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  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has programmes to facilitate access to the internet in Malawi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID’s Digital Strategy aims to ensure that digital processes pervade all of DFID’s work, from communications to policy making and programmes. We want to ensure the poorest and most marginalised people in developing countries benefit from the added value digital can bring, including by giving citizens access to information and services quickly and affordably.

    DFID does not currently directly support programmes to facilitate access to the internet in Malawi. DFID is currently developing programme plans for 2016-21 and is exploring how to support an increased uptake of Information and Communications Technology in Malawi. This will include consideration of whether and how DFID can support an increased uptake of internet-based services as well as an increase in awareness of the potential of internet and digital marketing tools for businesses.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trained dogs have been injured while working in prisons in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Information relating to injuries sustained by dogs working in prisons is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has paid in legal fees in relation to criminal legal aid contracts.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    To the end of December 2015, the Legal Aid Agency incurred a total of £141,519 in relation to external legal fees associated with the criminal legal aid contracts.

    The external legal advice assisted the GLD commercial team with the drafting of the 2015 Own Client and 2015 Duty Provider contracts.

    It is not possible to distinguish the cost of work relating to the criminal legal aid contracts incurred by the Agency’s internal legal teams from other work undertaken.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a new power of guardianship for family members in the financial affairs of missing persons.

    Dominic Raab

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for York Outer on 15 June 2015, which can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-08/1400/.

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  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most commonly recorded item in the Incident Report System was in each prison; and how many times each such item was recorded in the prison concerned in the 12 months for which figures are available.

    Andrew Selous

    Other than for a few specific items such as firearms, finds of illicit items within prisons are recorded under the miscellaneous category on the NOMS Incident Reporting System. To extract the information requested could only be achieved at disproportionate cost by examining some 10,000 individual records in this category.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21315, how many specially-trained dogs are used by his Department to detect illicit alcohol.

    Andrew Selous

    We have trained more than 500 dogs to search prisoners, visitors, prison perimeters and suspicious packages for illicit items such as drugs, weapons, alcohol and mobile phones. As part of that, we have trained more than 300 sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances. Many dogs are trained to detect a range of contraband. As at 31 December 2015, 44 dogs had been licensed to detect alcohol.

  • Johnny Mercer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Johnny Mercer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Johnny Mercer on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the GRIP 2 studies required for the Peninsula Rail Task Force’s survey will be available in order for the survey to be completed in June 2016.

    Claire Perry

    Department for Transport officials are working with Network Rail and the Peninsula Rail Task Force within the context of the changes that will come from Hendy re-profiling and the Bowe review to establish which further studies are required to inform the Peninsula Rail Task Force report of June 2016 and the funding that could be available to support this development work.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department records the number of late licensing penalties issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the non-return of V11 forms; and what revenue is raised from those penalties.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not issue late licensing penalties for the non-return of V11 forms. However, the DVLA does issue such penalties to those who do not pay the vehicle excise duty due on their vehicle. During 2014-2015, 474,861 late licensing penalties were issued with £16m collected in revenue. These are the audited figures as included in the DVLA’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014/15.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which recommendations from the (a) skills section and (b) other sections of the Maritime Skills Study the Government plans to implement; and what the timescale for implementation will be.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government formally responded to the Study in December 2015 accepting all the recommendations directed to government and progress is already being made.

    A new Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth has been established to drive growth and tackle issues affecting the sector. The Working Group, including representatives from industry, met for the first time in November 2015 and discussed a range of issues around maritime skills including expanding apprenticeships (recommendation 11).

    In addition, the Government has issued an invitation to tender for the Seafarer Projections Review (recommendation 7). The review of SMarT – Support for Maritime Training (recommendation 9) will need to take account of the Seafarer Projections work and will follow in four to six weeks’ time.

    Officials are also working with the Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence on the recommendations pertaining to increasing youth awareness of seafaring and better links to the Royal Navy and the wider maritime sector (recommendations 13 and 15).

    The other recommendations concerning skills are directed primarily at industry.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the road haulage sector and hauliers on the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy.

    Andrew Jones

    The department has regular meetings with the road haulage sector trade bodies and hauliers on a wide variety of issues, including skills, at both Ministerial and official level. These have not focussed specifically on the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy, which addresses the technical, engineering and construction skills needed to deliver the department’s unprecedented infrastructure investment.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has recently approved the Logistics Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standard and the department will be working with colleagues to support the industry in rolling out this apprenticeship.