Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of Channel 4’s contribution to television and production training and development skills in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect the privatisation of Channel 4 would have on training provision for the UK’s film and television sector.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Whilst I have made no specific assessment of Channel 4’s contribution to skills in the sector, I am clear that Channel 4’s ability to deliver its remit is a priority. This includes the important positive impact it makes on the wider creative industries around the UK.

    The Government is looking at a broad range of funding options for Channel 4, to ensure the broadcaster has a strong and secure future.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to ensure that all renewables can compete on equal terms in the additional rounds of renewable subsidy auctions scheduled between now and 2020.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme allows a wide range of renewable technologies to compete for contracts.

    On 18 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change announced the intention to run three more auctions this Parliament, with the first, for the less established group of technologies that includes Offshore Wind, Wave, Tidal Stream, Advanced Conversion Technologies, Anaerobic Digestion, Dedicated Biomass with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Geothermal, planned for late 2016.

    We will announce plans for Pot 1 (established technologies) and Pot 3 (biomass conversion) in due course.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of litter currently on the verges of (1) the A13 trunk road between the Limehouse Link and the junction with the A130, and (2) the A12 between the junction with the A130 and the junction with the A14 at Ipswich, and what steps the Highways Agency is taking to monitor the cleanliness of those roads.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Due to the devolution of the highways network, it is necessary to be explicit on who has responsibility for litter on the verges.

    The A13 between the Limehouse Link and the Greater London Boundary, nominally the A1306 junction at Wennington, is the responsibility of Transport for London. Between the A1306 Wennington junction and the A1089 junction near Grays, this is the responsibility of Highways England, through its supplier, Connect Plus. For the A13 from the A1089 junction near Grays to the A130 junction near Basildon, this is the responsibility of the local authorities.

    The A12 between the A130 junction near Chelmsford and the A14 junction at Ipswich is the responsibility of the local authorities.

    Highways England is aware that litter is unsightly and detrimental to the environment and spends significant sums annually in ensuring it is cleared from the strategic road network each year. They are satisfied that Connect Plus grades the route and clears litter in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 but is keen to work collaboratively with the local authority, Thurrock Council, to do more.

  • Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Middle East water research programme as a vehicle for collaboration between researchers in the UK, Israel and the Middle East.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Science and Innovation network and the British Council in Israel manage the Trilateral Water Research programme, which was launched in 2015. The effectiveness of the programme as a platform for cross border research can be measured by the fact that five research projects have been launched involving leading researchers in the water research field from Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza, Morocco, Jordan and the UK. The projects look at varied aspects of water management in the region and seek to provide innovative solutions while cementing links between academic institutions and facilitating cutting-edge research.

    The programme is subject to monitoring and evaluation procedures in two stages. The first is the selection process for acceptance into the programme and receipt of a research grant. This process is a robust academic selection mechanism involving scientific peer review and is managed centrally by the British Council’s London Institutional Links team in accordance with the procedures that govern the wider Global Institutional Links programme.

    The second stage of monitoring and evaluation will be during project implementation. Projects will be monitored via narrative and financial reporting, in addition to reporting on Researchfish, the British Council’s chosen research evaluation platform. Projects were contracted and finance awarded in April 2016 so reports are not yet available.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 June (HL344), which countries participate in the EU Gendarmerie Force; what is its purpose; and whether it could operate on British soil.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The European Gendarmerie Force comprises police forces with military status from Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Poland. Its work relates to crisis management operations and it’s purpose is set out in the Treaty of Velsen and the Declaration of intent, both of which are available at: http://www.eurogendfor.org/organisation/what-is-eurogendfor.

    The European Gendarmerie Force’s insignia differs from the EU’s flag or branding. The UK does not participate in the European Gendarmerie Force and in the event that it ever sought permission to operate in the UK that would require the agreement of the appropriate authorities.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people working for his Department on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

    Guto Bebb

    The Wales Office has no direct employees or contracted workers. Staff at the Wales Office are subject to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) policies for pay and agency contract purposes. No permanent staff working at the Wales Office are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. We have less than five agency staff and none are paid less than the national living wage. No staff are on zero hours contracts.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pregnant women in (a) Liverpool Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) England received treatment from alcohol services in each year since 2010.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The data is not published in the requested format.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indian counterpart on the illegal use of bull-hooks on Asian elephants in the tourism and logging industries.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2015 (PQs 12817, 13418, 13419) which can be located at:

    www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the World Bank programme for the registration of Palestinian land titles in the West Bank.

    Earl of Courtown

    Land registration is a key enabler for investments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories especially for construction and housing sector development. Only 30% of land in the West Bank is currently registered compared to 98% of land in Gaza.

    DFID is part of the collective donor effort led by the World Bank and Finland to support the Palestinian Authority on land registration. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian Authority to speed up the land registration processes.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities follow the guidance given by the Environment Agency on the building of houses on floodplains.

    Brandon Lewis

    National planning policy on flooding must be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans and we are clear they should take advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies in doing so.

    Additionally, a local planning authority must, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, consult the Environment Agency on planning applications for development proposed on a floodplain and, in determining the application, they must take into account their advice. As an added safeguard, if a local planning authority wants to approve an application that the Environment Agency has objected to because of concerns about flood risk, they must first refer it to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be ‘called-in’. Between April 2011 and March 2015 over 99% of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had been made aware of the decision.