is working with European partners and others in global organisations to ensure that there is sufficient supply in the future that is available in accordance global trade rules.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the operational readiness of UK-based tanks; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

As at February 2016 the Challenger 2 fleet was assessed to meet 100% of the fleet size and deployability requirements as set out in the 2015/16 Army Readiness Order.