The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Knight of Weymouth on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the Small Schools Taskforce report relating to the provision of free school meals in small schools.
Lord Nash
A decision has not yet been made on the publication of the taskforce report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much surplus land owned by the Department for Education and its agencies they estimate is suitable for building new houses on; how much has been released in each year since 2010–11; and how much they expect to release in (1) the current year, and (2) each year to 2020–21.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
During the last Parliament, the Government exceeded its ambition to release surplus land with capacity for 100,000 homes. The housing capacity of the land released by Government Departments and their arms length bodies is set out in the attached table.
Over this Parliament, the Government is committed to releasing surplus public sector land with capacity for up to 150,000 homes by 2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with Departments to review their land holdings in order to identify suitable surplus public sector and finalise disposal plans for this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Uzbekistan concerning Mr Muhammad Bekzhanou.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our Embassy in Tashkent raised Mr Begjanov’s case with the Government of Uzbekistan last year and, together with our EU colleagues, we have called for his release as part of an annual amnesty granted by the Uzbek authorities. We plan to raise Mr Begjanov’s case again with the Uzbek authorities in the coming weeks. More broadly we have raised with the Uzbek authorities our concerns about the use of a provision of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code to impose additional sentences for violation of prison rules such as in the case of Mr Begjanov and various other prisoners.
We have longstanding concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our Embassy in Tashkent raises these issues at every appropriate opportunity with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses in London of withdrawing from the EU.
Anna Soubry
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Reforms will benefit business and investment and many businesses in London agree.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what responsibilities are proposed for the (a) elected mayor, (b) North East Combined Authority and (c) North East local enterprise partnership in overseeing the adult skills budget for the North East.
Greg Hands
On 23 October the Government signed a historic devolution deal with the North East Combined Authority. As part of the deal, and subject to the passage of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill through parliament, a new directly-elected Mayor for the North East will be created. The Mayor will chair the existing North East Combined Authority. Powers and responsibilities will be devolved from central government to the Mayor and Combined Authority.
Full details of the deal are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/north-east-devolution-deal
A detailed implementation plan will be agreed over the coming months between central government and the North East Combined Authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the introduction of proposed reductions in tax credits is not being phased in.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare economy to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society. By 2017-18, 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the personal allowance, living wage and welfare changes in the Summer Budget.
The Tax Credit changes are being phased in in two stages. The taper, threshold and income disregard will change from April 2016. The changes to the Child Element and Family Element in Child Tax Credit will come into effect from April 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications have been submitted for the voucher broadband scheme; how many such applications came from Northern Ireland; how many of these have been approved; and if he will make available new programmes of broadband funding.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Scheme has been a great success with SMEs right across the UK benefitting from broadband speeds on average 10 times faster than existing connections. My department collects routine data from participating cities, who are responsible for administering broadband connection vouchers in accordance with scheme terms and conditions showing vouchers issued rather than applications made.
As of 30 September 2015 there were over 40,000 vouchers issued in over 50 cities across the UK, of which around 2,000 were issued in Northern Ireland. All decisions regarding new funding are subject to the Spending Review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to meet the demand for school places in Crawley.
Edward Timpson
Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them in doing so is one of this Government’s top priorities. We allocate basic need funding to local authorities to help create new school places where they are needed. West Sussex has been allocated £57 million of basic need funding for the period 2015-18. West Sussex also received £113 million between 2011 and 2015, helping to create 8,565 new school places between 2010 and 2014. In addition to this, the Gatwick School, an all-through free school that opened in September 2014, is due to provide 1,020 additional places once at full capacity.
Information on basic need allocations can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations-2015-to-2018
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the introduction of net metering for (a) domestic and (b) commercial electricity generating installations.
Andrea Leadsom
We are currently consulting on the future of the Feed-in Tariff and will consider all stakeholder views, including any representations on net metering, as part of the government response. The consultation closes on 23rd October 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from his Israeli counterpart on the recent violence in that region; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
As I said in my statement of 13 October, the UK Government remains extremely concerned by the violence that we have seen across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories so far this month. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) also made a statement on 9 October condemning the violence.
Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to the Israeli government, urging them to de-escalate the tensions.
On 16 October, the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser spoke to Israel’s National Security Adviser and reiterated the need for both sides to do everything in their power to calm the situation. On 19 October, the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spoke to the Israeli Chargé D’Affaires to London, including about the recent violence.
Our Embassy in Tel Aviv receives regular updates from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 19 October, our Ambassador to Tel Aviv raised our concerns on the recent violence with the Israeli Cabinet Secretary. Most recently, our Defence Attaché to Tel Aviv received a briefing from the Israeli Defence Forces on 21 October on the number of attacks they have so recorded in this latest outbreak of violence.