Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Conservative–DUP coordination committee last met to discuss future Government business; and whether she plans to publish details and minutes of such meetings.
Answered by David Lidington
The Coordination Committee last met on 29 January 2018 and will meet again soon. The agendas and summaries of these meetings are regularly published on Gov.uk:
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government became aware that UK cities would not be able to bid to be named European Capital of Culture; and when this was communicated to those cities that were so bidding.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The European Commission wrote to the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 22 November 2017. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library. The five candidate cities were informed of the European Commission’s decision on 23 November 2017.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the relocation of Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have advised that the building that currently accommodates Pontypridd driving test centre (DTC) has reached the end of its functional and economic life. The Government-owned Llantrisant goods vehicle testing station (GVTS), which is only seven miles from Pontypridd DTC, provides low-cost alternative accommodation that meets all of the DVSA'S location criteria and testing requirements.
The relocation is expected to reduce the DVSA’s rental liabilities by over £6,000 a year, and avoid significant costs associated with making the current property fit for purpose. The relocation to Llantrisant GVTS should also provide both accommodation and operational efficiency cost savings, while improving the customer experience and maintaining the service quality of the car practical driving test.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which date his Department plans to relocate the Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is now working with its contractors to determine a delivery programme for the works required to effect the relocation from Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant goods vehicle testing station.
Once the programme has been agreed the DVSA will confirm the date on which the centre will be relocated, and inform affected stakeholders including candidates, approved driving instructors, MPs, Welsh Assembly Members, and the local council.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many peace walls there are in Northern Ireland; and how many there were in each year since 1997.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
In line with the terms of the devolution settlement, responsibility for interface barriers falls under the remit of the devolved administration. The hon Gentleman may wish to direct his question to the Northern Ireland Department of Justice for detailed statistics. It is regrettable that additional so-called peace walls (or interface barriers) have been erected since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998 and still divide communities today. It underlines the need for the UK Government and a restored Northern Ireland Executive to work together to build a stronger and shared society, as set out in the 2013 economic pact, 'Building a Prosperous and United Community’, and the Executive’s ‘Together: Building a United Community’ Strategy. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is working tirelessly with the parties and the Irish Government, in accordance with the well-established three-stranded approach, to create the conditions under which devolved government can return to Northern Ireland. We want to see a society in which these walls are not present and the whole community can live in peace together, as we build a Northern Ireland fit for the future.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support her Department provided to the joint bid by Belfast City Council and Derry and Strabane District Council to be named European Capital of Culture.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
Belfast City Council, working in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council, submitted a bid to become the UK’s host for European Capital of Culture in 2023. While the Department has not been involved in that council-led process, the UK Government is disappointed with the European Commission’s actions in discontinuing the competition and will seek further dialogue on this issue. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is continuing to work closely with the five cities that submitted bids.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff were employed by her Department in each year since 1996.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the NIO does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010. Attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures below are taken from the NIO annual report and accounts for 2010/11 to 2016/17 and show the numbers of staff employed by the NIO or loaned from other government departments, and seconded staff working in the core NIO.
Reporting Years | Number of Directly Employed/loaned Staff | Number of Seconded Staff | Overall Staff Numbers |
2010/11 | 79 | 85 | 164 |
2011/12 | 85 | 69 | 154 |
2012/13 | 93 | 72 | 165 |
2013/14 | 101 | 62 | 163 |
2015/16 | 105 | 21 | 126 |
2016/17 | 103 | 30 | 133 |
2017/18* | 106 | 36 | 142 |
* As of 25 January 2018
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many special advisers were employed in her Department in each year from 1997 to 2018.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the NIO does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010. Attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures below are taken from the NIO annual report and accounts for 2010/11 to 2016/17 and show the number of special advisers employed by the NIO.
Year | No. Special Advisers |
2010-11 | 1 |
2011-12 | 1 |
2012-13 | 1 |
2013-14 | 1 |
2014-15 | 1 |
2015-16 | 1 |
2016-17 | 1 |
2017-18* | 2 |
* As of 25 January 2018
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on learner drivers of the relocation of Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.
Answered by Jesse Norman
60 percent of candidates will be closer to, or at least no further away from their nearest centre, compared to Pontypridd. The impact on driving instructors will be minimal as the training area, and consequently the mileage will not increase for the majority of driving lessons being delivered.
Asked by: Owen Smith (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on driving instructors of the relocation of Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.
Answered by Jesse Norman
60 percent of candidates will be closer to, or at least no further away from their nearest centre, compared to Pontypridd. The impact on driving instructors will be minimal as the training area, and consequently the mileage will not increase for the majority of driving lessons being delivered.