Tag: Oliver Heald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2734, what progress her Department has made on restoring physical habitats on chalk rivers in North East Hertfordshire constituency.

Rory Stewart

Through its Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) Programme, the Environment Agency (EA) is working with local water companies and the Catchment partnerships to significantly improve the condition, flow and habitats of chalk streams Beane, Mimram and Lee.

As part of the Programme, Affinity Water and the EA have committed to investing £3 million by 2020 in habitat improvement projects for these chalk streams. These are currently in the planning and design stage. Delivery will accelerate as the Programme progresses over the next five years.

In order to achieve the greatest benefit from these works, Affinity Water has agreed to reduce abstraction from local chalk streams by over 40 million litres per day by 2024. It will significantly reduce abstraction at the Whitehall pumping station on the River Beane by 2018 by building a pipeline, currently under construction, to supply customers with water from alternative sources.

The EA partnership project at Waterford Marsh, also on the River Beane, has seen improvements for both wildlife and people through chalk stream restoration, pond creation, access repair, and the provision of new information boards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 18426, what progress has been made on design development for the A1(M) Widening Scheme.

Andrew Jones

Highways England Delivery Plan, published in 2015, includes the introduction of smart motorways on the A1(M) between Junctions 6 and 8. This will provide improved capacity and better access, and should unlock much of the growth potential around Stevenage.

The scheme is commencing design development works now.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to his Answer of 3 March 2016, Official Report, column 1102, when he expects the review of English votes for English laws procedures to take place.

Chris Grayling

The Government has committed to reviewing the procedures for English votes for English laws after they have been in place for twelve months and after the Procedure Committee completes the technical evaluation which it is currently undertaking. As part of the review we will also take account of the recent report published by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to maintain the ability of London taxi drivers exclusively to ply for hire.

Andrew Jones

The Government is responsible for the legislative structure within which local licensing authorities deliver the licensing regime for taxis and private hire vehicles. Enforcement of the licensing regime, including ensuring that private hire vehicles do not illegally ply for hire, is therefore a matter for local licensing authorities and the police.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on allowing private hire cars to ply for hire.

Andrew Jones

Private hire vehicles cannot legally ply for hire.

The Government is responsible for the legislative structure within which local licensing authorities deliver the licensing regime for taxis and private hire vehicles. Enforcement of the licensing regime, including ensuring that private hire vehicles do not illegally ply for hire, is a matter for local licensing authorities and the police.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of income tax paid annually by London taxi drivers, in each of the last three years.

Mr David Gauke

No estimate has been made of the income tax receipts arising from licensed Hackney Carriage drivers. The information is not available and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 3 December 2014 to Question 216204, what progress the working group on vaginal tapes and mesh has made concerning transvaginal mesh implants; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh is now finalising its interim recommendations which NHS England expects to publish in November 2015, subject to its internal governance processes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the nature and the extent of voluntary work undertaken as part of the National Citizen Service in England.

Mr Rob Wilson

Since 2011 over 130,000 young people have taken part in National Citizen Service (NCS), giving an estimated 3.2 million hours of volunteering to their communities. This has consisted of over 8,000 social action projects ranging from the renovation of community spaces, to charity fundraising events.

The independent evaluation of the NCS programme also demonstrates that it is creating a movement of young people who feel a greater responsibility towards their community and who are more likely to help out locally in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222161, what estimate he has made of the extent of the increase in UK GDP provided by falling oil prices.

Priti Patel

As noted in the answer given to the Honorable Member on 2 February 2015, falling oil prices will provide a further boost to the UK’s GDP, which in 2014 grew faster than any other major advanced economy. Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 218966, whether he plans to publish financial data on national non-domestic rates before 12 February 2015.

Kris Hopkins

Financial data on national non-domestic rates to be collected by councils in England in 2015-16 will be published on 18 February 2015. The data will be available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/national-non-domestic-rates-to-be-collected-by-councils-in-engalnd-2015-to-2016.