Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce domestic energy bills for consumers.

    Jesse Norman

    Effective competition is key to keeping bills down, and consumers must have trust in the market. It is important every household gets a fair deal and that is why we supported the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the energy market and will be responding in due course.

    There are now over 40 energy suppliers in the domestic retail energy market, up from 13 in 2010. Independent suppliers now have over 17% of the duel fuel market. Customers on expensive standard tariffs could save around £300 by switching to the cheapest fixed deal.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote good governance in the Palestinian Authority.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works closely with other government departments to promote good governance in the Palestinian Authority (PA). In particular, the Department for International Development has helped improve the capacity and accountability of the PA including through technical assistance. The FCO also funds projects to improve accountability and to strengthen the role of civil society organisations, and the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) supports greater civilian oversight of the Palestinian Authority’s Security Forces.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many rating assessment appeals are outstanding with the Valuation Office Agency.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information requested can be found at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-challenges-and-changes-experimental

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.70 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, whether it is his policy that the new rate of stamp duty land tax on second homes will apply to foreign investors and people not domiciled in the UK.

    Mr David Gauke

    Foreign investors and people not domiciled in the UK will be treated in exactly the same way as UK residents under these new rates. If purchasers own another property anywhere else in the world and are purchasing an additional property in England, Wales or Northern Ireland they will be charged under the new rates.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.

    In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.

    The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average patient waiting times for A&E departments at hospital sites that have introduced a (a) co-located urgent care centre and (b) model that integrates primary care staff within the A&E department in the last 12 months.

    Jane Ellison

    The location and structure of urgent and emergency care services is a matter for local commissioners, taking account of guidance issued by NHS England. This guidance includes Safer, faster better: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care, which was published in August 2015, to support frontline providers and commissioners in re-designing urgent and emergency care services.

  • 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 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 27610, for what reasons the technical solution offered by VW was accepted in the EU but not in the US.

    Andrew Jones

    Manufacturers are required to comply with different technical standards between the EU market and the USA market. The engineering solution proposed by VW will bring its diesel cars into compliance with the EU emissions limits and testing is underway to confirm that this solution works for all model types. We do not have information regarding VW’s technical solutions in the USA.

  • Lord Farmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Farmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Farmer on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on Children’s Centres since June 2010, (1) in total, and (2) in each financial year.

    Lord Nash

    Between April 2010 and March 2015 the total spent on children’s centres was £5.2 bn.

    Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that currently forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme.

    Since April 2010, local authorities have reported spending on children’s centres through an annual return to the Department of Education (Section 251 returns; available on GOV.UK).

    There will be variation in the way local authorities deliver their services, which may not be captured in within this data. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres again this will not be included in this data.

  • Joanna  Cherry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Joanna Cherry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joanna Cherry on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the affordability of the child support system for people who are self-employed.

    Priti Patel

    Even after parents have separated they continue to have financial responsibility for their children. We believe that the calculation for Child Maintenance is reasonable and proportionate, being based on the level of the non-resident parent’s income, regardless of whether they are employed or self-employed.

    The formula for the Child Maintenance Calculation is based primarily on the non-resident parent’s gross taxable income, where possible using information derived from HMRC. The level of the calculation is intended to be an approximation of what the non-resident parent would spend if the child lived with them.

  • John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the (a) use and (b) prevalence of setting and streaming in schools in England.

    Nick Gibb

    In-school organisation, such as streaming or setting, is a matter for individual schools, and data is not collected or held by the Department on this matter.