Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of sustainable, renewable energy which can be generated from a water mill.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The level of electricity generation is dependent on the flow rate of the water and the difference in elevation between the intake and the outlet. Capacities for run of river plants tend to be below 2 Megawatts and more typically below 500 Kilowatts. Current UK hydro capacity is estimated at 1,750 Megawatts with further potential of around 1,000 Megawatts, mostly at small scale in remote locations.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many water mills there are in the UK in (a) total, (b) fully working condition, (c) need of repair and (d) need of full rebuilding.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government does not keep data on water mills.
The majority of hydro capacity in Great Britain was installed in Scotland in the first hydro revolution in the 1950s, with a smaller amount installed in Wales. The majority of these installations are still operating. In 2015, it was estimated that there were 1,065 operational plants with a capacity of 1,750 Megawatts, generating 6 Terawatt hours (equivalent to 1.8% of UK electricity supply)[1].
The Government does not monitor the condition of existing hydro power plants in the UK. It is a business decision for companies to determine when to carry out repairs and refurbishments.
[1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the use of water mills to generate electricity.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
No specific discussions have occurred at Ministerial level on the use of water mills to generate electricity. However officials from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency cooperate closely to ensure that small-scale hydropower is exploited in a sustainable way so as to minimise environmental and other impacts.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2016, HCWS 322, Rail update, what discussions he has had with the Rail Delivery Group on his proposals to change the operation of Network Rail.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We engage with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on a regular basis to inform our thinking on a range on matters. We will work closely with stakeholders across industry, including the RDG, as we develop these specific proposals.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2016, HCWS 322, Rail update, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals in that Statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We follow the standard business case process to inform proposals and ensure value for money.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that after changes to Network Rail are made the national rail network is maintained in a suitable condition for rail freight.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Rail freight is an integral part of the railway and will continue to be as we consider how greater alignment between track and train can help deliver a better service for users of the rail network.
The Shaw Report very much recognised the importance of rail freight, and I welcome the reforms Network Rail has already undertaken in response, including the Freight and National Passenger Operators route to ensure the interests of freight are represented.
I believe it is important that we make sure any future reforms to the rail system work for all users of the network. There are a number of potential models for how greater alignment might be achieved, and I want to reassure you that the Department will be consulting with all stakeholders, including the rail freight industry, as thinking on these proposals develops.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish her Department's Immigration and Enforcement Business Plan 2016-17.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Immigration Enforcement Business Plan will be published in due course.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation is taking place to prepare her Department's Immigration and Enforcement Business Plan 2016-17.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Internal consultation has taken place on Immigration and Enforcement’s 2016/17 business plan and it will be published in due course. External consultation does not routinely take place on the business plan document.
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are held in immigration detention who have been detained for (a) less than three months, (b) between three months and one year, (c) between one year and three years and (d) for more than three years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The information requested is published in table dt_11_q (detention data tables) in ‘Immigration Statistics, April - June 2016’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546763/detention-q2-2016-tabs.ods
Asked by: Robert Flello (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities regarding the murder of Jhon Jairo Rodriguez, Cecilia Culcue de Noscue, Evaristo Dagua Troches and Victor Andres Florez in the Cauca region of Colombia in 2016.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK and Colombia continue to work closely together to strengthen human rights. The Prime Minister raised human rights concerns on 2 November with President Juan Manuel Santos, during his recent state visit to the UK. They discussed reports of increased attacks against human rights defenders, including trade unionists.
We are aware of the recent murder of Jhon Jairo Rodriguez, Cecilia Culcue de Noscue, Evaristo Dagua Troches and Victor Andres Florez in the Cauca region of Colombia. During a regional trip to Cauca later this year, British Embassy officials will meet FENSUAGRO union members to hear first-hand information on the human rights situation in the region. Our Embassy in Bogota also participates in the local European Union Human Rights Working Group. On 19 September the Working Group wrote to the Colombian Attorney General regarding specific cases of trade unionists, including FENSUAGRO members.