Oral Answers to Questions

Philip Hollobone Excerpts

Thursday 28th April 2011 Commons Chamber

[Hugh Robertson]

I have been rumbled—I was looking at the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Tessa Jowell) in the hope that she might help me out, but she is looking pretty blank. The best thing I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that I will dig the report out. It was not part of the handover brief that I received. Anybody who suggests that Manchester and the area around it is anything other than a vital part of the sporting infrastructure of this country is talking nonsense. The north-west, and particularly Manchester, will be at the centre of this great national sporting celebration.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

10. What mechanisms his Department has used to identify efficiency savings since May 2010.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

My Department has one of the most ambitious plans for efficiency savings in Whitehall, having committed to reduce our costs by 50%. By doing that, we have been able to reduce our cuts to the majority of front-line cultural and sporting organisations to just 15%.

[Mr Hollobone]

Is it the Secretary of State’s ambition to make his the most efficient Whitehall Department and, if so, how confident is he that he will achieve it?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

T6. What is the Secretary of State’s initial assessment of the success or otherwise of the ticket application process for the London Olympics?

[The Minister for Sport and the Olympics (Hugh Robertson)]

The ticket application process has been an outstanding success. More than 20 million Olympic tickets have been applied for, with more than 1.8 million people applying.

--- Later in debate ---

The hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, was asked—

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

8. What recent progress the House of Commons Commission has made in improving the recycling of paper and other materials used on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate.

[John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)]

The amount of waste recycled in 2010-11 was 49.2%, and the amount of paper and cardboard that has been recycled has more than doubled since records started in 2002. The two Houses are due to let a new waste collection contract this summer, and this will require the contractor to work in partnership to meet the waste reduction and recycling targets set by the House. The new contract will also include a pilot scheme to recycle compostable waste.

[Mr Hollobone]

What are the recycling targets set by the House, and can we not do far better than we are doing at the moment?

[John Thurso]

Parliament’s recycling target for office waste was set at 60% for 2010-11. The actual recycling rate achieved in the year was below target, at 49.2%, largely because of a significant reduction in the recorded amount of glass waste and, thus, in the proportion of total office waste recycled. The House is looking to recycle 75% of office waste by 2020-21.