Tag: Nicholas Soames

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to use big data in healthcare.

George Freeman

The pace of technological advance and digitisation of healthcare is transforming the way healthcare systems use data and informatics to provide individual care, system safety and performance, and research for new treatments and cures. The Government is committed to complete the digitisation of the National Health Service and, through the National Information Board and implementation of the Personalised Health and Care 2020 Strategy, to deliver a series of important digital milestones on the road to a paperless NHS by 2020.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre has set up a new Centre of Excellence for big data and data science under the Government’s Data Science Programme to support the use of big data and data science. Patient trust, confidentiality and consent is crucial to delivering the better use of data which is why the Government has commissioned Dame Fiona Caldicott to advise on the right approach to patient consent and ensuring confidentiality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for litter clearance on the A1.

Andrew Jones

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all England’s motorways and a few selected A roads or trunk roads for specific operational reasons. Local authorities are responsible for litter on all local roads, including the vast majority A roads on the strategic road network.

Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all sections of the A1(M). All sections of the A1 in England are cleared by the relevant local authorities, with the exception being of a short section of the A1 from the A1(M) junction 1 to the boundary between the Borough of Hertsmere and the London Borough of Barnet.

Litter clearance of the A1 within the Greater London Authority boundary is the responsibility of Transport for London or the relevant London Boroughs. Litter clearance of the A1 in Scotland is a matter for the devolved administration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of growth of the digital economy in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of its contribution to GDP.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Growth in the Digital Sector (measured by GVA) between 2009 and 2014 was 26.3% (in comparison to a 20% growth of the UK Economy as a whole). According to DCMS research, the digital sector accounted for 6.9% Gross Value Added in 2010, and 7.3% in 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to schools for supporting children with learning difficulties in (a) Mid Sussex constituency and (b) West Sussex in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Funding for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) is allocated to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant, which includes both funding to be delegated to mainstream schools, and funding for the additional costs associated with educating children and young people with high needs.

Schools are funded through a formula set by their local authority, and local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEN up to £6,000 per annum. It is for individual schools to decide how they allocate their overall budget to ensure they meet the specific needs of children with learning difficulties.

For those pupils whose additional support costs more than £6,000 the local authority pays top-up funding to the schools from their high needs budget. Top-up funding rates are for local authorities to agree with their schools.

West Sussex County Council’s high needs allocation, within the dedicated schools grant, in each of the last three years was as follows:

• 2013-14 – £67.69m

• 2014-15 – £70.53m

• 2015-16 – £71.64m

We do not hold information on the total funding allocated by West Sussex County Council for supporting children with learning difficulties to schools in the Mid Sussex constituency or in the West Sussex county area.