The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to source steel for the construction of new nuclear submarines.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 April 2016 to Question 33828 to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the 1973 Cost Sharing Agreement between the US and the UK.
Michael Fallon
No.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from Royal Navy 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group were involved in training Bahraini defence force personnel in January 2016; and what such training consisted of.
Penny Mordaunt
The UK enjoys close links with Bahrain, spanning 200 years, that reinforce our commitment to the Gulf region. While on a visit to the region with HMS ST ALBANS, in suppport of this relationship, two personnel from 43 Commando Royal Marines undertook weapon training with the Bahraini Defence Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage enlistment from people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving a more diverse workforce and is developing plans to meet the Government’s commitment to increase the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) recruits into the Armed Forces to 10% by 2020 and have allocated resources for this purpose.
Planning is ongoing to ensure that new activity is evidence-based and resources are allocated in the best way to deliver the step change that is required.
Whilst this plan is being finalised, examples of steps already taken include increased engagement with ethnic minority communities, using communications to improve understanding on careers in the Armed Forces and offering support throughout the application process where it is needed.
The Armed Forces recently won two awards in October 2015 at the Race for Opportunity Awards. The Armed Forces Muslim Association won the Public Sector Employee Network Award and the Royal Air Force won the Future Workforce Award for their Employability Skills Programme. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force have also been recognised as two of the Top 10 public sector organisations for race diversity and inclusion by Race for Opportunity.
Statistics on the diversity declaration and representation of minority groups of
Service Personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence are published biannually. The most recent data can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will identify for the purpose of Article 3(9)(F) of the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive which ranks in the armed services will be classed as high-ranking.
Mark Lancaster
The Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive seeks to prevent the financial and certain non-financial sectors from being used for money laundering (the conversion, by various means, of the proceeds of crime into apparently ‘clean money’) and terrorist financing (the provision or collection of funds used to carry out any terrorist offences).
In addition to the financial sector, the directive applies to certain non-financial sectors including lawyers, notaries, accountants, estate agents, providers of gambling services, trust and company service providers, and to all providers of goods when payments are made in cash in excess of €15,000.
The directive introduces additional requirements and safeguards (‘enhanced due diligence’) for situations posing a higher risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, for example, trading with correspondent banks situated outside the EU. Amongst those additional requirements is a broader definition of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).
Those subject to the directive are required to:
Identify and verify the identity of their customer (‘customer due diligence’) and of the beneficial owner (person(s) who ultimately owns or controls the customer on whose behalf a transaction is being carried out, e.g. in the case of a company, the owner of a sufficient percentage of the shares or votes), and to monitor their business relationship with the customer,
Report suspicions of money laundering or terrorist financing to the public authorities
Ensure that personnel are properly trained and that appropriate internal preventive policies and procedures are set up.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not a financial institution nor does it fall into the non-financial sector organisations identified by the Directive, and it is not a provider of goods where payments are made in cash in excess of €15,000.
The responsibility of implementing the requirements of the Directive is for the financial sector and the non-financial sectors identified by the Directive and not the MOD.
The new Directive gives additional guidance in dealing with those risks and issues relating to corrupt activities. As with all legislation it cannot differentiate between those nations, sectors and institutions that are more or in the UK’s case, less corrupt. What this Directive attempts to do is give those organisations and sectors at risk of money laundering and terrorist finances the ability to make their own judgements as to what they deem as a high risk person (PEP) or transaction. Whilst ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and high-ranking officers in the Armed Forces are included in the Directive as PEP’s, the financial institutions in particular will assess their individual risk. In some countries the military are involved and in some cases run the political and governing systems, this makes them a significant corruption risk. The UK, its ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and high-ranking officers carry a lesser risk than some others; it is therefore unlikely that the extended Directive will affect them. But the interpretation of the Directive is for the financial and certain non-financial sectors to interpret.
The MOD takes its responsibility to prevent, detect, deter and investigate fraud (including corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing) very seriously and has undertaken detailed risk assessments to identify its risks, where needed implementing additional preventative and detective controls and undertakes due diligence on its suppliers.
Transparency International publishes a Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index based on 77 indicators which assesses the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of a nation’s ability to manage the risk of corruption including money laundering.
The UK MOD scored an ‘A’ (very low corruption risk) in the 2015 index, the only country to achieve this in the G20 and NATO as well as being one of only two in the world to achieve this.
Transparency International attributed the ‘A’ to the UK MOD having strong anti-corruption systems underpinned by effective independent oversight mechanisms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 31449, what the main components are of the expenditure that her Department incurs when a school converts to an academy.
Edward Timpson
The main expenditure incurred relates to the pre-opening start-up grants that are currently available to schools. Currently, grants are intended to be a contribution to the costs of conversion incurred by schools in establishing the academy. These may include legal fees, costs associated with transfer of land, transfer of software licences, Human Resources and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 advice and setting up the Academy Trust.
Grants to schools that become sponsored academies also include an element to support school improvement such as leadership support, teaching and learning interventions, pupil focused interventions, curriculum redesign and staff restructuring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ending the national curriculum at the age of 14.
Nick Gibb
The Government believes that the majority of pupils should study a core academic curriculum up to the age of 16. The core academic curriculum refers to the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The Government’s ambition is for 90% of pupils to enter the EBacc subjects at GCSE. The national curriculum serves an important role in setting out the sort of knowledge-based, ambitious, academically rigorous education which every child should experience. It enables pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for their self-fulfilment and development as active and responsible citizens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times the Adoption Leadership Board has met since its creation in 2014.
Edward Timpson
As of 14th April 2016, the Adoption Leadership Board has met 11 times since its creation.
Information about the Adoption Leadership Board is readily available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-leadership-board-quarterly-data-reports.
Information can also be found on the website of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the Local Safeguarding Children Board review.
Edward Timpson
The independent review of the role and functions of Local Safeguarding Children Boards, undertaken by Alan Wood, has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Education, and will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s policy is on where a school’s deficit would be transferred at the point of its conversion to an academy.
Edward Timpson
Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Deficits for voluntary converter academies will normally transfer with the school.
Further information can be found in the Department’s guidance: “Treatment of surplus and deficit balances when maintained schools become academies” which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdf
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