Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Truscott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Truscott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the recent atrocities committed by ISIL in France, Egypt and the Lebanon, whether they have reconsidered the statement by the Foreign Secretary on 10 March that Russia represented the single greatest threat to UK Security”.”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As the Strategic Defence and Security Review makes clear, Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and destabilising activities in Ukraine directly challenge European security and the rules-based international order. We have long been clear that Russia’s actions are unacceptable. Nevertheless we need to work with Russia on key areas of shared interest: in particular to end fighting in Syria, and to focus on the shared aim of destroying the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. That was the basis on which the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), met President Putin at the G20 Summit in Antalya on 16 November.

  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce traffic congestion on the northbound approaches to the Dartford Tunnel.

    Andrew Jones

    Removing the need to pay at barriers has already reduced congestion and eased traffic flow. Latest data shows that Dart Charge has successfully improved journeys through the Crossing with average journey times northbound almost 5 minutes quicker than before the charge was introduced.

    A new road layout has been introduced at the Crossing including a new Traffic Safety System on the northbound carriageway on the approach to the tunnels. This improves the way oversized vehicles or those carrying dangerous goods are prevented from entering the tunnels and holds traffic to allow the safe escort of hazardous goods vehicles or in the event of an incident or congestion in the tunnels.

    However, Highways England recognises that there is still more work to do. Planned improvements include:

    • Fine-tuning the operation of the new Traffic Safety System to continue to maximise traffic flow while ensuring safety to users.
    • Working with Kent County Council as a matter of priority to improve local traffic flows. In particular, this will assess how traffic signals can be better synchronised where the local road network meets the strategic roads network to get the best out of the network and what improvements can be made at key junctions.
    • Work with the freight industry to educate drivers of restricted vehicles, including what lane or route to take to avoid being stopped at the barriers.

    I have written to Highways England requesting an update on their progress.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference his oral evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights of 16 December 2015, Question 20, HC 574, whether his Department’s position was that the UK was in an armed conflict (a) before, (b) on the date of or (c) as a result of the drone strike that killed Reyaad Khan of 21 August 2015.

    Michael Fallon

    An armed conflict was occuring in Syria at the time of the air strike on 21 August 2015.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of funding to the new northern rail franchise will be provided by (a) subsidies to Northern Rail, (b) investment by Network Rail, (c) passenger revenue and (d) investment by Arriva.

    Andrew Jones

    We are unable to disaggregate the proportion of funding on the new Northern Rail franchise.

    I refer the hon Member to my answer of 11 January to the Hon Member for Nottingham South, Lilian Greenwood, (UIN 21124) where the level of subsidies to the Northern franchise was provided and which gives the biggest transformation in decades. These will achieve an unprecedented package of improvements unlike the last Northern franchise in 2004 which included limited plans to invest in services or meet demand, offers better value for the taxpayer and reduces the amount of annual government subsidy required by the Northern franchise by £160 million over nine years (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=21124).

    Network Rail investment is not allocated per franchise. Investment is made on the infrastructure which multiple franchises use and so it is not possible to ‎disaggregate.

    Predicted Passenger revenue and investment by Arriva are commercially confidentially information that we are unable to provide. Actual Passenger revenue is published retrospectively through annual financial statements.

    “

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister has been involved in discussions about how many F35B aircraft should routinely deploy on HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

    Earl Howe

    The Prime Minister is briefed regularly on the development of our carrier strike capability. The composition and size of the embarked air group will be tailored to meet the required task, as directed by the Strategic Headquarters in the Ministry of Defence and reflecting national priorities set by the Government.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the productivity level was in (a) manufacturing and (b) non-manufacturing jobs in each year for which data is available.

    Anna Soubry

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides data on the labour productivity of the Manufacturing, Production and Service sectors between 1990 and 2015. These are presented as levels relative to 2012 and offer both output per worker and output per hour measures.

    The ONS data is copied below and can also be found on the ONS website.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 6 May (HL7841), what was the actual level of UK GDP estimated in each of the three alternatives studied, and in the case of remaining in the EU.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Treasury did not produce a forecast of how big the economy would be in 15 years’ time. The analysis of the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, provided an assessment of the difference in the size of the economy under the alternatives to EU membership for a given economic forecast. This showed that GDP would be 3.8% lower in an EEA arrangement, 6.2% lower in a negotiated bilateral agreement and 7.5% lower in a WTO arrangement. These are all central estimates.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve the transparency of decisions taken by Local Economic Partnership (LEP) members, such as requiring registers of members’ interests or the publication of a conflict of interest policy.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government is clear that Local Enterprise Partnerships should operate transparently: giving people confidence that decisions made are proper, based on evidence, and not biased by conflicts of interest.

    How each Local Enterprise Partnership is achieving this is set out in their own local assurance framework, and verified by their accountable local authority. We are reviewing every framework as part of the criteria for the current round of growth deals, and again through annual performance conversations with each Partnership.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its humanitarian response in Mosul minimises child protection risks.

    Rory Stewart

    On 21 September, the UK announced an extra £40 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq, taking our total commitment to £169.5 million since June 2014. This new support will be targeted specifically to enable a scale up of humanitarian assistance ahead of Mosul operations. An element of this support will aim to help protect civilians displaced as a result of the operations – including children.

    The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, which has supported specialist protection and rehabilitation for people escaping from Daesh, including women and children. The UK regularly lobbies the Iraqi authorities to ensure the protection of its people as they flee Mosul and other areas.

  • Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Wendy Morton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on diplomatic steps to tackle the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

    Mr David Lidington

    Ministers discuss the current migration crisis with EU counterparts and those from other affected regions on a regular basis. Last night, The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with African and EU representatives as part of a British Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process.The UK is playing a leading role in taking forward joint efforts.

    For example, countering people smuggling will be a priority for the UK in its engagement with a new Libyan Government resulting from the UN-led process.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)announced in Valletta £200 million of new UK money for projects in Africa to address the root causes of migration. 31 European nations and 36 African nations attended the Valletta Summit on Migration earlier this month.