The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on improvements to Luton station.
Claire Perry
I can confirm that my officials have discussed improvements to Luton station with Network Rail recently. Luton station has been selected for a number of DfT funded improvements, including Access for All and the National Stations Improvement Programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Jordanian counterpart on the launch, recovery or other control of Reaper drones from that country or any other element of Reaper control.
Penny Mordaunt
We routinely discuss counter-Daesh air operations with Coalition partners but it would not be appropriate to give details about these discussions as to do so could affect the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the top five reasons were for imposing sanctions on jobseeker’s allowance claimants in each year for which data is available.
Priti Patel
The available information for the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance sanction decisions, by referral reason, is published and can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of solar thermal hot water heating to tackle fuel poverty.
Andrea Leadsom
Any measure which reduces the energy costs faced by a fuel poor home will have a beneficial impact on tackling fuel poverty. However, in order to tackle fuel poverty most cost effectively, it is right to focus on measures that can yield the greatest reductions in energy needs at least cost.
For example, low cost insulation is typically more cost effective in improving the energy efficiency of fuel poor homes than other measures, including solar thermal.
That is why Government is committed to insulating 1m homes this Parliament, helping to tackle the root cause of fuel poverty through cost effective policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Lytton on 2016-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have collected that buy-to-let investors and prospective residential owner-occupiers are in competition in the market for the same properties.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Whilst private landlords are competing for properties in the same housing market as owner occupiers, the types and locations of properties that they prefer will not always be identical to owner occupiers. Recent research by the Bank of England – see https://bankunderground.co.uk/2015/07/21/five-facts-about-buy-to-let/ – shows that buy to let investors have a greater tendency to purchase apartments and properties in London than owner occupiers.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stone of Blackheath on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the Egyptian economy and tourism industry of their continued advice against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el Sheikh.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Prior to the downing of Metrojet 9268, tourism accounted for around 12% of Egypt’s GDP.
The Egyptian Tourist Minister stated in November that flight suspensions following the Metrojet attack have resulted in direct losses estimated at upwards of $280m a month. This figure includes the impact of flight suspensions by a number of countries including Russia, which has suspended flights to the whole of Egypt. 865,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2015 accounting for around 1% of Egypt’s GDP. British tourists continue to visit Egypt, for example popular resorts such as Hurghada. We expect that our current suspension of direct UK flights to and from Sharm el Sheikh will mean that the overall numbers are significantly lower this year. We are cooperating closely with the Egyptian government on Aviation Security and have agreed a Joint Action Plan to resume flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Department for Transport figures showing a rise in the number of drivers failing a breath test.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Our assessment of Home Office figures on breath tests is that the proportion of drivers providing a positive or refused to provide a sample over recent years has remained constant, with only a slight rise in 2014 to 11% compared to 10.5% in 2013. By contrast, it was 20% in 2003.
With Malta due to change their drink drive limit, all other European countries will have a lower alcohol limit, but they do not necessarily have a better record on reducing drink drive casualties. The TRL Report ‘PPR 796’ prepared for the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport Safety (PACTS) shows that Britain, rather than having a higher level of road casualties in collisions involving alcohol than other European countries, has a comparable level despite the higher limit. Harmonisation with other countries’ limits is not a reason on its own for lowering the limit.
We therefore have no plans to lower the drink drive limit in England and Wales. Our approach in tackling drink driving is through rigorous enforcement, tough penalties, and changing the social acceptability of drink driving – including through our award-winning THINK! campaigns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how often have the noise quotas for London airports been reviewed or updated since their designation in the Civil Aviation Act 1982.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Night flight restrictions of some form have been in place at Heathrow since 1962, Gatwick since 1971 and Stansted since 1978. Since 1993, the night noise regime has limited the number of flights and amount of noise energy that can be emitted at each airport. These limits are reviewed approximately every 5 years and there has been three consultations since 1993. The current regime ends in October 2017 and the Government will be consulting next year on a regime to replace it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 25 November (HL3916) concerning the 49 closed files with children’s home” and “London” in the catalogue description
Lord Bates
Of the 49 references to ‘children’s home’ and ‘London’ in the National Archives catalogue description, some relate to open files and one to a home in London Road, Gloucester.
Once these have been discounted and allowing for homes which have more than one closed file, those children’s homes operated by London boroughs which have files identified as closed at The National Archives are as follows:
100 Balgores Lane Children’s Home Gidea Park
4 King Edwards Grove Children’s Home, Teddington
44 Princess Road Children’s Home Teddington
54 Muswell Avenue Children’s Home, Muswell Hill
68 King Edwards Grove Children’s Home, Teddington
69 Kingston Lane Children’s Home Teddington
7 The Ride Children’s Home, Brentford
74 Goshawk Gardens Children’s Home, Hayes
8/26 Crescent Road, South Woodford, London E18
82 Muswell Avenue Children’s Home, Muswell Hill
9 Whitley Road Children’s Home, Tottenham, N17
Abbey Wood Estate Children’s Home 242 Panfield Road, London SE2
Abbeywood Estate Children’s Home 52 Chalcombe Road, London SE2
Britwell Estate Small Children’s Home, 2 Dove House Crescent, Britwell, Bucks
Britwell Estate Small Children’s Home, 270 Longfurlong Drive, Britwell, Bucks
Chevington Children’s Home, 25 Warham Road, Croydon, Surrey
Deaconbank Children’s Home, 80 Aldersbrook, Wanstead London E11
Derwent House Children’s Home, 10 Armdel Gardens, Winchmore Hill
Dr Barnardo’s Children’s Home and Mission, 8-26 Crescent Road, South Woodford, London E18
Hoblands Children’s Home, Carlton Road, Sidcup, Kent
Langley House Children’s Home 54 East India Dock Road, London E14
St Paul’s Cray Estate Small Children’s Home. 41 Highfield Road Chislehurst, Kent
Westleigh Children’s Home 6 Dartmouth Park Avenue, London NW5
Wood Vale Children’s Home 32 Elder Road, West Norwood London SE 27
Woodlands Children’s Home 12 Charterhouse Road, Godalming, Surrey
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department provides to partner organisations on using the HM Revenue and Customs logo in such a way as to make it clear to consumers the difference between legitimate partner organisations and scam websites.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has strict brand guidelines around the use of its logo. Only in very occasional circumstances will it allow a third-party supplier to use the HMRC logo alongside its own, when it is providing direct services to customers on behalf of HMRC.
HMRC is among the most phished brands in the world and is constantly vigilant against the fraudulent use of its logo and brand. Where such misuse is identified, HMRC will take a range of actions to protect customers from fraud, including:
Since July 2014, HMRC has closed 22,210 fake websites.
The Government also provides guidance on gov.uk on the types of genuine communication that customers can expect from the department.