Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on delays to the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train scheme.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, the joint funders of the tram train pilot project, have been advised that Network Rail has initiated a review of the current programme of works needed to adapt their infrastructure to operate the tram train vehicles between Meadowhall South and Rotherham Parkgate.

    The Department understands that Network Rail has encountered significant issues with the approval of new bespoke electrification equipment needed to operate the tram train vehicles. The joint funders are clearly disappointed by this further delay.

    The current programme showed delivery of these works by early spring 2017, however until the outcome of the Network Rail review is known, no further details can be provided.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Government’s policy and guidance on the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

    Ben Gummer

    The Public Duties Cost Allowance is to assist former Prime Ministers with the costs of continuing to fulfil duties associated with their previous position in public life. A copy of the policy and guidance on the allowance is in the Library of the House. The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life. The allowance is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties. Civil servants are not entitled to claim this allowance.

    Current recipients of the allowance are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts. Previous recipients have included Lady Thatcher; the current recipients who are former Prime Ministers are Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. I also refer the Hon. Member to my answers to him of 9 September 2016 to (UIN 44045, 44048, 44049, 44053, 44054, 44055, 44056).

    The Public Duties Cost Allowance rate is currently set at a limit of £115,000 per annum. When originally introduced, the Government stated that it would be the equivalent in amount to the Parliamentary Office Costs Allowance. I would note that that allowance is now known as the Parliamentary Staffing Allowance, determined by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and that is currently set at the rate of £148,500 per annum.”

  • Lord Bird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bird on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Project Literacy campaign, and whether they have plans to support and promote that campaign.

    Lord Bates

    The Department for International Development (DFID) share Project Literacy’s view that illiteracy leaves people around the world vulnerable to poverty, abuse and exploitation, and are committed to supporting the Global Goal target of ensuring that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030. The majority of DFID’s education programmes are focused on ensuring all children are able to read, write and count. For example, DFID is helping to increase literacy rates amongst women and girls in Northern Nigeria, where 7 out of 10 women cannot read at all, through the Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises project, which supports 18,000 young women to improve their literacy and numeracy.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the airport security at Hurghada and Safaga airports in Egypt.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of British citizens. We keep aviation security arrangements under close review and we will act where we need to, as we have done in the case of Sharm el-Sheikh. It would be inappropriate to comment in detail on security arrangements.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussion she has had with the European Commission’s (a) Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and (b) Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development on responding to humanitarian needs in Burundi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi and its humanitarian consequences, including internally displaced persons and the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.

    The Secretary of State attended the Foreign Affairs Council for Development on 26 October where it was agreed to launch Article 96 consultation procedures with Burundi. Senior Officials from DFID have raised Burundi with appropriate interlocutors, including in Brussels.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made to further develop clean water programmes in sub-Saharan Africa in the last 12 months.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    In 2014/15, DFID provided access to clean water for 5.8 million people including 2.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. These were some of the almost 63 million people in Africa and Asia that DFID supported to gain access to water and sanitation between 2011 and 2015. We are currently formulating our new portfolio to deliver on the UK government’s commitment to help a further 60 million people get access to clean water and sanitation by 2020. We expect sub-Saharan African countries to feature significantly including continuation of programmes in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two programmes designed to meet our previous commitments, a programme with UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Results Programme, will continue to deliver results until early 2016, including in Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20663, how many clinical commissioning policies Deloitte is involved in supporting under the terms of the contract awarded by NHS England.

    George Freeman

    NHS England is working with Deloitte and its clinical reference groups in developing a number of policies.

  • Karen Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karen Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has conducted on the willingness of landlords to let properties to tenants in receipt of housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The English Housing Survey, funded by the Department, published its Headline Report 2014-15 in February 2016 which showed that 27% of privately rented households are in receipt of housing benefit.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department holds data on the amount of heat a tonne of biomass gives off when burned compared to a tonne of coal; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department annually publishes the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES). Appendix A of DUKES contains data on the calorific value of fuels:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447648/ DUKES_2015_Annex_A.pdf.

    The gross calorific value of dry biomass fuels, (the DUKES values have been corrected for moisture content), vary between 10 gigajoules per tonne (GJ/t) for poultry litter and 24 GJ/t for meat and bone meal. A typical dry wood based fuel has an energy content close to 19 GJ/t. Treatments such as torrefaction or charcoal production increase the energy density of biomass derived materials. However these manufactured biomass fuels are not commonly used for heating in the UK.

    A tonne of coal can also vary in heat content, depending on the rank of the coal, but lies between 24 GJ/t for bituminous coal as used in the pulp, paper and printing industries and 34 GJ/t of fuel for anthracite used in households. Typical bituminous house coal has a gross heat content of 30 GJ/t.

    These values represent the maximum heat available from a fuel in a laboratory test. The useful heat provided by combustion of that fuel to the business or home will depend on the efficiency of the combustor in which it is burnt and the design of the energy distribution system. The combustor efficiency can range from an open fire which may provide 20% of the energy in the fuel as useful heat, to modern condensing wood pellet boilers with gross efficiencies around 90%.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32963, how many people who have personal independence payments with enhanced mobility payments have initial awards of (a) three years or less and (b) greater than three years before further re-assessment is required.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The review date is set at 12 months before the end of the award so there are no changes to the benefit paid before the re-assessment takes place.

    As at 31st January 2016, there were 218,270 claims in payment with enhanced mobility payments, of which;

    (a) 112,340 had an initial award that had a review date of three years or less

    (b) 105,960 had an initial award that had a review date of greater than three years.

    This is unpublished data and, as such, it does not meet the quality standard required for official statistics publication. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

    Notes;

    1) The source of the data is the PIP computer system.

    2) Figures are correct as at 31st January 2016 and have been rounded to the nearest 10.

    3) Figures include both new claims and reassessment claims, and normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claims.

    4) Figures are for Great Britain.

    5) We have provided data based on when the initial award’s review date was set to be, as this is the point at which the claimant would be invited to undertake an award review (i.e. further reassessment of their claim). The award review date occurs exactly 12 months before the initial claim end date.