Tag: Richard Arkless

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he has taken of the distinction between reserved and devolved matters in the devolved administrations in his plans for the proposed British Bill of Rights and for consultation on that proposed bill.

Dominic Raab

The government was elected with a mandate to reform the UK’s human rights framework. We are considering the implications of a Bill of Rights on devolution as we develop our proposals. We will, of course, fully engage with the devolved administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support the Government is providing to remote rural communities on obtaining reliable access to broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Public investment in improving broadband is nearly £1.7 billion, including £790 million of UK government funding, to bring superfast broadband to areas of the UK where it would not otherwise be available. Superfast broadband is now available to 90 per cent of UK premises and this will reach 95 per cent by December 2017.

The Government has also implemented a basic broadband scheme to enable all premises to gain access to speeds of at least 2Mbps. This allows residents to gain access to every government service available online.

Furthermore, in November 2015 the Prime Minister announced the Government’s intention to introduce a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) with the aim to provide a safety net for those homes and business in the hardest to reach parts of the UK without access to superfast broadband.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the illegal transport of farmed puppies from the Republic of Ireland and southern Europe into the UK.

George Eustice

All movements of puppies into the UK that are not covered by the Pet Travel Scheme are subject to the provisions of the Council Directive 92/65/EEC (Balai Directive). This is implemented by the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011. Commercial movements of puppies may be subject to a post-import check at the place of final destination by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Responsibility for enforcing the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011 falls to local authorities. They are also responsible for enforcing welfare in transport legislation which makes it an offence for anyone to transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering to them.

The act of smuggling puppies in contravention of the animal health and welfare requirements may give rise to the commission of a number of different criminal offences depending on the circumstances of the illegal import. Defra is working with interested parties with a particular interest in improving the collection, analysis and use of intelligence relating to this illegal trade. We are also aware that some EU countries, such as the Republic of Ireland, have recently tightened up their regulatory requirements for puppy breeding, which we hope will also have a positive impact on the problem of illegal trade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on his plans for a consultation on the proposed British Bill of Rights.

Dominic Raab

We will consult fully on our proposals for a Bill of Rights and announce further details in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assistance the Government plans to provide to broadband suppliers to meet the terms of the Universal Services Obligation.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Universal Service Providers responsible for delivering the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) will be designated by Ofcom following changes to primary and secondary legislation. No decision has been taken yet on funding the USO’s delivery .

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Government plans to phase increases to funding for NHS England over the next five years; and what the Barnett consequentials of decisions on such phasing will be.

Alistair Burt

The Spending Review announced on 25 November the level of funding that the NHS in England would receive by 2020-21. The NHS will be receiving £10 billion more per year in real terms by 2020-21 than in 2014-15, which fully funds the NHS’ own plan – the ‘Five Year Forward View’. £6 billion of that £10 billion will be delivered by 2016-17. This is set out in the attached table.

The exact budget profile for NHS England will be set out in the Mandate to NHS England, due to be published shortly.

Under the Barnett Formula, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a population-based proportion of changes in planned spending on comparable United Kingdom Government services in England. Changes in each devolved administration’s spending allocation, is determined by:

– the quantity of the change in planned spending in departments of the United Kingdom Government; and

– the extent to which the relevant United Kingdom programme is comparable with the services carried out by each devolved administration and each country’s population proportion.

The allocation of public expenditure between the services, including health, under the control of the devolved administrations is for the devolved administrations to determine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the rate of VAT on tourism.

Mr David Gauke

The Government currently has no plans to alter the rates of VAT relating to the tourist industry.

I refer the Rt Hon gentleman to my comments during the Westminster Hall debate on 17th March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many national infrastructure projects have been established in Scotland since 1997.

Greg Hands

More than 240 infrastructure schemes have been completed since the beginning of the last Parliament. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-pipeline-2016) contains a list of planned private and public infrastructure projects and programmes. Almost all Scottish economic infrastructure, including transport, water, flood defence and waste, is devolved to the Scottish government. However, the UK government has made significant investment in transport infrastructure, including £1.2 billion to replace the electric intercity 225 fleet that currently runs on the London to Edinburgh line, as well as £50 million, matched by the Scottish government, to replace the Cross-border Caledonian sleeper.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s immigration policies on the number of international students enrolling in UK universities.

James Brokenshire

We have an excellent offer for international students who wish to study at our world-leading institutions and there remains no limit on the number who can do so. As a result, the UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students, and our excellent universities continue to attract large volumes of overseas students.

Annual visa applications from international students to study at British universities are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, with visa applications to our elite Russell Group universities up by 39 per cent since 2010.

The most recent figures produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency also show a 6 per cent increase in the number of full-time non-EU new enrolments to UK higher education institutions between 2012/13 and 2013/14.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of trees have been (a) felled and (b) replanted on Forestry Commission land in England in each year since 2000.

Rory Stewart

The area felled in any one year on the public forest estate in England is not recorded separately, but the total area that has been felled and which is in the process of being either restocked, or being converted to another land use, such as open habitats for landscape or conservation reasons, is recorded. This is given in the table below, along with the area restocked each year and the expenditure on restocking operations.

Year ending 31 March	Total felled area 1 (thousand hectares)	Restocked area 2 (thousand hectares)	Expenditure associated with restocking 3 (£ ,000s)
2001	7.9	2.1	5,181
2002	8.4	2.3	5,779
2003	7.9	2.3	5,979
2004	8.1	2.2	5,735
2005	8.1	1.9	5,635
2006	7.5	2.5	6,356
2007	8.2	1.9	6,562
2008	8.3	2.1	5,915
2009	8.7	1.8	5,924
2010	9.2	1.5	5,880
2011	8.1	2.5	7,340
2012	8.2	2.2	7,384
2013	8.6	2.2	6,448
2014	8.7	2.1	7,399
2015	8.6	2.3	7,884

^{1 ‘}Felled area’ is the area of the public forest estate that is recorded as felled on the sub-compartment database, the Forestry Commission’s electronic record of current land use. Because there is generally a two to four year gap between felling and restocking, or the reclassification as another land use, the total area classified as ‘felled’ is significantly greater than that which is felled in any one year.

^{2 ‘}Restocked area’ is the area of the public forest estate that has previously been felled and which is recorded as having been restocked in the previous 12 months, including by natural regeneration and replanting.

³ Expenditure associated with restocking is all money spent on activities directly attributed to restocking after felling, including preparation of the site and maintenance during the initial establishment phase.