The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 9722, what proportion of land is now covered by a local plan.
Brandon Lewis
239 of 338 local planning authorities (71%) have an adopted Local Plan and 287 (85%) have published a Local Plan. Approximately 67% of England’s land area is covered by adopted Local Plans and 87% covered by published plans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to schools with high teacher vacancy rates for teacher salaries.
Nick Gibb
From 2017, we have committed to introduce a national funding formula so that we can allocate funding more fairly, based on the needs of schools and the characteristics of their pupils. That will mean schools are better placed to manage their budgets and make informed decisions about their spending. Our pay reforms have given schools greater flexibility to determine teachers’ pay and to decide what salary to offer to new teachers on appointment. This increased flexibility helps schools to attract and recruit the teachers they need.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review proposed arrangements for the non-examined assessment elements of new GCSEs and A-level examinations to enable adult learners who wish to sit those qualifications as private candidates to do so.
Nick Gibb
These questions are a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the Hon. Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House libraries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department plans to respond to the movement of Russian naval ships through the English channel.
Mike Penning
The current deployment of Russian ships in the waters around the UK is being carefully tracked. All NATO Allies have a collective responsibility to monitor the path and activity of non-NATO ships and aircraft passing through NATO areas of responsibility. The UK fully upholds its commitments in this regard and will act accordingly. We expect Russian activity to occur in international waters and airspace, and in accordance with international rules.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1753), what total amount will be made available to local authorities under the Targeted Affordability Fund before the date on which those regulations are due to come into force.
Justin Tomlinson
Over the next five years Targeted Affordability Funding (TAF) will be drawn from recycling a percentage of the savings from the freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. As a result of the level of savings produced by the freeze next year there will be no TAF available in 2016/17; however, there will be funding from 2017/18 to 2020/21.
From 2017/18 around 30 per cent of the potential savings per year from the freeze to LHA will be used to support areas where higher rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.
The level of TAF in 2016/17 would have been the same if, as planned, LHA rates had been uprated by CPI inflation. This is because the CPI forecast in September was zero (0.01 per cent) and therefore LHA rates would not increase in 2016/17 but would remain at the 2015/16 levels.
The amounts of TAF which will be available each year from 2017/18 and the plans to distribute it will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of coal-fired power stations under construction worldwide, the number that are planned for the future, and what effect those new stations will have on the total tonnage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The IEA estimate that global coal electricity capacity will be around 8-17% higher in 2020 than 2013, with some growth even under the IEA’s estimate of a 2°C scenario.
We know that limiting the global growth in unabated coal use is necessary to tackle climate change. The UK Government announced at COP19, in Warsaw in 2013, its plans to end support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas, except in rare circumstances. In order to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees, globally we need to rapidly move away from unabated coal power generation.
We have negotiated a new policy in November 2015 on how OECD export credit agencies can contribute to our goal to address climate change. The new policy places significant restrictions on the financing of coal-fired power plants by OECD export credit agencies. Support for the larger less-efficient coal-fired power plants is removed, and will encourage a move away from low-efficient towards high-efficient coal-fired power plants. Over two-thirds of the coal-fired power projects receiving official export credit support from Participants between 2003 and 2013 would not have been eligible for such support under the new rules. The new rules will take effect from 1 January 2017, and are subject to a mandatory review starting in 2019, with the goal of strengthening them.
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced that we will consult next year on an end date for coal of 2025 and limiting its use by 2023.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the housing on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is affordable.
Brandon Lewis
There is outline planning permission for approximately 6,800 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The target is for 31 per cent of these homes to be affordable, which means over 2,100 affordable homes across the entire site.
The exact percentage of affordable homes delivered will depend on the market conditions as each scheme comes to market.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of (a) premises in the Highlands and Islands he estimates will have indoor 4G coverage, (b) the Highlands area he estimates will have complete not-spots for voice and SMS text by 2017.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Improving mobile coverage remains a priority for the Government, and our landmark agreement in December 2014 with the four mobile network operators (MNOs) for each to provide voice and SMS text coverage to at least 90% of the UK landmass by 2017 will significantly improve coverage in the UK, including the Highlands area. The additional licence obligation on Telefonica will deliver significant improvements in 4G coverage as well and whilst we have no specific 4G coverage figures for the Highlands and Islands, the obligation will deliver indoor 4G coverage to 95% of premises in Scotland by end 2017.
These obligations will also more than halve complete not spots for voice calls across the Highland area landmass over the same period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs have notified cases of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
This information is not collected in England.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidance, Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children, published in 2007, estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of supporting electoral registration by (a) local authorities and (b) other groups was in each of the last 10 years.
John Penrose
Since financial year 2012/13 the Cabinet Office has provided funding to local authorities and civil society organisations to support the implementation and delivery of Individual Electoral Registration. Prior to financial year 2010/11 electoral registration policy was under the remit of the Ministry of Justice. The Cabinet Office does not hold any relevant financial data prior to 2010.
Local Authorities are under a statutory obligation to provide Electoral Registration Officers with funding and resources to support electoral registration more generally. Local Authorities are funded from a block grant that is allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The table below notes the funding provided by the Cabinet Office to local authorities and other groups and organisations in Great Britain. This includes core funding to support local authorites in the transition to IER, and the upgrade of hardware, such as printers, to support the new A3 registration forms .The figures also include funding that was allocated to local authorities and other groups to support efforts to increase levels of registration between financial years 2010/11 and 2015/16.
|
2010-2011 |
2011-2012 |
2012-13 |
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
2015-16 |
Total |
|
|
Local Authorities |
£0 |
£0 |
£0 |
£9,115,416 |
£39,537,279 |
£25,858,168 |
£74,510,862 |
|
Other Groups |
£0 |
£0 |
£56,545 |
£216,247 |
£1,933,759 |
£0 |
£2,191,401 |