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802361

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2017
	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	Affordable Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has made an assessment of the extent to which the use of viability assessments could reduce affordable housing contributions.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	118048
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2017 answer text <p>Stakeholders report that the use of viability assessments can add complexity and uncertainty to the planning process. This can lead to delays and diminished contributions towards infrastructure and affordable housing.</p><p>The Government consulted on proposals to reform the viability assessment process within the<em> Planning for the right homes in the right places consultation</em>. This will create more certainty about the contributions developers are expected to make to affordable housing and reduce the use of viability assessments at the planning application stage. The viability of the expected contributions should be tested at the plan-making stage. Where tested in plan-making, the issue should not usually need to be tested again at the planning application stage.</p><p>The consultation has now closed and we are currently analysing the responses. A further announcement will be made in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 118049 question first answered 14/12/2017 17:03:26 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

802362

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2017
	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	Affordable Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to prevent housing developers using loopholes in the Government's planning policy to reduce the number of affordable houses.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	118049
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2017 answer text <p>Stakeholders report that the use of viability assessments can add complexity and uncertainty to the planning process. This can lead to delays and diminished contributions towards infrastructure and affordable housing.</p><p>The Government consulted on proposals to reform the viability assessment process within the<em> Planning for the right homes in the right places consultation</em>. This will create more certainty about the contributions developers are expected to make to affordable housing and reduce the use of viability assessments at the planning application stage. The viability of the expected contributions should be tested at the plan-making stage. Where tested in plan-making, the issue should not usually need to be tested again at the planning application stage.</p><p>The consultation has now closed and we are currently analysing the responses. A further announcement will be made in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 118048 question first answered 14/12/2017 17:03:26 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

918485

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2018
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Airports: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's plans are for improving surface transport access to airports; and how such improvements will be funded.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	150750
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2018 answer text <p>The Government’s position on surface access for airports is that developers should pay the costs of upgrading or enhancing road, rail or other transport networks or services where there is a need to cope with additional passengers travelling to and from expanded or growing airports. Where the scheme has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government will consider, along with other relevant stakeholders, the need for additional public funding on a case-by-case basis.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Aviation Strategy the government is reviewing the effectiveness of the current policy and guidance, and considering how co-ordination between government processes for transport access improvements and airport plans may be improved.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 11/06/2018 14:46:12 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

943038

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what remedial steps the Government plans to take to tackle the declining uptake of apprenticeships since May 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	165131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>There have been 338,400 apprenticeship starts since May 2017 of which 132,900 were on new apprenticeship standards. The fall in starts has been greatest in Level 2 while we have seen the numbers of starts on higher level standards (Level 4 and above) rise by 12.5 per cent so far this year.</p><p> </p><p>Starts on new better quality apprenticeships standards have increased rapidly. Over 40 per cent of individuals completing an apprenticeship are now starting on standards, compared to just 2.5 per cent this time last year. Higher quality training leads to increased productivity, at every level.</p><p> </p><p>The department is working with employers to make sure that they can take advantage of apprenticeships. We have already extended the amount of time employers have to spend their levy (from 18 to 24 months), and have introduced transfers, to allow employers to transfer up to 10 per cent of their annual value of levy funds to other employers and recently announced that the cap on the number of employers to whom transfers can be made has been lifted.</p><p> </p><p>The Institute for Apprenticeships has introduced its Faster and Better campaign to speed up and simplify the approval of standards development: <a href="https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/about/faster-and-better/" target="_blank">https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/about/faster-and-better/</a>. 50 standards have been approved in the last three months (April-June 2018). Over 300 standards are already approved, in all sectors of the economy - with more on the way. We have run extensive communications campaigns since the reforms were introduced and will be commencing the latest phase of our ‘Get in Go Far’ marketing campaign shortly.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton grouped question UIN 164875 question first answered 23/07/2018 13:18:28 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

984874

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Bahrain: Prisons
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the prison conditions experienced in Bahrain.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	177777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2018 answer text <p>The British Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 17/10/2018 16:14:41 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

943988

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Bahrain: Technical Assistance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the delivery of technical assistance to Bahrain is conditional on that country upholding human rights.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	165677
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is funding programmes to support building effective and accountable public and judicial institutions in Bahrain.</p><p>Any training provided by, or on behalf of, the British Government fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations. Only by working with partners can we bring about the changes we would like to see.</p><p>The Government monitors events in Bahrain closely if we have concerns on specific issues, we will raise these with the Bahraini authorities.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/07/2018 16:49:58 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

829956

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Biofuels
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Ofgem's Biomass Sustainability dataset 2015-2016, published on 22 March 2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of UK biomass production on deforestation.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	124693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2018 answer text <p>Reporting under Ofgem's Biomass Sustainability dataset 2015-2016, published on 22 March 2017, is a requirement on biomass generators to demonstrate compliance with UK biomass sustainability standards. The Department have not made an assessment of the effect of UK biomass production on deforestation.</p><p> </p><p>The “Biomass Feedstock Availability Report”, also published in 2017, shows that the large majority of woody biomass fuels in the UK are sourced from agricultural and forestry residues, arboricultural arisings, waste woods and sawmill products.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 31/01/2018 17:58:00 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

829959

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Biofuels
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the number of virgin forests that have been affected by biomass production in the past three years; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	124695
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2018 answer text <p>The Department has not made a specific assessment of the number of virgin forests that have been affected by biomass production in the past three years.</p><p> </p><p>However to receive government support for heat and power generation from biomass in the UK, all biomass must comply with the UK’s sustainability criteria, which includes demonstrating that wood is supplied from legal and sustainable sources.</p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 01/02/2018 11:50:31 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

819863

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Biofuels: Subsidies
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Clean Growth Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of subsidising biomass conversion.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	121935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/01/2018 answer text <p>Biomass conversions play an important transitional role in decarbonising the grid and helping to meet carbon targets. 2.98 GW of capacity is currently supported under the Renewables Obligation or has been awarded a contract under the Contracts for Difference scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Watford answering member printed Richard Harrington question first answered 17/01/2018 14:39:57 answering member 4068 label Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse

769066

	registered interest
	date	11/10/2017
	answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
	answering dept id	203
	answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
	answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
	hansard heading	Brexit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he plans to publish the impact assessments of the UK leaving the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Bath
	tabling member printed	Wera Hobhouse
	uin	107120
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2017 answer text <p>The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across Government, are in the process of carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work that will contribute to our exit negotiations with the EU, to define our future partnership with the EU, and to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.</p><p>The Department will continue to balance our commitment to transparency with the need to protect information which could undermine the UK’s ability to negotiate the best deal for the UK. Parliament has voted and agrees with this, as referenced in the vote of 7 December 2016.</p><p>https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-12-07/debates/CA09D9B2-9634-41C8-8979-8B9CD82DBB8F/TheGovernmentSPlanForBrexit</p><p><strong></strong><br><br></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 24/10/2017 13:28:55 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
	tabling member	4602 label Biography information for Wera Hobhouse