Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to tackle late payment of suppliers by businesses.

    Anna Soubry

    We are implementing a package of measures to support a cultural change to tackle late payment, including the Small Business Commissioner, the duty for large businesses to report on payment practices and support for the voluntary Prompt Payment Code. The Regulations to give effect to the duty to report will be laid for debate early in 2017.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding on passenger rail services.

    Paul Maynard

    This Government is making the biggest investment in our railways since the Victorian era, enabling more trains and longer trains to operate on many of our busiest routes. Since 2010, more than 563 new carriages have been brought into service in England and Wales, and a further 5032 are planned to enter service by the end of 2020.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the size of deposit needed to buy a starter home in London.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Starter Homes will be sold at a minimum of 80% of the full market price and offered to first time buyers under the age of 40. The discounted Starter Homes price will be capped at £450,000 in London.

    The cap is not an expectation of the going price for a Starter Home. Most first time buyers are not buying average-priced properties, but those at the lower quartile of values in an area. This is the first time buyers market that exists, and this is where we anticipate developers pricing starter homes

    Starter homes will reduce deposit requirements for first time buyers. The average price paid by a first time buyer in London in Q2 2015 was £376,000 (Office for National Statistics data). The discount achieved through the Starter Home initiative would reduce the price of such a property to £301,000 and also reduce the deposit.

  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will discuss with her ministerial colleagues in other departments (a) reducing UK support for fossil fuels overseas and (b) ensuring that support for energy in developing countries is directed towards low-carbon technologies.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    My Department works closely with other government departments on UK energy policy overseas, including the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Treasury, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The UK Government has committed to end public funding for coal fired power plants, , except in rare circumstances, in the world’s poorest countries. This policy has been agreed with DECC and was announced at the Warsaw Climate Change conference in 2013.

    DFID will continue to support international initiatives to promote cleaner energy sources and other low carbon technologies. For example, the Energy Africa campaign will accelerate the expansion of the household solar market in Africa, helping to bring universal energy access to the continent. The International Climate Fund (ICF) managed by DECC and DFID also actively supports low-carbon technologies, and monitors this through Key Performance Indicators. The UK reports publicly on achievements through the ICF (see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463954/ICF_Results_Note_Final.pdf).

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Leader of the House, what progress the Government is making on reform of the Estimates process.

    Chris Grayling

    Estimates are formal requests for authorisation of expenditure proposed to the House by the Government. Scrutiny of these, which are effectively departmental budgets, is undertaken in a variety of ways including debates selected by the Liaison Committee and it is open to select committees to examine these budgets.

    The Procedure Committee has recently announced that it will examine the House’s procedures for examining the Estimates and the passing of legislation which authorises this expenditure through the Supply and Consideration Bill.

    The Committee is accepting written submissions until 25 March 2016.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 21746, what estimate he has made of the value of Integrated Debt Services Limited; and how much the private sector partner paid to purchase their 75 per cent stake in Indresser.

    Matthew Hancock

    The value of Integrated Debt Services Limited and the amount that the private sector partner subscribed for their 75% stake in Indesser are both considered to be commercially sensitive and cannot be shared.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I have had no discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much funding her Department plans to make available for tidal energy research in the next financial year.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department is currently formulating its spending plans on innovation within HM Treasury guidance announced in the March 2016 budget and a further announcement will be made in due course.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support widows of genocide and conflict in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Supporting women and girls, including widows, is a top priority for DFID. In Rwanda, DFID supports the Government’s flagship social protection programme, which provides cash transfers to the poorest households with no labour capacity, including widows and those with disabilities.

    DFID DRC has committed up to £80 million over five years to promote peace, stability and recovery in eastern DRC. DFID addresses sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across the DRC, both within and outside conflict zones, through its programmes and by addressing gender inequality. DFID DRC’s Humanitarian Programme is worth £168 million, of which £3.8 million provides direct support to survivors and those at risk of sexual violence.

    In Burundi, DFID is greatly concerned about the status of women and children in provinces affected by the political unrest. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported rape and abuses against women. HMG continues to raise the issue with the Government of Burundi, the UN and international partners.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 39850, what proportion of the senior civil servants in the Cities and Local Growth Unit of his Department are working on devolution issues are based in London.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint BIS-DCLG team that supports places in developing and agreeing devolution deals with the Government. Six Senior Civil Servants out of ten in the Unit are based in London.