Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to ensure that all renewables can compete on equal terms in the additional rounds of renewable subsidy auctions scheduled between now and 2020.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme allows a wide range of renewable technologies to compete for contracts.

    On 18 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change announced the intention to run three more auctions this Parliament, with the first, for the less established group of technologies that includes Offshore Wind, Wave, Tidal Stream, Advanced Conversion Technologies, Anaerobic Digestion, Dedicated Biomass with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Geothermal, planned for late 2016.

    We will announce plans for Pot 1 (established technologies) and Pot 3 (biomass conversion) in due course.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of litter currently on the verges of (1) the A13 trunk road between the Limehouse Link and the junction with the A130, and (2) the A12 between the junction with the A130 and the junction with the A14 at Ipswich, and what steps the Highways Agency is taking to monitor the cleanliness of those roads.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Due to the devolution of the highways network, it is necessary to be explicit on who has responsibility for litter on the verges.

    The A13 between the Limehouse Link and the Greater London Boundary, nominally the A1306 junction at Wennington, is the responsibility of Transport for London. Between the A1306 Wennington junction and the A1089 junction near Grays, this is the responsibility of Highways England, through its supplier, Connect Plus. For the A13 from the A1089 junction near Grays to the A130 junction near Basildon, this is the responsibility of the local authorities.

    The A12 between the A130 junction near Chelmsford and the A14 junction at Ipswich is the responsibility of the local authorities.

    Highways England is aware that litter is unsightly and detrimental to the environment and spends significant sums annually in ensuring it is cleared from the strategic road network each year. They are satisfied that Connect Plus grades the route and clears litter in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 but is keen to work collaboratively with the local authority, Thurrock Council, to do more.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure patients accessing NHS abortions in England are not harassed by protestors outside NHS hospitals.

    Ben Gummer

    There have been no representations from National Health Service staff who feel they are being harassed outside NHS buildings by protesters.

    Although protesters are democratically entitled to make their views known on abortion and other issues and can do so outside NHS hospitals and other NHS buildings, we would condemn any harassment of NHS staff, patients and others. We would expect NHS trusts, as responsible for providing a safe environment for all using their facilities, to work with the Police and other agencies as appropriate to ensure they have adequate arrangements in place to prevent harassment of staff and patients. If staff are subject to criminal activity such as physical assaults, these should be reported so that employers can take appropriate action.

    Currently, NHS trusts have access to Security Incident Reporting Systems which helps NHS Protect measure the nature and scale of security incidents across the NHS, not just those involving physical assaults on staff but also those involving non-physical abuse and theft of/damage to NHS assets.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he makes of the proportion of women with endometriosis who do not receive the correct (a) diagnosis of and (b) treatment for that condition.

    Jane Ellison

    The information requested is not collected centrally.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the emergency timetable for Southern Rail services to be introduced from 11 July 2016 is in breach of the level of planned service train cancellations set out in the Remedial Plan agreed between Govia Thameslink Railway and his Department in February 2016.

    Claire Perry

    Under the Franchise Agreement, where GTR can provide the evidence that cancellations are due to official or unofficial industrial action, they can claim Force Majeure, which they have done. The Govia Thameslink Railway Franchise Agreement in Schedule 7.1 sets out the performance benchmarks and financial regime that is in place in relation to cancellations. A copy of the Franchise Agreement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govia-thameslink .

    The department is monitoring the position on a regular basis.

    “

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security-related sales and services the UK is (a) contracted to provide and (b) plans to provide to other countries in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The UK does not have commercial contracts with other countries for arms and security related sales and services. Through bilateral government-to-government arrangements the UK works closely with its international partners and allies to support the development of their defence and security capabilities across a broad range of areas.

    To produce the information would involve collecting data from all branches and services involved in international defence engagement activity which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indian counterpart on the illegal use of bull-hooks on Asian elephants in the tourism and logging industries.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2015 (PQs 12817, 13418, 13419) which can be located at:

    www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the World Bank programme for the registration of Palestinian land titles in the West Bank.

    Earl of Courtown

    Land registration is a key enabler for investments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories especially for construction and housing sector development. Only 30% of land in the West Bank is currently registered compared to 98% of land in Gaza.

    DFID is part of the collective donor effort led by the World Bank and Finland to support the Palestinian Authority on land registration. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian Authority to speed up the land registration processes.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities follow the guidance given by the Environment Agency on the building of houses on floodplains.

    Brandon Lewis

    National planning policy on flooding must be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans and we are clear they should take advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies in doing so.

    Additionally, a local planning authority must, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, consult the Environment Agency on planning applications for development proposed on a floodplain and, in determining the application, they must take into account their advice. As an added safeguard, if a local planning authority wants to approve an application that the Environment Agency has objected to because of concerns about flood risk, they must first refer it to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be ‘called-in’. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had been made aware of the decision.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many cases heard by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator were closed within three months in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Joseph Johnson

    Data is not collected in the way the Hon Member has requested. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator has a key performance indicator which tracks cases closed within six months from the receipt of the complaint form. In its most recently published annual report, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator reported that 39 per cent of cases were closed within this period.