Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase economic growth in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
Answered by Greg Clark
The Heart of the South West and Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are the local bodies responsible for driving economic growth opportunities in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. As partnerships between business and local authorities, the LEPs drew up Strategic Economic Plans in spring 2014.
The Heart of the South West LEP (representing Devon and Somerset) prioritised three aims in its Strategic Economic Plan: using the area’s distinctive assets to create higher value growth and better jobs; stimulating jobs and growth across the whole economy and all sectors, and creating the conditions for growth through better infrastructure and services.
The Government agreed a Growth Deal with the LEP in July 2014 to provide £130.3m of Local Growth Fund investment between 2015 and 2021, which has enabled the LEP to secure an additional £140m of investment from local partners and the private sector. These funds will provide new transport infrastructure, open up sites for housing and employment growth, and drive investment in skills to support existing and growing industries in the area. In January 2015, the Government agreed a £65.2m expansion to the Heart of the south West’s Growth Deal.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP Strategic Economic Plan set out its aims to exploit new and emerging markets where they had identified a competitive advantage; to improve business productivity and competitiveness; and to enhance economic growth through targeted infrastructure, housing and skills programmes.
In July 2014, the Government agreed a Growth Deal with Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP in which provides £48.9m of investment between 2015 and 2021. This has been matched by an additional £150m of investment from local and private sector sources to deliver new transport and housing infrastructure, better business engagement in schools, and targeted support for high growth sectors such as marine energy. In January 2015 the Government agreed an £11.3m expansion to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly LEP’s Growth Deal.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the process is for deciding the location of the new Energy Systems Catapult.
Answered by Greg Clark
The decision on the location of each new Catapult is made by the Catapult Chairman, working with Innovate UK, who run an independent process using experts in the field to assemble evidence and consult with stakeholders and communities to establish the role, shape and, ultimately, location of a Catapult. The choice of location will pay due consideration to a number of factors, including the accessibility and proximity to relevant businesses, academia and other existing facilities.
Innovate UK has now appointed Nick Winser as Chairman of the Energy Systems Catapult and he will make a decision on the Catapult’s location in due course.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with British Airways on the resumption of direct flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
There have been no discussions with British Airways about the resumption of direct scheduled services. Since British Airways decided to suspend their operations, they have given us no indication of an intention to resume flights to Sierra Leone. Should the situation change sufficiently for the UK Government to become content for direct scheduled services to Ebola-affected countries to resume, it would then be for individual airlines to judge whether it is viable to start services, subject to them requesting the appropriate operating permissions from the relevant authorities.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance the Atomic Weapons Establishment is receiving from the US authorities on Project Pegasus.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) regularly discuss a range of nuclear matters with their US counterparts under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement. These matters include aspects of the capital investment programme at AWE, of which Pegasus forms a part.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when construction work on Box A of Project Pegasus at the Atomic Weapons Establishment started.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Pegasus is the replacement Highly Enriched Uranium component manufacturing and storage facility, and forms part of the Government's programme of investment in the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites.
Preparatory work on Box A started in May 2013 and construction work began in August 2013.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the decision to review the scope and delivery schedule for Project Pegasus at the Atomic Weapons Establishment was taken; and when he expects a revised scope and delivery schedule to be approved.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Consistent with industry best practice for all projects, Pegasus is under regular review. If a project requires a revised approval then this may be sought once a robust evidence base has been established.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected operational dates are for Project Pegasus and Project Mensa at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020.
Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected out-turn expenditure is on (a) Project Pegasus and (b) Project Mensa at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Project Pegasus received Main Gate approval in August 2011 with an approved cost of £634 million. Project Mensa received Main Gate approval in May 2011 with an approved cost of £734 million.Both projects' approved in-service dates are between 2016 and 2020.
Consistent with industry best practice, major projects are regularly reviewed and may seek revised approvals if a robust evidence base is established.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report, Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's conclusion that biomass can have the same environmental effects as fossil fuel; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amber Rudd
The report on the Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020 showed that biomass, when sourced responsibly, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy. The Government has introduced some of the toughest sustainability criteria in the world and we have taken steps to strengthen them further, including by bringing forward proposals for mandatory sustainability requirements. The Department has committed to improving on the evidence base provided by the report. In December a tender was issued for a research contract to investigate the likelihood of occurrence in the period to 2030 of the scenarios identified in the report as potentially having higher carbon impacts than fossil fuelled alternatives.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to paragraph 68 of his Department's report, Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, if he will make an assessment of the need to include those factors listed in that paragraph that are not included in the methodology to calculate the effects of biomass on the environment; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amber Rudd
The Government’s bioenergy strategy published in 2012 established that future bioenergy policy should seek to ensure genuine carbon savings. The report, Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, showed that biomass, when sourced responsibly, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy.
The Government has introduced some of the toughest sustainability criteria in the world and we have taken steps to strengthen them further, including by bringing forward proposals for mandatory sustainability requirements. We also continue to develop the evidence on the wider impacts of bioenergy.