Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a national road safety strategy.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government has not set road safety targets for local authorities or the police, and is not considering reinstating them. We do not believe that further persuasion is needed on the importance of road safety through “Whitehall knows best” diktats. However, local authorities and the police are free to set their own targets if they find this useful.

    The Conservative Manifesto 2015 had a commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year. We are working closely with road safety groups to consider what more can be done and we believe that every death is a tragedy and is one too many.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost of backlog maintenance in the school estate in West Sussex; and if she will make a statement

    Edward Timpson

    The department has collected information on the condition of the school estate through the Property Data Survey (PDS). It provides a relative view of the issues in addressing different types of condition need.

    A PDS Programme summary report was produced in January 2015 and is available to view on GOV.UK. The report summarises the condition need for the school estate regionally, by phase and building type.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the evidence concerning attacks by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen and the risk that a breach of international humanitarian or human rights law will be committed by that coalition.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to raise the importance of compliance with human rights law with all sides to the conflict. We are aware of reports on alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition and take these very seriously. We have regularly raised with Saudi Arabia the need to comply with international humanitarian law in Yemen, and continue to engage with them on this. We have offered advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with international humanitarian law. The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged international humanitarian law violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of international humanitarian law compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of evidence from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Romanian government about a NATO Black Sea fleet.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK holds regular discussions with our NATO Allies, including Romania, about security issues across the Euro-Atlantic space, including in the Black Sea region. In July 2015 the Deputy Permanent Representatives Committee in Brussels held a session on the security situation in the Black Sea in which the UK, Romania and a large number of NATO Allies participated.

    In November 2015 HMS Duncan, the Royal Navy’s newest destroyer, visited Romania and provided a visible British and NATO presence in the Black Sea. HMS Duncan also participated in a Passing Exercise with the Romanian navy with the aim of increasing NATO interoperability.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 1011, Fire at Mzuzu University, Malawi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK recognises the terrible loss for Mzuzu University and academia in Malawi caused by the fire in December 2015 which destroyed the university library and its stock of 45,000 books.

    We commend the Scotland Malawi Partnership for coordinating efforts in Scotland to appeal for donations for the restocking and rebuilding of the library. Officials have met with the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Mzuzu University Vice Chancellor to discuss possible funding opportunities. It is encouraging that Scottish Universities are again demonstrating Scotland’s unique people to people approach to supporting Malawi at a time when the country is also facing a humanitarian crisis and funding priorities are in strong competition.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will invite Maryam Rajavi to visit Parliament and the UK.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Maryam Rajavi remains excluded from the UK and Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to invite her to visit the UK.

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when it is planned that Rail North will take on full responsibility for the Northern and TPE franchises.

    Andrew Jones

    The Partnership agreement that I signed on 20th March 2015 with Rail North Ltd clearly signals our intention that Rail North takes greater devolved responsibility over time. It also sets out the process and criteria by which such decisions may be made. The new devolved management arrangements only started on 1st April 2016 and therefore no timescale or deadline has been set at this stage for full devolution to be achieved. A copy of the Partnership agreement can be found at http://www.railnorth.org/governance/rail-north-dft-partnership/.

    “

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she expects all applications made before the deadline for the applications for the 2016 Payment Scheme to be paid this year.

    George Eustice

    The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) estimates that as of 5 June 2016, 86,521 (99%) claimants have received a payment on their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claim. Of these, 82,460 have received a claim payment; 3,936 bridging payments; and 125 a manual hardship payment. There are a number of claims where processing has been completed successfully but they have not resulted in a payment for reasons such as the claim being under minimum claim size, or the Agency awaiting information on probate cases.

    The RPA will continue to make top up payments throughout the remainder of the payment window up to the end of June 2016.

    While the payment window runs between December and June, the RPA expects to make 90% of payments on eligible claims by the end of December this year and all remaining payments as promptly as possible. As of 5 June the RPA had received 86,581 applications for BPS 2016.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people rough sleeping in Redcar and Cleveland in each year since 2010.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to doing all we can to prevent homelessness. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. We also announced at Budget £100 million of funding for low-cost move-on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels.

    DCLG publishes annual statistics on the number of people seen sleeping rough on a single night by local authority. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of commercial landlords exempt from Energy Efficiency Regulations because of provisions against upfront costs.

    Jesse Norman

    Under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015, landlords of privately rented commercial property will need to ensure that, from 1 April 2018, their properties reach an energy performance rating of at least an ‘E’ before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants. Landlords of commercial property are not exempt from having to meet the upfront costs of installing measures to improve performance; instead the regulations provide a cost effectiveness test, and landlords are required to install all recommended energy efficiency improvements which meet, or exceed, a seven year simple payback.