Tag: Stephen Timms

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the amount of its own capital that BT has invested in the rural broadband rollout programme to date.

Matt Hancock

BDUK does not hold data on BT’s total capital investment to date in the Superfast Broadband Programme. As each project completes, BT is required to confirm that either its contracted capital commitment is fully drawn down, or that any unused capital contribution is committed to an investment fund which is managed by the Local Body to support further delivery. BT’s total capital commitment for Phase 1 of the programme is £348 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on house building of the Office of National Statistics reclassifying housing associations as public sector bodies.

Brandon Lewis

The Office of National Statistics has concluded that housing associations should have been classified as public rather than private since 2008, due to several of the regulatory requirements imposed by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 introduced by the last Labour Government. This decision is purely a statistical change. Reclassification makes no material changes to the operation of housing associations. The Government is committed to developing deregulatory measures to help housing associations build more homes and help more people into home ownership.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the size of the current account balance in 2014.

Mr David Gauke

The current account deficit in 2014 was 5.1% of GDP, with this net borrowing from the rest of the world helping fund the budget deficit. The Government’s plan to repair the public finances through fiscal consolidation should in turn improve the current account deficit, as set out in the latest forecasts of the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Government is also working to boost UK exports, including a £20m package of support for first time exporters and working alongside a more effective UKTI and better export finance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what programmes being taken forward by his Department are subject to Project Assessment Reviews instead of Gateway Reviews.

Justin Tomlinson

DWP Projects on the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) follow the procedures outlined in the ‘HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, Major Project Approval and Assurance guidance’ introduced from April 2011. All DWP GMPP projects can therefore potentially have both Project Assessment Reviews and Gateway Reviews during their delivery lifecycle.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the new rules for free prescriptions for Universal Credit claimants on incentives for work and progression; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel

No such assessment has been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2015 to Question 18221, what estimate she has made of the time taken to process a family from Syria onto the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme before they are housed in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The time taken to process a family from Syria onto the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme varies depending on the individual circumstances of that family.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18564, whether further funding will be provided to countries outside Syria that are housing Syrian refugees in addition to the £1 billion committed for reconstruction inside Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US. Of this total, the UK has allocated £559 million to support refugees in the region and vulnerable host communities.

In line with the current UK Aid Strategy, DFID will allocate 50% of its spending to fragile and conflict-affected states and regions, including Syria and the surrounding region, over this Parliament. In addition the Government has pledged to create a £500 million Overseas Development Assistance crisis reserve to allow still greater flexibility to respond to emerging crises such as the displacement of Syrian refugees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the reasons for increases in the trade deficit in UK goods and services in the three months to October 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

The information requested can be obtained from the latest UK Trade publication which is available here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/uktrade/uk-trade/october-2015/stb-uk-trade–october-2015.html

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential efficacy of the Transmarche Metro proposal connecting Kent with the Nord-Pas-de-Calais; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

The Government has made no assessment of a Transmanche Metro. The efficacy of a route would be for the market to determine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the maximum number is of (a) trains and (b) international trains which are able to stop at Stratford International station in each hour.

Claire Perry

The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information on the network capability and capacity of the stations on the HS1 network. HS1 Ltd, as the infrastructure manager, is responsible for producing the timetable for the line of route, within the technical and operational capability of the network. HS1 Ltd can be contacted at:

HS1 Ltd

12^th Floor, One Euston Square

40 Melton Street

London

NW1 2FD