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  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department received any representations from King’s College Dental School, between 2012 and 2014, on the use of dental tests to establish the age of people claiming asylum.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Office received representations from a number of bodies be-tween 2012 and 2014 about the possible use of dental tests to establish the age of people claiming asylum. The view of many of those making representations was that the use of dental tests for this purpose would be unreliable, inappropriate and unethical.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, on how many days under the current Travel Office contract the ticket machines situated in the House have been unable to print hon. Members’ travel tickets.

    Tom Brake

    The Trainline ticket machine situated in the Parliamentary Travel Office has been unable to print tickets on six separate days since September 2014, the latest period being 17–19 October 2016. The machine is owned by Trainline but it is CTM’s responsibility to ensure that they report any faults so that they can be fixed quickly and efficiently.

    The ticket machine situated in the Members’ Centre in Portcullis House is maintained by IPSA and therefore the Commission does not hold records on the operation of that machine. However, officials are aware that the machine has been out of service since the beginning of September 2016.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2016 to Question 48875, how many refugees her Department has helped to remain in, or stay as close as possible to, their countries of origin.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK is supporting hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the Syria crisis in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. We also provide support, assistance and protection for over 5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. In Africa, our programmes support over a million refugees, with a focus on Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. The Secretary of State recently visited Kenya and saw how UK support for refugees is creating trading opportunities and sustainable livelihoods closer to home. The UK has announced a further £20 million to help voluntary, humane and safe returns for Somali refugees in Kenya, and £15 million towards a UN Appeal to support an expected one million displaced people in Afghanistan, including returning refugees.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in developing countries.

    James Wharton

    The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries. DFID has a range of programmes which are working with developing countries to ensure renewable energy markets work effectively as well as supporting energy businesses to grow, and providing consumers with access to funding to buy solar goods. For example, our Energy Access Ventures programme is investing in off-grid electric and we are delivering green mini-grid solutions across Africa.

    Through the UK Government’s Energy Africa campaign we are working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access

  • Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve education in prisons.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 46278.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers have avoided disqualification from driving within the last year by pleading the loss of their licence would cause exceptional hardship.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Information about drivers who have not been disqualified from driving as a result of a court accepting that disqualification would lead to exceptional hardship is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    The Government is committed to making sure that sentencing for those who kill or cause serious injury on the roads is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation on driving offences and penalties before the end of the year.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to include legislation for exceptional hardship pleas within the forthcoming review of motoring offences and penalties.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Information about drivers who have not been disqualified from driving as a result of a court accepting that disqualification would lead to exceptional hardship is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    The Government is committed to making sure that sentencing for those who kill or cause serious injury on the roads is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation on driving offences and penalties before the end of the year.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many apprenticeships have been provided to date by HS2 Ltd.

    Andrew Jones

    HS2, through both HS2 Ltd and its supply chain, has a target of creating 2,000 apprenticeship opportunities over the lifetime of the project, from a forecast average annual workforce of 11,000 (with a peak of 25,000).

    HS2 Ltd itself has to date provided five apprenticeships, though this is in the context that HS2 does not yet have Royal Assent and construction hasn’t yet started. Looking forward, it is anticipated that HS2 Ltd will bring in 36 apprentices a year based on an average workforce of 1,500.

    For the companies that will design and construct HS2 there will be requirements to deliver Skills, Employment and Education outcomes, including apprenticeships. In each of the major HS2 Ltd contracts, all bidders are assessed on their ability to deliver on these outcomes through the procurement process. Therefore, as HS2 enters its construction stage in 2017, apprenticeships are expected to increase rapidly.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the shortage of people with rail engineering, environmental and construction skills.

    Paul Maynard

    The transport sector faces significant skills challenges driven by a range of factors including an ageing workforce, a lack of diversity, the introduction of new technologies (such as digital signalling in rail) and the sheer scale of our transport investment programme.

    The National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) has identified rail skills shortages in signalling and telecommunications, electrification and plant, traction and rolling stock of 10,000 people between 2014 and 2019.

    In response to these challenges, in August 2015 this Department appointed Crossrail chair Terry Morgan to develop the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy (TISS). The TISS was published in January 2016 and the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT) was launched on 15 April 2016 as an employer-led group to oversee the delivery of the TISS recommendations andto address these skills shortages including through the delivery of 30,000 transport apprenticeships by 2020.

    The Taskforce has commissioned NSAR to update skills forecasts for both road and rail. This analysis is expected to be complete by the end of December this year.

    The National College for High Speed Rail will provide specialist vocational training to the next generation of engineers working on HS2 and beyond. Over 1,000 students are expected to graduate from the college each year.

    Construction of the college is now officially underway and on course to open its doors to students in time for the start of the 2017-18 academic year.

    Both the existing UK construction and engineering workforce as well as new entrants, such as apprentices, will benefit from the training that will be provided by the new college. The college will tackle the engineering skills shortage that is one of the industry’s biggest barriers to sustainability, productivity and growth.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 46806 on taxis: licensing, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in licence applications from Rossendale Borough Council between 2013 and 2015.

    Andrew Jones

    The legislation that provides for licensing of taxi and private hire vehicle services is enabling in its nature, giving local licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area. Rossendale Council has already made changes to the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle application process to address the rapid rise in the number of drivers they license. Wherever a driver has been licensed, the licensing authority that issue that licence must have confirmed that the driver is a “fit and proper” person.

    To help licensing authorities set standards the Department for Transport issues Best Practice Guidance. In addition to this, the Government has also introduced an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill that will make statutory all aspects of the guidance that are related to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Both parts of the guidance will be consulted on publicly once the Bill has received Royal Assent.