Tag: Zac Goldsmith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of staff departing from (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister’s Office who accepted jobs with Heathrow Airport Limited; and what estimate he has made of the number of staff arriving in (i) his Department and (ii) the Prime Minister’s Office from Heathrow Airport Limited in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer

The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has extended to the British Overseas Territories of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha the (a) International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969, (b) 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, (c) 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, (d) International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001, (e) International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990 and (f) 1997 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973.

James Duddridge

Only the 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage has been extended to St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Information on all treaties that have been extended to the UK Overseas Territories can be found at: http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of staff (a) departing from his Department who accepted jobs with Heathrow Airport Limited and (b) arriving in his Department from Heathrow Airport Limited in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes

The Department does not hold any information on the destination of employees, or their previous work history so is unable to provide an estimation or confirm numbers of staff.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of naval vessels and aircraft routinely conduct monitoring and reporting of maritime activity (a) in the presence of vessels engaged in fishing and (b) otherwise when they are operating in or transiting through the Exclusive Economic Zone of British Overseas Territories.

Penny Mordaunt

The Ministry of Defence supports the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in combatting illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing through a support agreement between the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Royal Navy (RN), whereby naval assets conduct fishery protection activities. The RN and MMO work closely to maximise the effectiveness of these fishery protection activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the UK.

RN and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels also conduct maritime security operations at all times while at sea, this includes monitoring and reporting maritime activity to relevant UK authorities. Reporting of fishing and other maritime activity to local UK authorities in Overseas Territories and the relevant authorities of other nations is routinely undertaken whenever a RN or RFA vessel is operating in the vicinity of UK Overseas Territories.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to retain solar thermal under the Renewable Heat Incentive for (a) domestic and smaller commercial heating applications and (b) new applications including space heating and community heating.

Jesse Norman

In March the Department for Energy and Climate Change published a consultation “The Renewable Heat Incentive: A reformed and refocused scheme”, including proposals relating to solar thermal.

The Government is currently considering responses to the consultation and will announce its final proposals in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government aid to the fishing sector on St Helena supports pole and line fishing methods.

James Duddridge

UK Government support has helped the St Helena Fisheries Cooperation become a member of the International Pole and Line Foundation and the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Safe Tuna Monitoring Programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason his Department has not implemented the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s commitment to a biannual budget reconciliation process for the new feed-in tariff scheme, set out in its review of that scheme in December 2015.

Jesse Norman

The Government response to the 2015 review of the scheme set out that a budget reconciliation process could be biannual, or more or less frequent, depending on deployment. As well as our current consultation on support for anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power under the scheme, we are reviewing the deployment that has taken place since the revised scheme was re-launched in February of this year and will make a statement in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on establishing a fully-protected marine reserve in the waters of Ascension Island.

James Duddridge

Ascension Island Government currently maintains a closed area of approximately 220,000 square kilometres to commercial fishing. Working with a coalition of academic institutions, scientists and non-governmental organisations, the Island Government is currently developing a scientific roadmap to determine the location of the final Marine Protected Area ahead of formal designation. Scientific research is underway to assist in this process and once collected and analysed will inform the final designation, which is on track to occur within the next few years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his Department’s policy to implement the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s commitment to feed-in tariff deployment cap top-ups, set out in its review of the feed-in tariffs scheme, published in December 2015.

Jesse Norman

The Government response to the 2015 review of the scheme set out that a budget reconciliation process could be biannual, or more or less frequent, depending on deployment. As well as our current consultation on support for anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power under the scheme, we are reviewing the deployment that has taken place since the revised scheme was re-launched in February of this year and will make a statement in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether all government vessels are checked by rodent detection dogs before visiting locations where rodents have been eradicated in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

James Duddridge

The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands operates a wide range of peer-reviewed rodent detection and mitigation measures which seek to prevent rodents from entering the Territory. It works closely with those organisations with a footprint on South Georgia to ensure best practice guidelines are implemented. At present these measures do not include the use of a rodent detection dog, although the feasibility of this is under active consideration with relevant stakeholders as part of wider discussions to continually improve biosecurity.