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Written Question
Opencast Mining: Northumberland
Tuesday 7th July 2020

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce his decision on the Highthorn planning application.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Secretary of State will issue his decision on a planning application for an open cast coal mine at Highthorn, Northumberland, in due course.


Written Question
Planning Permission: Coronavirus
Tuesday 7th July 2020

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list the public inquiry planning decisions he has made during the covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

Since the evening of 23 March 2020, the following decisions have been made. They are all publicly available on the gov.uk website.

Date

Case

1/4/20

Station Rd, Long Melford (Babergh DC)

7/4/20

Barbrook Lane, Tiptree (Colchester BC)

9/4/20

Vauxhall Bus station (LB Lambeth)

9/4/20

Land nr Whittlesford, Hinxton (S Cambs DC)

22/4/20

160 Stanley Rd, Cheadle Hulme (Stockport MBC)

24/4/20

Oxford Brookes Uni, Wheatley (S Oxon DC)

29/4/20

Burgess Business Park, (LB Southwark)

13/5/20

Moor Lane, Woodthorpe, (City of York)

14/5/20

Hawthorns, Farnham, Surrey (Waverley BC)

3/6/20

Love Lane, Woolwich (LB Greenwich)

3/6/20

VIP Trading Estate, SE7 (Greater London Authority)

3/6/20

Wolborough Barton, Devon (Teignbridge DC)

15/6/20

Levitt’s Field, Cambs (Cambs County Council)

25/6/20

Newport Rd, Woburn Sands (Milton Keynes Council)

25/6/20

Newcombe House, Notting Hill Gate (Greater London Authority)


Written Question
Fracking: Planning Permission
Thursday 7th June 2018

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process planning applications for shale gas extraction.

Answered by Dominic Raab

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on planning policy made by the Secretary of State on 17 May (HCWS689), which announced a range of planning measures to facilitate timely decisions on shale planning applications.


Written Question
Fracking: Planning Permission
Thursday 7th June 2018

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average time taken to process a shale gas exploration application was in each of the last three years.

Answered by Dominic Raab

Mineral Planning Authority decisions to grant or refuse planning permission for shale gas exploration proposals in England over the last three years have taken between 17 and 83 weeks, from the date of validation of that application to the date the decision was issued.


Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Aviation
Monday 19th March 2018

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will reduce business rates for general aviation airfields to reflect their potential contribution to the economy.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The Government recognises the importance of general aviation. It has appointed Byron Davies as its champion, and at the end of 2018 he will deliver a report on the role that general aviation plays in the economy and address the potential contribution of general aviation aerodromes to the economy.

At the 2016 Budget, the Chancellor announced the biggest ever cut in business rates – worth approximately £9 billion across the next five years to support businesses. In addition at the Autumn 2017 Budget, the Chancellor stated that we will bring forward the switch of the annual indexation of business rates from RPI to CPI by two years to April 2018 a measure worth £2.3 billion over 5 years.


Written Question
Aviation: Non-domestic Rates
Monday 19th March 2018

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will reduce business rates for general aviation airfields to reflect their potential contribution to the economy.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The Government recognises the importance of general aviation. It has appointed Byron Davies as its champion, and at the end of 2018 he will deliver a report on the role that general aviation plays in the economy and address the potential contribution of general aviation aerodromes to the economy.

At the 2016 Budget, the Chancellor announced the biggest ever cut in business rates – worth approximately £9 billion across the next five years to support businesses. In addition at the Autumn 2017 Budget, the Chancellor stated that we will bring forward the switch of the annual indexation of business rates from RPI to CPI by two years to April 2018 a measure worth £2.3 billion over 5 years.


Written Question
Fire and Rescue Services: Pensions
Thursday 19th March 2015

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with fire authorities in England and Wales on pension rights for firefighters who fail fitness tests due to illness; and how many of those authorities have indicated to him that they cannot pay those pensions.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

I recently met with the National Employers to discuss firefighter fitness issues in England. Where underlying medical reasons have been identified that restrict or prevent an individual from achieving the necessary fitness standards for undertaking their role as a firefighter, the individual should be referred to occupational health, and must receive the necessary support to facilitate a return to operational duties. The fire and rescue authority should also fully explore opportunities to enable the individual to remain in employment, including through reasonable adjustments and appropriate redeployment within the role, where it appears the medical condition prevents a return to operational duties. In those circumstances, where there are no such opportunities or suitable alternative employment is unavailable, then the fire and rescue authority will commence the formal assessment for ill-health retirement by referring the case to the Independent Qualified Medical Practitioner. Where it is determined that a firefighter is permanently unable to continue in their role as a firefighter they would become entitled to the immediate payment of a lower tier ill-health pension. In addition to this, they would also receive a higher tier ill-health enhancement if it was also determined that they could not undertake any regular employment. The definition of ill-health is wide, and includes both physical and mental conditions, including arthritis and post-traumatic stress syndrome. It is important to note that, where a firefighter is deemed eligible for medical retirement, the authority must pay the ill-health pension - there is no discretion.

In the 2015 Firefighters Pension Scheme firefighters will accrue pension more quickly than their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and will consequently achieve a higher ill-health pension.