Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on implementing his Department's efficiency agenda.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
As part of our long-term economic plan this Government announced that we had saved an unprecedented £14.3 billion last year alone compared to the spending in the year before the last General Election. There's more to do and in the Autumn Statement the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury jointly laid out plans to save a further £10 billion by 2017-18 through efficiency and reform.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by both the under-occupancy penalty and the introduction of council tax reduction schemes.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
There are 4.6 million households in England who are in receipt of local council tax support, as of October 2014.
Housing benefit statistics are produced by the Department for Work and Pensions, and can be found online at:
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department spent on works to, and refurbishment of, offices allocated to Ministers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
There was necessary move and building works to relocate the Department from Eland House to 2 Marsham Street. This will reduce the Department's running costs by £9 million a year from 2015-16, and save taxpayers £220 million over the lifetime of the building's lease commitments.
I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 November 2014, Official Report, PQ 213772, on the broader savings we have made from the retionalisation of the departmental estate.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 41 of the Road Investment Strategy: Investment Plan, published on 1 December 2014, and the proposed study of a scheme to be developed for improvements to the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick, (a) when that study will begin, (b) which body will undertake the study, (c) what the timescales for the study will be and when the study will conclude, (d) what public consultation will be involved in the study, (e) who will evaluate the study, (f) what funding has been allocated to undertake the study, (g) whether the announcement of a study is a guarantee that road improvements will take place in a future road period, (h) what the earliest year would be in which improvement work could be undertaken on the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick following the study, (i) what submissions about the A45 from Stanwick to Thrapston were received from the Highways Agency in connection with the development of the Road Investment Strategy and (j) what cost estimates were considered in relation to dualling from Thrapston to Stanwick.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government is committed to upgrading the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick which is why the scheme is named in the new Road Investment Strategy. The previous administration failed adequately to improve Northamptonshire’s infrastructure when they had the opportunity, despite holding a number of parliamentary seats in the county for all or part of the 13 years from 1997.
The proposals to improve the A45 between Thrapston and Stanwick will be developed by Highways England during the first Road Period, which runs from 2015/16 to 2019/20, but may not enter construction until the next Road Period as the environmental sensitivities of the site are recognised by the Department for Transport. It is important that we get this right.
Evidence gathered as part of the Route Strategy process was used to inform the development of the Road Investment Strategy (RIS). The investment commitment in the RIS provides funding for the development of a scheme to upgrade the existing single carriageway section of the A45 between Thrapston and Stanwick so the A45 can provide a continuous Expressway between the A14 and the M1.
In committing to develop schemes for the next RIS period we have been clear that the design of the proposal may be complex, and in relation to the A45 scheme, it will be necessary to ensure that the proposal carefully manages the interaction of the road with the Stanwick Lakes SSSI and the wider Nene Valley. While it is too early to set out the detailed arrangements and a timetable for development of the proposal, we do know that delivery will require the successful completion of the necessary statutory planning processes, which include public consultation.
By naming the A45 in the first ever Road Investment Strategy this government has shown its commitment to Northamptonshire and will continue to press ahead with improvements to this important artery. This comes on top of the £20.5 million investment towards the cost of the the A43 Corby link road which opened in 2014 and up to £25 million that has been allocated for improvements to the Chowns Mill roundabout as part of the RIS.
By contrast the previous administration dropped several schemes in Northamptonshire from the national road building programme in 1998 including the A43 Moulton-Broughton improvement; the A43 Geddington bypass; as well as the A45 Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford bypass.
At the time of the publication of the RIS the Department set out the expected cost category for each of the investment commitments, with the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick scheme falling in the £100 to £250m cost category.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the British Olympic Association and (b) the International Olympic Committee on alternatives to the use of lead ammunition in Olympic shooting.
Answered by Helen Grant
UK Sport have confirmed that there is no record of they nor the relevant national governing bodies having spoken to the BOA or the IOC regarding the use of lead shot during the Olympic shooting events in Rio.
It should be noted that at both London 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, netting was used at the shooting venues to catch the shot and ensure that there was no wider environment impact.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on human health of the use of lead ammunition for shooting.
Answered by Jane Ellison
In October 2012, the Food Standards Agency assessed the risk to human health from exposure to lead from lead bullets and shot used to shoot wild game animals.
The FSA concluded in its risk assessment that frequent consumption of game meat could increase exposure to lead. This increased exposure would be a concern in the case of toddlers, young children and pregnant women because of the neurotoxicity of lead to the developing brain.
This risk assessment is available on the FSA’s website:
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a consultation on a licensing scheme for commercial game shooting.
Answered by George Eustice
Landowners are free to run commercial shoots on their land, provided they are carried out appropriately and legally. We have no plans to introduce a licensing system for commercial shoots, or to consult on the matter.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will (a) discuss with her counterpart in the Scottish Government the effect of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 and (b) publish a consultation on vicarious liability for landowners who host commercial game shooting in England.
Answered by George Eustice
The introduction of new legislation requires evidence that it will be effective. We are not yet aware of any successful prosecutions or of any compelling evidence that the introduction of the provisions of vicarious liability in Scotland has had a significant deterrent on those who commit wildlife crime.
We will continue to monitor the situation in Scotland and to consider whether this or a similar offence is necessary and proportionate to assist in tackling wildlife crime in England.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the value for money of payments to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy.
Answered by George Eustice
The following documents have been placed in the Library.
In October 2013, alongside the public consultation, Defra published an evidence paper which assessed the impact of the new Common Agricultural Policy and the costs and benefits of payments made to farmers.
https://consult.defra.gov.uk/agricultural-policy/cap-consultation.
Since then a number of more technical implementation decisions were announced and on 11 December 2014 the Common Agricultural Policy Basic Payment and Support Schemes (England) Regulations 2014 No. 3259 were laid in Parliament. Included in the explanatory memorandum to the legislation is a further evidence paper updating some of the analysis and providing further analysis of the impact of some of the more technical decisions.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3259/memorandum/contents
In addition, an impact assessment of the new Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was published in June 2014 setting out the evidence base on the costs, benefits and value for money.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's Road Investment Strategy, published on 1 December 2014, what years are covered by the first road period and next road period.
Answered by John Hayes
A Road Period represents the duration of a Road Investment Strategy (RIS). The first Road Period covers the period 2015/16 to 2019/20. This RIS has set funding, on an indicative basis, out to 2020/21. It is anticipated that the second Road Period will run from 2020/21 to 2024/25.