Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Davies of Stamford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Davies of Stamford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Davies of Stamford on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the power and propulsion systems of the Type 45 destroyer; what actions they plan to take and to what timescale in order to remedy any problems that may have been identified; what is the estimated cost of any necessary remedial work; and what share of this cost will be borne by public funds.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    As a new class of warship the Type 45 has experienced some equipment reliability issues. Most of these have been resolved. Work is continuing to resolve the remaining issues. This is being funded from within existing Ministry of Defence (MOD) support budgets.

    In addition, options to undertake a Diesel Generator upgrade are being considered. This would add greater resilience to the Power and Propulsion system by increasing electrical generation capacity. The feasibility phase for this work, which is being co-funded by BAE Systems and the MOD, will conclude at the end of March 2015. A decision on whether to proceed with the upgrade programme will then be considered against wider Defence priorities and would be funded by the MOD.

    I am withholding information about the potential costs for the Diesel Generator upgrade as releasing such information at this stage would prejudice the commercial interests of the MOD.

    We have six in service, and the Type 45 class has demonstrated its capability, supporting operations in the Gulf and the South Atlantic.

  • Jesse Norman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jesse Norman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jesse Norman on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of savings related to PFI contracts in the NHS since 2010.

    Mr Jeremy Hunt

    Since May 2010, £179 million of signed savings on National Health Service private finance initiative (PFI) contracts has been reported by the Department of Health to HM Treasury.

    Our reforms have made it illegal for any government to drive the private sector into the NHS as Labour did, as Labour’s PFI deals are costing the NHS more than £1 billion a year.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent on (a) advertising and (b) recruitment of staff to provide telephone and face-to-face contact for the Pension Wise service since the introduction of that service was announced.

    Andrea Leadsom

    All guidance specialists working for Pension Wise will receive high quality and rigorous training, whether they are delivering guidance face to face or over the phone. They will be required to pass a certificated test to demonstrate they have the necessary technical knowledge and guidance skills to deliver the guidance. The training programme is designed in accordance with FCA standards, and will be accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute, a well-respected professional standards body in the financial services industry.

    HM Treasury’s delivery partners, TPAS and Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Northern Ireland are currently recruiting guidance specialists. Recruitment strategies and the setting of pay scales is the responsibility of individual delivery partners.

    At Budget 2014, the Chancellor allocated a development fund of up to £20m to establish the initial guidance service. Spending on advertising will be published as part of the government’s Transparency Agenda. Initial funding to The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) and the Citizen Advice organisations will be included in the HM Treasury Accounts to be published in July.

  • Steve Baker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Steve Baker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to arrange for licensing of the Wycombe Sound radio station to be expedited.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Ofcom is responsible for licensing community radio stations and has awarded over 270 licences to date.

    Ofcom conducts licensing in rounds and invites applicants from each region of the UK in turn. Ofcom has published timetables for the latest round of community radio licensing and anticipate inviting applications from the South East of England outside the M25 in the first half of 2015.

    For reasons of fairness, Ofcom assesses all the applications it receives in a region before awarding any licenses.

  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much land required for (a) nuclear licensed sites, (b) operational purposes, (c) NDA offices and (d) other purposes is currently owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (i) directly and (ii) through subsidiaries including NDA Properties Limited.

    Matthew Hancock

    The land holdings of NDA Properties Ltd have been set out in the answers to Questions 224207 and 224187. Two further subsidiaries, Direct Rail Services Ltd and INS Property Holdings, own land but do not hold the information requested in the form specified.

  • Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cumulative efficiency factor for NHS foundation trusts and trusts in 2015-16, taking into account (a) the proposed 3.8 per cent efficiency factor, (b) the proposed marginal rate for specialised services, (c) the marginal rate for urgent and emergency care and (d) other cost pressures; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 10 February 2015, to question 223008.

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made in implementing each of the recommendations of the review into the needs of families bereaved by homicide, published by his Department in July 2011.

    Mike Penning

    In July 2011 we published the Review into the Needs of Families Bereaved by Homicide by Louise Casey (then Victims’ Commissioner). She made a wide range of recommendations. Since then we have worked closely with victims and victims’ organisations and the report’s findings have played a critical role in informing our approach to ensuring that families get the help they need.

    This includes plans to implement a victims law to put into statute the right of the victim to tell a court how a crime has affected them, providing families of homicide victims with a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks following the trial, and funding a dedicated national Homicide Service with more than £2million a year to support those affected by homicide at home and abroad.

    Further information requested is in the table attached.

  • Lord Stewartby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stewartby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stewartby on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that cheques will continue to be available for those who wish to use them, including in particular charities and the elderly.

    Lord Deighton

    The Government took decisive action on this matter by reversing the 2009 decision by banks to phase out cheques.

    As well as this, the Government is bringing in legislation that will require banks to accept cheques in both paper and digital forms. This digital innovation will allow consumers, firms and charities to pay in cheques using only a smartphone image if they wish. It will increase the efficiency of the cheque payment system, making it more sustainable for banks and building societies to provide cheque services. Customers who wish to use paper cheques will continue to be able to do so.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the amount of gas transferred from (a) Scotland to England and (b) England to Scotland through onshore interconnectors in each month since June 2010.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Department does not collect or publish statistics on the flow of gas between Scotland and England and vice-versa.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for the Montserrat Conservation and Environmental Management Bill.

    Mark Simmonds

    The elected Government of Montserrat has devolved constitutional responsibility for conservation and environmental management. The UK Government is supporting the strengthening of the legal and institutional framework for environment management through our support for the Montserrat Strategic Growth Plan. We understand that the Montserrat Conservation and Environmental Management Bill is due to have its third and final reading in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, 22 July.