UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Biography information for Alan Whitehead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Biography information for Alan Whitehead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Alan Whitehead on Energy and Climate Change.

    1

    Michael Fallon

    We anticipate that some generators will seek to establish the terms of any PPA and financing arrangements before they participate in the CfD allocation round, in order to understand better their likely costs. Agreements between generators and PPA providers could take a number of different forms, from indicative terms to a signed contract. The decision to sign a conditional PPA ahead of the auction, and the duration of any agreement, are ultimately commercial matters.

    We anticipate that the Offtaker of Last Resort (OLR) will encourage competition in the PPA market both at the outset of the CfD and once any initial PPA has expired. Generators agreeing to a conditional PPA would be able to participate in the later short-term PPA market, once their initial PPA had expired; backed by the protections afforded by the OLR.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other personnel with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each other non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Anna Soubry

    Communicators are employed across Defence and the Armed Forces. They have an important task in explaining to the public, the media, our own people and other audiences – at the local regional, national and international levels – the role of Defence, Defence activities, capabilities and operations. Over the last several years substantial savings have been made across the communications area, and further efficiencies will continue to be made.

    The latest figures for the numbers involved in communications roles as at 31 March 2013 are shown in the attached table, and include all posts for which over 50% of the post’s core duties are communications. These figures include both military and civilian posts worldwide. In the 2013 exercise communications staff in Non-Departmental Public Bodies were not surveyed. As such, this data was requested separately.

    Also shown are the figures for 31 March 2010, demonstrating a reduction of 12% (over 160 posts) in this time.

  • Biography information for Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Eilidh Whiteford on Transport.

    1

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In England, the Highways Agency has the following 6 Average Speed Camera systems on its network:

    M3 (Junction 2) (South East Region)

    M3 (from the M25) (South East Region)

    M25 (J12) (South East Region)

    A14 (East of England)

    A38 Saltash Tunnel (South West Region)

    A3 Hindhead Tunnel (South East Region)

    Average speed cameras are also used in road works as a temporary measure.

    The Department for Transport does not hold this information for cameras on local authority roads. Local authorities have statutory duties related to road safety and decisions about whether they operate speed cameras are a matter for them.

    This is a devolved matter so the Department does not hold information on average speed cameras in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

  • Ben Wallace – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ben Wallace – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Wallace on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to review the list of facilitating subjects for Key Stage 5 performance tables.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The facilitating subjects are identified by the Russell Group of universities as A level subjects that are required more often than others by universities. The list includes English literature along with mathematics, further mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, history and languages (classical and modern).

    The Russell Group is an independent organisation; it recently reviewed the list of facilitating subjects and confirmed no change was needed. The Department for Education publishes a measure in the key stage 5 performance tables of the percentage of students achieving AAB grades at A level, including in at least two facilitating subjects.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Stanley on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the continued exclusion of borough councils for areas where there is no unitary authority from the definition of risk management authorities in Section 6(13) of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

    Dan Rogerson

    All local authorities are risk management authorities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. No local authorities are excluded from the definition of a risk management authority in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

    A ‘borough council’ will either be a unitary authority or a district council. As a unitary authority it will be a ‘lead local flood authority’, which in turn makes it a ‘risk management authority’ in its own right (the same applies to county councils). Where it is not a unitary authority it is a district council, whether known as borough council or city council, and so is also a risk management authority.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of mental illness in (a) the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group area, (b) the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group area, (c) Kent and (d) England in each of the last five years.

    Norman Lamb

    Information on the levels of mental illness in the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group area, the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group area, Kent and England is not held centrally.

    All local authorities are required to develop and publish a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) – an analysis of the current and future health and care needs of the local population – and a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) to address these needs.

    JSNAs and JHWSs form the basis of National Health Service and local authorities’ own commissioning plans, across health, social care, public health and children’s services. Local health and social care commissioners are expected to develop their commissioning plans in line with any relevant JSNA or JHWS, and must be able to justify any parts of their plans which are not consistent.

    The JSNA process therefore offers valuable opportunities to drive improvement in meeting the needs of local people with mental health needs. However, the Department has not highlighted any care group or area of need over another as this would risk undermining the purpose of JSNAs being an objective, comprehensive and most importantly – a locally-owned process.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department allocated in support to Malawi in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this funding was intended for use by (a) the Malawi government and (b) non-governmental organisations working in the country.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK Government has provided the following support (£m):

    DFID MALAWI Programme Spend

    CHANNEL

    2013/14

    2012/13

    2011/12

    2010/11

    2009/10

    TOTAL

    Malawi Government

    18.2

    76.3

    36.7

    59.5

    75.2

    265.9

    Non-Governmental Organisations

    17.7

    12.2

    9.5

    6.7

    3.7

    49.8

    Information regarding specific projects is available on the Development Tracker (www.dfid.gov.uk).

    “

  • Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rosie Cooper – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to undertake a review of (a) the methods of any car park management company responsible for hospital car parks where there has been an significant increase in the number of car parking charge notices issued and the number of appeals since that company was awarded the contract and (b) in each such case, the reasons for those increases.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Parking in hospital car parks is the overall responsibility of the relevant National Health Service (NHS) Trust or landowner as is the case for all other private car parks. As such it is entirely a matter for the Trust or landowner to determine the levels of any parking charges. I have no plans to review or intervene in this matter as the Government promotes a system of industry self-regulation in the private parking sector.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people with the rising cost of funerals.

    Steve Webb

    The Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme continues to provide help towards a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral. In 2012/13, over 35,000 awards were made worth £42.7 million, with an average award of £1,225.

    Social Fund Budgeting Loans are also available to those on income related benefits to cover costs relating to funeral expenses.

    In addition, any arrears of benefit which were due to the deceased at date of death are disregarded. This means that such arrears are no longer deducted from the funeral payment award.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will undertake a comparative assessment of Government spending on apprenticeships in the UK and Germany.

    Matthew Hancock

    A wide variety of public sources frequently make comparative assessment of international Apprenticeships systems.