First elected: 28th February 1974
Left House: 30th March 2015 (Retired)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by John Stanley, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
John Stanley has not been granted any Urgent Questions
John Stanley has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
John Stanley has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The latest UK Defence export figures were published as official statistics on 8 July 2014. A link to the full dataset is below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-defence-and-security-export-figures-2013
An extract from the figures is below showing the value of UK Defence Exports (Based on orders) over the last 5 years.
Year | £BN |
2009 | 7.3 |
2010 | 5.8 |
2011 | 5.4 |
2012 | 8.8 |
2013 | 9.8 |
Total | 37.1 |
On 23 December 2014 two licences were granted for export to Ukraine of a total of 75 Saxon Armoured Personnel Carriers. The stated value of the export was £2,075,000.
Exporters are not obliged to give reasons for surrendering licences. This was a purely commercial decision by the company and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills played no part in the decision to surrender the licence.
As is the case with all applications, this application was assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria in the usual way, taking into account the nature of the goods and the intended end-use. The application was for electronic components and circuit boards, which are specifically designed for building mobile phone networks for public use. The proposed export did not breach any of the Criteria and therefore the licence was granted.
The difference is accounted for by one licence, to the value of £7.7 billion, which was surrendered unused by the exporter in August 2014 and therefore ceased to be extant.
The results of the Call for Evidence are still subject to internal discussion across Government. The Government will publish a response as soon as feasibly possible, however this is unlikely to be before the end of January 2015.
In 2013 4 out of 56 (7%) appeals cases were finalised within 20 working days and 22 out of 56 (39%) were finalised within 60 working days.
Officials continue to review procedures to streamline the handling of appeals, including additional resources and revised arrangements for consulting Ministers and advisers in other Government Departments. We expect an improvement in performance during 2014.
(a) There are a number of schemes where borough councils can apply for funding towards their own costs in dealing with flooding and these are listed below.
The Bellwin Scheme of emergency financial assistance (funding to help Local Authorities in the emergency phase of the flooding to protect lives or property) – through the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Funding for repair of damages to roads (hit by weather damage) – through the Department for Transport
The business support scheme (hardship funding for SME businesses in areas affected by the floods) – through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
(b) Borough councils can also apply for funding towards the cost of flood protection schemes from Flood Defence Grant in Aid through the Environment Agency. Second tier local authorities including Borough Councils can apply for capital grants towards flood and coastal erosion risk management projects. Where there are two tiers of local government, local authorities should work together to decide which authority is best placed to lead in different circumstances.
All local authorities are risk management authorities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. No local authorities are excluded from the definition of a risk management authority in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
A ‘borough council' will either be a unitary authority or a district council. As a unitary authority it will be a ‘lead local flood authority', which in turn makes it a ‘risk management authority' in its own right (the same applies to county councils). Where it is not a unitary authority it is a district council, whether known as borough council or city council, and so is also a risk management authority.
The Lead Local Flood Authority is Kent County Council. This is defined under section 6(7) of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010.
Borough Councils are already able to bring forward proposals working with the Environment Agency and/or the Lead Local Flood Authorities, should they wish to seek flood and coastal erosion risk management grant-in-aid.
Defra flood and coastal erosion risk management grant-in-aid is only available to a risk management authority, as defined by section 6(13) of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. If a parish council or town council wish to progress a flood management scheme they should contact the lead local flood authority for the area.
Network Rail operates at arm’s length from the Department for Transport, and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as whether to lengthen the platforms at Cowden, Hever and Edenbridge Town Stations by 27 July 2015.
However, this is an unacceptable delay. I have been advised by Network Rail that they responded on 3 February.
Network Rail has also informed me that it is now able to deliver the platforms referred to in early summer 2016 rather than December 2015 as initially planned in its Control Period 5 programme of works. As an interim measure between the trains being available in July 2015 and the platforms being complete in summer 2016, Govia Thameslink Railway will be able to use rolling stock to lengthen trains to 8-cars, which will be a considerable benefit to passengers suffering overcrowded services.
Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department, without day-to-day supervision, and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as the establishment of a business and innovation centre at Edenbridge Town station.
However, this is an unacceptable delay and Network Rail advises that Mark Carne’s reply to the right Hon Member for Tonbridge and Malling is due to be sent on 23 January.
Network Rail held a site meeting in December with the train operator Southern and the group proposing to use the Station Masters House, to look at the rooms in question and to discuss the proposals for future use. Network Rail is continuing its discussions about the lease with all parties to find a way forward in the near future. Both Network Rail and Southern are supportive of this proposal.
The Department for Transport has recently updated its guidelines on the establishment and operation of airport consultative committees which includes recommendations on the types of organisations that should be represented. These can be found on the GOV.UK website. The government does not have a role in deciding which organisations should be represented on a particular consultative committee. Responsibility for the composition of the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM) rests with Gatwick Airport in collaboration with the committee.
A list of the names and organisations represented on GATCOM is publically available and can be found on the GATCOM website.
We understand my Rt. hon. Friend is referring to NSL Care Services.
Departmental offcials have passed my Rt. hon. Friend’s concerns to the local National Health Service.
The National Health Service Trust Development Authority (TDA) is working with the Trust to determine its financial recovery plans. The Trust's five year sustainability plan is currently being developed, and is due to be submitted on 20 June 2014.
The NHS TDA has also been involved in the recruitment of the Trust's new Finance Director, and is supportive of the appointment of the Trust's Turnaround Director.
NHS West Kent clinical commissioning group is also working with the Trust to ensure its future sustainability.
Our British Embassy in Kyiv were consulted on the export licence application and made enquiries with the Ukraine Ministry of Defence and Ukroboronprom (state-owned defence enterprise) who stated that the Saxon Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) would be used by two battalions operating in the Anti-Terrorist Operation area and by airmobile units for reconnaissance and general patrolling. Our British Embassy in Kyiv was not aware that the Saxon vehicles might be armed on their arrival in Ukraine and we are not aware that the Ukrainians have armed any of the APC’s. We have however been informed by the Ukraine Deputy Minister of Defence that some may be converted for use as “Medevac vehicles.”
The 20 Saxon armoured vehicles exported to Ukraine was a commercial sale between a private company and the Ukraine Ministry of Defence, and subject to the rigorous export licensing process. The vehicles were not gifted to Ukraine by the Government, therefore a gifting minute will not be laid before the House.
The Ministry of Defence supplied the first batch of 20 Saxon vehicles to the Ukrainian Government. The vehicles were delivered unarmed and any subsequent decision to arm those vehicles is a matter for the Ukrainian Government.
Annual statistics on house building completions by tenure in England are published in the Department's live table 244 which is available at the following link.
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Taken together, house building statistics by housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
A more complete account of additional affordable housing including new build and acquisitions is provided for England and is published in the Department’s live table 1009, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply