Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the change in the level of real wages in Scotland since May 2010.
Answered by David Mundell
Our economy is recovering from the deepest recession since ONS records began in 1948.
Thanks to this government’s long-term economic plan we have seen average regular pay rising faster over the last year than inflation. Furthermore, business surveys expect the steady rise in real wages to continue.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
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 make an assessment of the benefits and costs of a nationwide badger cull; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is committed to our strategy to make England free of bovine TB, of which culling badgers in areas where the disease is rife is a key element. The outcome of this year’s cull in Somerset indicates that industry-led culling can, in the right circumstances, deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.
The results for Gloucestershire show that continued progress is needed taking into account the additional challenges of interference and harassment by activists. The cost of the badger cull pilots in 2013 was £6.3 million. The estimated cost of England failing to tackle bovine TB is estimated to be £1 billion in the next decade.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of greenbelt land there are in the UK.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The extent of the designated Green Belt in England in 2013/14 was estimated at 1,638,610 hectares. Disregarding land re-classified as National Park, the Green Belt is 34,000 hectares larger than in 1997.
Designation of Green Belt outside of England is a matter for the relevant devolved administrations.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last met the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to discuss the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
With millions of people in need in Syria and the region, the Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflict are the most effective ways for the UK to help the largest number of displaced people, rather than resettlement. We have now pledged £800 million in response to the crisis, and UK funding is helping hundreds of thousands of people across the region. However, we recognise that there are some very vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively in the region. We therefore launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to complement our aid by providing protection in the UK to some of those at greatest risk. Groups of Syrians are arriving in the UK on a regular basis under the scheme, including people in severe need of medical care, survivors of torture and violence and women and children at risk.
We have made our position on Syrian resettlement clear in relevant discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Minister for Immigration and Security and the recently-appointed UNHCR Representative to the UK met on 21 January to discuss Syria and other issues. We have also explained our approach to resettlement in relevant international discussions, including the UNHCR Global Resettlement Pledging Conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014. The Government regularly liaises with the UNHCR regarding the operation of the VPR scheme. We continue to work closely with the UNHCR to identify some of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict and bring them to the UK.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the environmental effects of the development of onshore wind power.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Wind power will make a significant contribution to the UK meeting its renewable energy and climate change targets. However, development has to be in the right place. Government planning guidance therefore makes it clear that the need for renewable energy should not automatically override concerns about local impacts. When applications for wind turbines are determined, the impacts on matters such as ecology, noise, landscape, heritage and amenity are considered.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to review the allocation of Common Agriculture Policy funds between Scotland, England and Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The review of allocations of Common Agricultural Policy funds between UK administrations will take place in 2016/17. Defra will first work with the devolved administrations to decide on the data needed to facilitate a comparison of payments across the UK. One area that will be examined in the review is a comparison of land types and payment areas; this will be easier when all UK administrations have begun the transition to area based payments.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will conduct an evaluation of the progress of City Deals in (a) England and (b) Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Matt Hancock
There is a full and robust process for monitoring and implementing and evaluating all city deals which is overseen by the Local Growth Committee chaired by my Rt Hon Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require petrol wholesalers to publish the price at which they sell petrol; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Daily price reports of wholesale trading in transport fuels are available through commercial subscription services; with certain wholesale price information available publicly, for example from specialist press and motoring organisations.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase tax incentives for the adoption of greener fuels and technologies.
Answered by Priti Patel
Since 2011, the Government has cut fuel duty by 1 penny per litre and frozen it until the end of the parliament, resulting in the longest duty freeze in over 20 years.
The Government supports the uptake of greener road fuels and technologies through a number of taxes, including zero rates of vehicle excise duty, preferential rates of company car tax and enhanced capital allowances for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), and reduced rates of fuel duty for road fuel gases. In addition to this, the Government is providing £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of ULEV development, manufacture and use.
The actions this Government has taken on tax, spending and welfare reform have reduced the deficit, protected the economy, and restored stability. Any further tax changes would need to be considered in the context of the wider public finances.
Asked by: Iain McKenzie (Labour - Inverclyde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce fuel duty and VAT on road fuel; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Priti Patel
Since 2011, the Government has cut fuel duty by 1 penny per litre and frozen it until the end of the parliament, resulting in the longest duty freeze in over 20 years.
The Government supports the uptake of greener road fuels and technologies through a number of taxes, including zero rates of vehicle excise duty, preferential rates of company car tax and enhanced capital allowances for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), and reduced rates of fuel duty for road fuel gases. In addition to this, the Government is providing £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of ULEV development, manufacture and use.
The actions this Government has taken on tax, spending and welfare reform have reduced the deficit, protected the economy, and restored stability. Any further tax changes would need to be considered in the context of the wider public finances.