Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Advertising Standards Agency the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Ofcom already has the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. The ASA is responsible for administering the Code of Broadcast Advertising, but is able to refer broadcasters to Ofcom for further action, including imposing fines, if needed. There are no plans to change this system.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 191W, on special educational needs, when the pilots will launch and finish; and when the findings of such pilots will be published.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and others, will in the near future be developing proposals for the review of redress and complaint arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, of which these pilots will form a part. We estimate that the pilots will begin in the spring of 2015 as the first appeals about the new Education, Health and Care plans begin to be heard and that the pilots will last for two years as they build up the evidence on which to base any recommendations. The Secretary of State for Education and the Lord Chancellor must lay a report on the outcome of the review before Parliament within three years of the any of the provisions of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 coming into force in September 2014. Interim findings from the pilots could be published before the final report on the review.

  • Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 533W, on wind power, what proportion of the anticipated generating capacity of onshore wind projects at appeal stage in the planning system on 1 October 2013 related to applications subsequently recovered by him.

    Kris Hopkins

    As I have said in my earlier answer, my Department does not centrally hold details of the generation capacity of wind turbine appeals.

    As at the 1 October 2013, there were 255 onshore wind farm appeals, of which 32 were or have subsequently been recovered.

    I can confirm that 17 onshore wind farm appeals were recovered in 2013. This amounts to 6% of the number of onshore wind farm appeals received (280) during that period.

    2013

    Appeals Received

    Appeals Recovered

    Jan

    23

    4

    Feb

    37

    1

    Mar

    28

    2

    Apr

    19

    1

    May

    25

    1

    Jun

    27

    1

    Jul

    19

    2

    Aug

    26

    Sept

    24

    1

    Oct

    14

    3

    Nov

    17

    1

    Dec

    21

    Total

    280

    17

    I also refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 9 April 2014, Official Report, Column 12-13WS, which explains the background to the recovery of these planning appeals.

  • John Stevenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    John Stevenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Stevenson on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Rural Development Programme for Forestry will announce its amount of funding and how it is to be used.

    George Eustice

    We announced on 19 December 2013 that we will be investing over £3.5 billion in rural development schemes up to 2020, of which over £3 billion will be spent on improving the environment.

    Our responses to the consultation on implementing the new Common Agricultural Policy in England published on 19 December 2013 and 26 February 2014 provide further information on how rural development funding will be used. These are available at:

    www.gov.uk/government/consultations/common-agricultural-policy-reform-implementation-in-england

    We also announced on 9 January 2014 that as part of the new Rural Development Programme we intend to offer tree planting grants in 2015 in advance of new environmental land management agreements coming into effect in January 2016.

    The new Rural Development Programme that we will submit to the European Commission shortly will confirm the amount of spending on forestry measures.

    “

  • Alun Cairns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Alun Cairns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alun Cairns on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of EU proposals to remove the right for network operators to block 18-plus content.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    We are aware that there some concerns that the European Parliament’s amendments to the draft Connected Continent regulation may restrict ISPs ability to block illegal content or to filter adult content at the request of customers. The UK Government supports the aims of the Connect Continent package, but let me clear that we will not agree to any proposals that restrict the ability of parents to protect their children from inappropriate content on line. We are confident that this was not the intention of the European Parliament and we are working with EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to deliver a final package that promotes an open, safe and secure internet.

  • Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of contracts for difference auctioning on the quality of solar farms.

    Gregory Barker

    The eligibility criteria for solar farms under contracts for difference are set out in the Allocation Regulations. Any solar farm must meet these criteria in order to be able to apply for a CfD.

    In April 2014 the Government published the Solar PV Strategy [1], which sets out that DECC will continue to work with industry, to promote industry best-practice for the development of solar farms.

    [1]

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302049/uk_solar_pv_strategy_part_2.pdf

    “

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any increase in remuneration of senior managers in the Highways Agency will have to be agreed by him when the Agency is transformed into a government-owned company.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government intends to transform the Highways Agency into a government-owned company, as confirmed in the response to consultation published on 30th April. In accordance with TUPE principles, we expect the pay and terms of employment of all staff to remain unchanged once transferred except for the necessary technical amendments to reflect the change to company status.

    Staff management arrangements for the company following transition, including pay and reward, are still being worked through within government. We aim to establish appropriate conditions to allow the company to fulfil its functions efficiently and effectively, whilst keeping costs down for the taxpayer. This will reflect the Government’s pay policy, as well as support the delivery of a substantially increased investment programme.

    There is no intention to encourage or create opportunities for legal tax reduction schemes as part of Highways Agency transformation.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria he will use to assess requests for extra powers from local enterprise partnerships and combined authorities.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Government is currently negotiating a ‘Growth Deal’ with every Local Enterprise Partnership, based on the Strategic Economic Plans they submitted in March 2014. The criteria being used to assess the plans are set out in the guidance published in July 2013. These are: ambition and rationale for intervention; value for money; and deliverability and risk. Combined authorities, where they exist, are represented in Local Enterprise Partnerships and will have been involved in the development of the Strategic Economic Plans.

    Notwithstanding, as I indicated to the rt. hon. Member in my answers to him of 3 April 2014, Official Report, Column 778W and 6 May 2014, Official Report, Column 24W, we should be cautious about any measure which had the effect of transferring power upwards away from elected local councils. Decentralisation should devolve power to the lowest appropriate level.

    Combined authorities are relatively new bodies. They now should focus on using the functions and powers that they currently have and prove themselves on delivering local growth; we do not intend to repeat the “function creep” mistakes of the Regional Development Agencies which just became unwieldy and unfocused, taking on too much and failing to deliver.

  • Julian Brazier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Julian Brazier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Brazier on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 380W, on developing countries: family planning, how much of her Department’s budget has been allocated to achieving the outcomes in her Department’s policy paper Safe and Unsafe Abortion in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID adheres to Development Co-Operation Directorate (OACD-DAC) expenditure coding requirements to allow comparison across donor spending towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goal targets. This measures against coding titles as have been internationally agreed. Only coding titles as have been internationally agreed can be individually disaggregated by DFID systems.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, from which countries UK citizens returned to complete their sentences in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last four years.

    Jeremy Wright

    It has not been possible to obtain this information. I will write to the Right Honourable member in due course.