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Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance his Department is providing to Iraqi and Kurdish forces to assist in the recapture of Mosul; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning

As a leading member of the Coalition, the United Kingdom has assisted in the training and mentoring of over 29,000 local Iraqi security forces (including over 6,900 Kurdish Peshmerga). This includes infantry, counter-IED, medical and engineering skills – including a small team of Royal Engineers mentoring Iraqi forces carrying out bridge building in support of the liberation of Mosul, over 40 km from the city, in response to a request from the Coalition for specialist assistance. Many of the forces British troops have trained are participating in the operation to recapture Mosul.

The RAF is contributing its advanced air capabilities to Coalition operations in support of Iraqi forces on the ground. Since the start of the Mosul operation, the majority of RAF strikes have been in support of the Iraqi ground operation in and around that city.

Additionally, the UK has been at the forefront of humanitarian support and recently committed £40 million to the Iraqi government, which will include a contribution to the Mosul aid plan. This brings the total pledged by the UK to help the victims of Daesh to almost £170 million since 2014.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the reliability of the vehicles involved in the transportation of nuclear warheads; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin

All vehicles involved in the transportation of nuclear warheads are subject to a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime, carried out by highly skilled and experienced technicians. Inspections are made prior to each use, as well as six monthly safety and annual mandatory inspections.

The costs of the transportation of nuclear warheads between RNAD Coulport and AWE Burghfield are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The security of the nuclear warhead convoy was assessed by Ministry of Defence Security Advisors in September 2016 as overall ‘satisfactory’, demonstrating that ‘performance meets the required policy standard’.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the transportation of nuclear warheads between RNAD Coulport and AWE Burghfield in each of the last three years.

Harriett Baldwin

All vehicles involved in the transportation of nuclear warheads are subject to a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime, carried out by highly skilled and experienced technicians. Inspections are made prior to each use, as well as six monthly safety and annual mandatory inspections.

The costs of the transportation of nuclear warheads between RNAD Coulport and AWE Burghfield are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The security of the nuclear warhead convoy was assessed by Ministry of Defence Security Advisors in September 2016 as overall ‘satisfactory’, demonstrating that ‘performance meets the required policy standard’.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the security of convoys transporting nuclear warheads by road.

Harriett Baldwin

All vehicles involved in the transportation of nuclear warheads are subject to a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime, carried out by highly skilled and experienced technicians. Inspections are made prior to each use, as well as six monthly safety and annual mandatory inspections.

The costs of the transportation of nuclear warheads between RNAD Coulport and AWE Burghfield are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The security of the nuclear warhead convoy was assessed by Ministry of Defence Security Advisors in September 2016 as overall ‘satisfactory’, demonstrating that ‘performance meets the required policy standard’.

01/01/2023
David Warburton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Warburton on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is giving to rural nurseries to ensure they are able to meet the Government’s commitment of providing 30 free hours of childcare.

Caroline Dinenage

We have recently consulted on a comprehensive set of reforms to the early years funding system, and one of our proposals is to allow local authorities to use a rurality/sparsity supplement in their local funding formulae, in recognition that there may be unavoidable higher costs to providers operating in sparsely populated, rural areas with limited demand. We are currently considering all responses to the consultation and are planning to publish the government’s response in the autumn.

We are also keen to gather learning and test how the extended entitlement will operate in a range of area types, including rural areas. Through Early Implementation of the 30 Hours Free Childcare entitlement, Northumberland, one of our early implementer local authorities, is looking specifically at how the extended hours work for and impact on providers operating within the most rural postcodes in Northumberland. Since September, over 500 children in rural parts of Northumberland have been benefiting from a 30 hours free childcare place a year early.

01/01/2023
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding her Department contributes annually to the cost of running Wellbeck Defence Sixth form.

Robert Halfon

Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College is a private independent institution; therefore the Department for Education only contributes funding to directly support students enrolled at the institution.

In the 2015/16 academic year, the Department for Education contributed £21,434 in 16 to 19 discretionary bursary funding. Discretionary bursaries are awards made to students by institutions to help overcome the individual barriers to participation a student faces, such as help with the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment.

The Education Funding Agency’s published allocation is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-allocation-data-2015-to-2016-academic-year

The Department for Education has also contributed funding to the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Bereavement Scholarship Scheme for bereaved service children.

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01/01/2023

Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a list stating the value of each grant that has been awarded by her Department to each academy sponsor matched to a school with an Academy Order; and what the average value is of those grants that have been made under the provisions of the Education and Adoption Act 2016.

Edward Timpson

As of 24 October 2016, there have been 33 grant payments made as a result of an Academy Order being issued under the provisions of the Education and Adoption Act 2016. They consist of the following:

Grants Paid	Total
1 part payment of grant of £45,000	£45,000
22 grants of £70,000	£1,540,000
2 grants of £80,000	£160,000
7 grants of £90,000	£630,000
1 grant of £110,000	£110,000
Grand Total	£2,485,000

This brings an average cost of £75,303 supporting these sponsored academies. The details of the grant amounts can be found on page 4 of the Sponsored academies funding Advice for sponsors document. This guidance is published online and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511128/sponsored_academies_funding_advice_for_sponsors.pdf

This does not include any award of sponsor capacity fund (SCF) which may previously have been made to relevant sponsors as part of their developing greater capacity to support schools.

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01/01/2023

Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44308, on primary education, where the information requested is held.

Nick Gibb

The information requested is not held, because the data supplied by the consultation does not provide a breakdown by profession of respondents to question 1 of the consultation.

As set out in answers 44308 and 35933, the Department’s analysis of the consultation responses is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability.

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01/01/2023
Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid in subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy for land which is used for driven bird shooting in each of the last five years.

George Eustice

We do not routinely collect this information with regard to payments. Potentially, driven bird shooting could take place on all farmland and moorland. However, some land is not suitable because there are no game birds, or because the terrain is inappropriate for shooting, or because of the risks to others. There are also circumstances where individuals decide not to implement their right to shoot on their land and other occasions when these rights are reserved by the landlord and not used.

01/01/2023
Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received on violations of the law protecting birds of prey.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Defra Ministers have received a number of representations, including from Members of this House on behalf of their constituents, highlighting their concerns about illegal persecution of birds of prey such as the hen harrier and wildlife crime more generally.

The Government takes wildlife crime very seriously. All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with strong penalties for committing offences against birds of prey and other wildlife. All incidents of wildlife crime should be reported to the police.

Raptor persecution is a UK wildlife crime priority and has a taskforce led by a senior police officer to develop a plan to prevent crime, gather intelligence on offences and enforce against it. It focuses on the golden eagle, goshawk, hen harrier, peregrine, red kite and white tailed eagle.

The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which Defra funds jointly with the Home Office, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities affecting birds of prey and provides assistance to police forces when required.

It is a matter for the prosecuting authorities to ensure those who commit such offences receive the appropriate penalties as set out in law.

01/01/2023