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105857

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Planning Permission
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues on the definition of severe in relation to the effect on traffic levels for the use of (a) local planning authorities and (b) the National Planning Inspectorate.
tabling member constituency	North Devon
tabling member printed	Sir Nick Harvey
uin	213125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Guidance on undertaking Transport Assessments and Statements has been set out in the Planning Practice Guidance for everyone using the planning system, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate. <br><br>It is for the local planning authority in considering planning applications or the Planning Inspector in considering planning appeals to consider whether improvements can be undertaken within the transport network that cost effectively limit the significant impact of the development on traffic levels, and determine whether the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe. <br><br></p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 17/11/2014 11:32:29 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	231 label Biography information for Sir Nick Harvey

105860

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department has reduced staffing costs from £218 million a year in 2009-10 to £95 million in 2013-14. We have also completely overhauled and reformed the system of bonuses, in turn, reducing spending from £1.3 million in financial year 2008-09 and £1.2 million in financial year 2009-10 (£1.0 million in performance year 2009-10) to £440,000 in performance year 2013-14.</p><p> </p><p>For staff who are not Senior Civil Service, this included replacing the Annual Performance Bonus Scheme and the in-year Special Bonus Scheme, with an Exceptional Performance Scheme and in-year Instant Voucher Reward Scheme. The latter is designed to enable managers to provide immediate acknowledgment of exceptional performance for smaller scale achievements over a short period of time. Vouchers are given in values of £10 to £50.</p><p> </p><p>The types of work that may qualify for a nomination include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>identifying and taking actions that results in cost savings and efficiencies;</li><li>stepping in to support colleagues at short notice to deliver business goals;</li><li>delivering high quality work ahead of agreed timescales;</li><li>exceeding the expectations of colleagues or customers;</li><li>displaying exemplary behaviour which reflects DCLG’s values;</li><li>receiving outstanding feedback from colleagues or external customers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>From the scheme’s launch in June 2013 to December 2013, 360 staff received a reward with an average payment of £34. From January 2014 to September 2014, 285 staff received a reward with an average payment of £30.</p><p> </p><p>I am unsure of whether the hon. Member wishes to disparage such small-scale bonuses because they may involve giving out shopping vouchers, yet we believe that they are a cost-effective way of improving staff performance within Whitehall and delivering a better service to the public.</p><p> </p><p>Indeed, the vouchers given for saving taxpayers’ money have delivered at least £40,000 of quantifiable savings and further efficiency improvements on top. Under the Labour Government, the state congratulated those that regulated more, spent more and taxed more. We want to reward those who regulate less, spend less and tax less.</p><p> </p><p>I would hope the hon. Member, as a Co-operative Party MP, supports the underlying principles of staff involvement, economic participation and self-improvement which we are embracing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 18/11/2014 17:13:20 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105875

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Mobile Phones
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213153
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>The majority of mobile telephones supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are provided by Vodafone through an enabling arrangement through the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) contract with BT. A very small number (less than 1%) of mobile telephones are procured outside this arrangement to meet local operational demands, typically at MOD establishments overseas. Until July 2014, the procurement of iPhones required purchase authorisation outside the scope of the DFTS catalogue but, since then, iPhones have been ordered by routine processes via the DFTS catalogue. Monthly network access charges for iPhones are greater than basic mobile telephones. Expenditure on iPhone accounts via the DFTS contract is in the attached table.</p><p> </p><p>It should be noted that iPhones purchased prior to Jan 2010 continue to incur network access charges in the reporting period. The current cost differential is £5 for a basic mobile phone per month and £11.23 for an iPhone.</p><p> </p><p>The annual expenditure on iPhone purchases and network acccess charges via the DFTS contract since January 2010 to October 2014 are shown in the attached table:</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne question first answered 11/11/2014 17:41:58 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne attachment 1 file name 213153 - Expenditure on iPhones.doc title 213153 - MOD Expenditure on iPhones
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105876

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has received from the Afghan government on the use of the Royal Air Force to provide close air support for the Afghan National Security forces.
tabling member constituency	Moray
tabling member printed	Angus Robertson
uin	213144
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>To date, the Afghanistan Government has made no formal representations to the Secretary of State on the use of the Royal Air Force to provide close air support to the Afghan National Security Forces.</p> answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois grouped question UIN 217756 218556 question first answered 17/12/2014 17:35:53 answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois previous answer version 29876 answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois
tabling member	1433 label Biography information for Angus Robertson

105878

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213023
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p>The Civil Service Commission recognises that in some circumstances it may be right to allow appointments to be made outside of the principle of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Those exceptions are designed to provide a flexible way of recruiting staff where this is necessary in the interests of the Civil Service; for example, to meet a short-term need for specialist skills.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested is contained in the table below.The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of appointments by exception prior to Financial Year 2012-13. For data protection purposes, name of individuals appointed to roles cannot be disclosed.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>No. of appointments</strong></p><p><strong>made by exception</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>134</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>169</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15 (to 31 October)</p></td><td><p>95</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 03/12/2014 16:49:03 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry previous answer version 29877 answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105879

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Freedom of Information
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) publishes a quarterly statistics bulletin recording Freedom of Information responses from all Government Departments, including the Ministry of Defence. The bulletin includes tables showing how many requests were granted in full, or resulted in some or all information being withheld. The MOJ statistics bulletin can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 17/11/2014 16:55:35 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105884

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has had requests for appointments by exception to the Senior Civil Service turned down by the Civil Service Commission since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="5"> </td><td colspan="6" rowspan="5"><p>I refer the hon. Member to the Answer my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Francis Maude) gave him on 10 November 2014, to Question UIN 213040.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 20/11/2014 16:57:10 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry attachment 1 file name HOC 213040 10 November 2014.doc title Hansard Extract 10 November 2014
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105885

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Freedom of Information
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213104
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 September 2014, (Official Report, column 95W). Since that answer, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has spent a further £17,470.52 in 2013-14, bringing the total in that financial year to £66,319.58. In the current financial year, to date the MOD has spent £14,471.00.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 17/11/2014 16:59:56 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry attachment 1 file name 20141106-PQW2014-06651-John Woodcock MP-Legal Fees for FOI final[1].doc title 20140901 - Hansard extract on FOI
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney

105886

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacant army dwellings there were on 30 September 2014 in Colchester; and how many such properties had (a) three and (b) four bedrooms.
tabling member constituency	Colchester
tabling member printed	Sir Bob Russell
uin	213127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>There are currently 926 Service Family accommodation properties in Colchester. On 30 September 2014, 124 of these were unoccupied.</p><p>Of these 124 unoccupied, 50 were three-bedroomed and 29 were four-bedroomed properties.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence always maintains a management margin of vacant properties, in order to ensure that properties are available for incoming families and to allow for essential maintenance.</p><p>36 of the 124 properties have since been allocated to families. They are due to move in these in the near future.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 17/11/2014 16:57:56 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	35 label Biography information for Sir Bob Russell

105887

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.
tabling member constituency	Barrow and Furness
tabling member printed	John Woodcock
uin	213063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence operates a Minor Award Scheme, which recognises performance over and above that is normally required in a specific task. The table below shows the number of awards and their total value for Financial Years (FY) 2012-13 and 2013-14. The information is not held by calendar year.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>FY 2012-13</p></td><td><p>Total Value</p></td><td><p>FY 2013-14</p></td><td><p>Total Value</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of Awards</p></td><td><p>5,348</p></td><td><p>£344,471.14</p></td><td><p>3,701</p></td><td><p>£284,272.43</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The number of awards does not equate to the number of officials who received them; awards can be made to individuals or teams of individuals.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 02/12/2014 16:26:42 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry previous answer version 29873 answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
tabling member	3917 label Biography information for Lord Walney