Tag: Peter Bone

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has to open new prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah

We have a big issue with prisons that are out of date and not fit for purpose, which makes it more difficult for our excellent governors and officers to manage them well. We have a £1.3 billion building programme. I want new modern prisons to be built in which prisoners will get the education and work they need to succeed in outside life and to close down some of our most dilapidated and out of date prisons. HM Prison Berwyn, a modern 2,106 place prison in Wrexham will open in 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-11-02.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what plans are in place for monitoring the EU referendum.

Mr Gary Streeter

In addition to its roles overseeing delivery of the referendum, supporting the work of Electoral Registration Officers in registering voters and helping the police and electoral administrators tackle allegations of electoral fraud, one of the Electoral Commission’s key objectives is to ensure the integrity and transparency for voters of campaign funding and spending at the EU referendum. Its role will be to register campaigners and regulate their funding and spending.

To ensure all campaigners know what the rules are, the Commission will actively engage with potential campaigners, publish guidance and provide an advice line. It will receive, analyse and publish information about the campaign funding and spending; ensuring this information is provided by campaigners on time and in line with the legal requirements. The Commission will also deal with potential breaches of the rules, including by the use of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where appropriate.

As part of its approach, the Commission will monitor campaigning. Using various sources, including the media and information brought to the Commission by campaigners and others, it will identify emerging issues and opportunities to offer advice and guidance to those it regulates or, if necessary, take enforcement action where the rules are not followed. The Commission will also refer to the information obtained through campaign monitoring when looking at financial information submitted by campaigners.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce when construction of the Isham bypass in Wellingborough constituency will (a) commence and (b) be finished.

Andrew Jones

Funding for the proposed Isham Bypass (also known as the A509 Wellingborough Development Link) was provisionally approved by the Government in 2014 as part of the Northamptonshire Growth Deal. This approval is subject to the scheme promoters, Northamptonshire County Council, obtaining any necessary statutory permissions and submitting to the Department a Final Business Case for approval.

The Council expects to submit a Final Business Case in March 2017. Ministers will then make a final funding decision, as quickly as possible thereafter, on whether to support the scheme. The Council’s current programme is to start construction in September 2017 and to open the completed road in April 2019.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on developing energy policy.

Anna Soubry

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has had a number of recent discussions with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on energy policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Scottish businesses and trade bodies in Scotland about opportunities for overseas trade.

David Mundell

Both the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland and I have undertaken a series of visits and meetings over the summer with key sectors of Scottish industry and business. The purpose of these meetings is to understand any concerns and ideas, including opportunities for overseas trade.

The Scotland Office also works closely with the Department for International Trade, including on initiatives such as the Exporting is GREAT campaign, which toured Scotland in August and September. This campaign exists to inspire and support more first-time exporters to trade overseas and promote the growth it can bring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned date for the (a) start and (b) finish of the A509 Isham bypass is; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones

The latest information provided by Northamptonshire County Council, the promoters of the A509 Wellingborough Development Link which contains the proposed Isham Bypass, is that subject to the successful completion of any remaining design and legal process, and approval by my Department, work could start on site in April 2017 and the scheme open in October 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-10-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound on the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Simon Kirby

The UK has an inflation target, not an exchange rate target, and the Government does not express a view on the level of the exchange rate. Instead, the exchange rate is allowed to adjust flexibly in response to economic conditions and movements in sterling are determined by market forces.

The UK economy is fundamentally strong and is well-placed to deal with the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities, that lie ahead. HM Government is not giving a running commentary on our exit negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits for his Department of merging the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Offices to make a Department for the regions.

Stephen Crabb

I would start by reminding my honourable Friend that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are nations, not regions.

Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Wales, I have taken action to drive down costs within the Wales Office by collaborating with other Government Departments and sharing services.

At the present time I believe the nations are best served by strong Secretaries of State representing their interests around the Cabinet table.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will extend the Help to Buy scheme to shared ownership housing association tenants.

Gavin Barwell

The Government has recently launched the new Help to Buy: Shared Ownership scheme which enables people to purchase an initial 25% to 75% of a new home and pay rent on the remainder with the option to purchase more later. It is open to those with a household income below £80,000 in England or £90,000 in London. The Government has no plans to combine this with Help to Buy: Equity Loan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on New Home Bonuses for district and borough councils; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis

As part of the Spending Review, the Government committed to the continuation of the New Homes Bonus. We will consult on reforms to the New Homes Bonus, including means of sharpening the incentive to reward communities for additional homes. We will also explore reducing the length of payments from six years including an option for savings of at least £800 million to be returned to local government and used to fund vital services such as adult social care. Details of both reforms will be set out shortly. There are no plans to change the basis of allocations for 2016/17. The allocations for 2016/17 will be published alongside the provisional Local Government Settlement for that year.