Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the establishment of the Army's headquarters in the North West at Weeton Barracks.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him on 14 October 2020, to Questions 100945, 100946 and 100947 where I said that, on current plans, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton Barracks in the summer of 2025.
However, my hon. Friend will be aware that the Army is working to implement the outcomes of the Integrated Review, including designing a force that is fit to face future threats. The Secretary of State for Defence will be making an announcement in due course which will provide more detail, including how any changes required as part of this transformation may affect current planned relocations.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce the UK’s energy dependency on foreign states.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Great Britain has one of the most reliable electricity systems in the world. It benefits from a diverse electricity mix, which contributes to security of supply by ensuring no dependence on any single market participant for the power consumed.
Interconnection with overseas markets forms an important part of Great Britain’s electricity mix. However, the majority of power consumed in this country is still domestically produced.
Around half of Great Britain’s annual gas demand is met through domestic production and most imports come from close proximity suppliers such as Norway.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to help improve the processing of driving licence (a) new and (b) renewal applications.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to house more staff to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.
The DVLA understands the impact that delays can have on people’s everyday lives and is working as quickly as possible to process paper applications and return people’s documentation to them.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the long term economic impact of the Future High Streets Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Future High Street Fund has a robust monitoring and evaluation plan, published on 1 April, to ensure outputs are being delivered while maintaining value for public money; this strategy will ensure the fund delivers on its aims and spreads economic prosperity across the country.
As towns and high streets continue to open up this funding will provide a much-needed boost for towns as they safely welcome shoppers and visitors back to their high streets.
The Fund is being invested in transformational projects that will improve transport access, make use of vacant shops, buy and bring land forward to support new housing, workspaces and public realm, and help adapt high streets in response to changes in technology. This is part of our plan to protect and create thousands of jobs while delivering long term prosperity to communities across England.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of category two index towns expected to secure funding from the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Bids are currently being assessed in line with the published assessment process. We are not able to estimate of the proportion of category two index towns expected to secure funding during this period of competition. Outcomes from the first round of bids for the Levelling Up Fund will be announced later in the year and bidding authorities will be informed in due course.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Levelling Up Fund bids from category two towns will be assessed in the same way as those in category one; and whether capacity funding will be available to support prospective bidders from category two.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
All bids to the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) are being assessed against the published criteria. A place's category will be taken into account in the appraisal as part of the 'characteristics of place' criterion, as set out in the LUF prospectus and technical guidance. To support those areas measured as having the 'highest need', capacity funding will be allocated to those local authorities to assist them to develop high-quality bids for the Fund, as well as all local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans are in place for a second round of applications under the Levelling Up Fund; and whether the criteria and funding goals will remain the same as in the first round.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
For future rounds of the Levelling Up Fund, the parameters set out in the prospectus will be kept under review, and any updates will reflect any operational feedback and wider changes in government policy.
Announcements about the future of the Fund will be made later this year.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure sufficient provision of skilled alternative heat source technologies engineers to help facilitate the move away from gas boilers to new technologies, such as ground or air source heat pumps.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is working closely with industry and the education sector to ensure that high-quality training is available for heat pump installers. This includes training for new heating engineers, and for existing heating engineers who do not yet have heat pump training.
As part of the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition, the Government awarded more than £6 million to support training for tradespeople delivering green home energy improvements, including heat pump installations.
We are also supporting the industry-led development of new heat pump upskilling courses for existing heating engineers. By the end of 2021, we expect industry to have the capacity to upskill thousands of heating installers per year to work on heat pumps.
Furthermore, BEIS together with the Department for Education is also working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to ensure that apprenticeships and T-Levels contain high quality heat pump training. Additionally, we are working with the Association of Colleges to ensure that further education providers are aware of future needs for heat pump installer skills, and to understand barriers to providing relevant training so that they can be better addressed.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reforms to the Electronic Communications Code enable tenants in properties in Fylde to access full fibre broadband.
Answered by Matt Warman
My department published a consultation in January 2021 asking whether further reforms to the Electronic Communications Code are needed in order to ensure the Code provides the right legislative framework to promote fast, cost effective network provision across the UK. The consultation covered a range of issues, including matters relating to negotiations and dispute resolution, rights to upgrade and share apparatus and problems relating to the renewal of expired agreements.
This consultation closed on 24 March 2021. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the possible outcomes of the consultation at this stage, as responses are being considered. The consultation response will be published in due course and we will bring legislation forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act gained Royal Assent in March 2021. This Act aims to address one stated policy barrier: making it easier for telecoms companies to access multi-dwelling buildings (such as blocks of flats) where a tenant has requested a new connection, but the landlord has not responded to requests for access rights.
The Act inserts a new Part 4A to the Electronic Communication Code, which provides a process that telecommunications operators could use to gain code rights to multi-dwelling premises for a defined period. This only applies where:
a lessee in occupation in a multi-dwelling building has requested a telecommunications service from an operator
to connect the property the telecoms operator requires an access agreement with another person such as the landlord
the landlord has not responded to the telecoms operator’s request for access
My department has also recently launched a consultation, which seeks views on the terms that will accompany the interim Code rights provided to operators who have successfully applied for an order made under Part 4A of the Electronic Communications Code. This consultation closes on Wednesday 4 August. Responses will be considered and the consultation response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the need to reform the Electronic Communications Code to enable people in Fylde constituency to access full fibre broadband.
Answered by Matt Warman
My department published a consultation in January 2021 asking whether further reforms to the Electronic Communications Code are needed in order to ensure the Code provides the right legislative framework to promote fast, cost effective network provision across the UK. The consultation covered a range of issues, including matters relating to negotiations and dispute resolution, rights to upgrade and share apparatus and problems relating to the renewal of expired agreements.
This consultation closed on 24 March 2021. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the possible outcomes of the consultation at this stage, as responses are being considered. The consultation response will be published in due course and we will bring legislation forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act gained Royal Assent in March 2021. This Act aims to address one stated policy barrier: making it easier for telecoms companies to access multi-dwelling buildings (such as blocks of flats) where a tenant has requested a new connection, but the landlord has not responded to requests for access rights.
The Act inserts a new Part 4A to the Electronic Communication Code, which provides a process that telecommunications operators could use to gain code rights to multi-dwelling premises for a defined period. This only applies where:
a lessee in occupation in a multi-dwelling building has requested a telecommunications service from an operator
to connect the property the telecoms operator requires an access agreement with another person such as the landlord
the landlord has not responded to the telecoms operator’s request for access
My department has also recently launched a consultation, which seeks views on the terms that will accompany the interim Code rights provided to operators who have successfully applied for an order made under Part 4A of the Electronic Communications Code. This consultation closes on Wednesday 4 August. Responses will be considered and the consultation response will be published in due course.