Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the National Grid's North West Coast Connections project on flight training in and around Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The proposed new overhead power lines included in National Grid's North West Coast Connections project has been evaluated against defence interests in the area including military low flying training activities.
Based upon the information provided by National Grid, the majority of the route for the new overhead power lines will follow that of existing major overhead line routes and it has been determined that the scheme will not impact upon the safe and effective completion of military low flying training in and around Cumbria, subject to details of all new overhead power lines being submitted to the Ministry of Defence for inclusion on relevant aeronautical charts.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's input will be to the public consultation on the National Grid's North West Coast Connections project.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has responded to National Grid's consultation on this project and identified that the department has no objections to the proposal, subject to details of all new overhead power lines being submitted to the MOD for inclusion on relevant aeronautical charts.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of flood damage as a result of Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank to (a) national park authorities, (b) county councils, (c) borough councils, (d) fire and rescue authorities, (e) police and crime authorities and (f) parish councils.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government does not routinely hold or collect data at these levels.
The Lake District National Park Authority estimated £10m worth of flood damage was caused to access infrastructure in the Lake District National Park as a result of Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question
To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 51170, if the Commission will purchase ramps for wheelchair users to access those hon. Members' offices that do not yet have step-free access.
Answered by Tom Brake
Ramps for wheelchair users are currently available on the estate for visitors and more can be made available to facilitate access to Members’ offices. The Managing Director of In-House Services will be happy to speak to any hon. Members about their individual needs.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, whether Ministers have had discussions with Nigel Farage MEP on the President-elect of the US.
Answered by Theresa May
I have spoken direct to President-elect Trump.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Heathrow Airport expansion on the Government's industrial strategy.
Answered by Jesse Norman
High quality infrastructure is essential for a successful industrial strategy. Through support for Heathrow, the Government is taking decisive action to secure the UK’s place in the global aviation market by building strong connections with global partners securing jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond. This is a further step in a series of major infrastructure investment decisions.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Heathrow Airport expansion on the British steel industry.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We welcome Heathrow’s commitment to ensuring that UK suppliers for steel can access tender opportunities, and its adoption of government's steel procurement guidance. Heathrow estimates it will need 370,000 tonnes of steel to build its new terminals, equivalent to building 30 Shards. A new runway at Heathrow will be a major boost for the UK economy, and underlines that this government is taking action to secure the UK’s place in the global aviation market. This will secure jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish bereavement leave as a statutory employment right.
Answered by Margot James
We are exploring options for supporting bereaved parents in employment. The death of a child is traumatic and deeply upsetting for any parent, so it is easy to see why some time away from work may be needed.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment has been made of the effect of Heathrow Airport expansion on negotiating future trade agreements.
Answered by Mark Garnier
Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of countries and markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.
It is expected that in 2040 alone, businesses from all over the UK will make an extra 6 million trips through an expanded Heathrow. Making use of this greater international connectivity would help boost trade and productivity, and the UK economy. Not only will greater connectivity enable business travel, the significant increase in flights, especially to long haul destinations, represents a big increase in the capacity available to the air freight industry, helping to lower costs and increase trade.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent to date by the West, North and East Cumbria Success Regime on consultancy services.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The West, North and East Cumbria Success Regime has been established to help create the right conditions for high quality health and social care to develop in this area. Its aim is to secure improvement by introducing new care models where appropriate, developing leadership capacity and capability across the health system and ensuring collaborative working.
In 2015/16 the total expenditure on the West, North and East Cumbria Success Regime was £1.2 million. Of this, £774,000 was spent on consultancy services and a further £20,000 on legal advice.