The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has for the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Mike Penning
The Spending Review announcement set the overall budget for the Home Office. Officials are now going through the detail and will provide advice to the Home Secretary on individual allocations and spending commitments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to a (a) school and (b) local authority of employing a (i) teacher and (ii) classroom assistant; and what forecast she has made of the likely equivalent cost in each year from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
Nick Gibb
The latest statistics on the average salaries of teachers employed by schools and local authorities in England are in Tables 8 and 9 of the ‘School Workforce in England: November 2014’ statistical release which was published in July 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014
The latest available statistics on the average salaries of teaching assistants employed by schools and local authorities in England were published in PQ856 in June 2015 in Hansard at the following link:
The Department for Education’s pay reforms have given schools greater flexibility to decide how much to pay their teachers and how quickly their pay progresses over time.
Future average salaries of teachers will be informed by the annual recommendations of the School Teachers Pay Review Body; the pay of teaching assistants and school support staff are set by schools themselves. The department does not produce forecasts of future average pay for these staff.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contingency arrangements his Department has made for the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the upcoming EU referendum.
Mr David Lidington
The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom, so we can get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-02-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UK personnel have been involved in military targeting planning meetings in Libya.
Earl Howe
We continue to engage with the Libyan authorities to support the UN political process and to counter the growth of extremist groups in Libya, including Daesh. The UK is considering, alongside our partners, how we can best support the new government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the Prime Minister intends to take regarding the continued construction of the illegal settlements in the West Bank following his comments that those settlements are genuinely shocking” and an “infringement into Palestinian lives and land”.”
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We will continue to raise our objections to settlements with the Israeli government. On 18 February during his visit to Israel, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), discussed the issue of settlement with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterating the UK’s position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Department has made no assessment of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control.
The Department’s Policy Research Programme is funding COSMOS (Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health) which is conducted by Imperial College London and expected to end in 2019. This study will investigate possible health effects from long term use of mobile phones and other wireless technologies, on a United Kingdom cohort of 105,000 adults. One of the health outcomes investigated will be tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Hearing loss is one of the factors that may be involved in the development of tinnitus and this study will monitor the incidence of tinnitus in mobile phone users.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for UK Erasmus students, lecturers and research fellows of the UK leaving the EU.
Joseph Johnson
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37807 and with reference to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 12850, on Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, for what reasons the introduction of Class 700 trains has been delayed.
Claire Perry
Operational testing of the new Class 700 Thameslink trains by Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd is in the process of being finalised prior to their entry into revenue earning service, which I expect will take place shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been allocated from the Condition Improvement Fund for 2016-17; and how much from that Fund was allocated in 2015-16.
Edward Timpson
On 26 March 2015, the Department for Education announced the outcome of the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) 2015 to 2016. 1,407 projects across 1,127 academies and sixth-form colleges were approved funding of £383 million. This includes institutions successful following appeals in July 2015.
We announced the outcome of the CIF for 2016 to 2017 on 24 March 2016. Funding of £435 million was approved for 1,276 projects across 1,030 academies and sixth-form colleges. The information can be viewed on the government’s website here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2015-to-2016-outcome
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2016-to-2017-outcome
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have accessed the Pension Wise service through the (a) face-to-face service provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau and (b) telephone service provided by the Pensions Advisory Service to date.
Harriett Baldwin
The government committed to providing free, impartial guidance through Pension Wise, to help people make informed and confident decisions about how they use their defined contribution pension savings in retirement. It is available online, via the telephone and face to face. As of 29 October 2015, there were over 20,000 completed appointments for face to face guidance and 9,000 completed appointments for telephone guidance as well as over 1.7 million visits to the website.
Pension Wise runs exit surveys of those who have completed an appointment It is not mandatory for a user to complete an exit survey. The government is committed to being open and transparent with Pension Wise data and will be making core data readily available by placing it on the government performance platform this autumn. The data will be in the public domain and updated regularly. HM Treasury is working with Pension Wise delivery partners to provide the level of detail that we require for reporting purposes.
The Financial Conduct Authority, in line with its remit to protect consumers and ensure markets function in consumers’ interests, is monitoring developments in the retirement income market closely and has committed to take action where consumers are coming to harm or where the market is not operating competitively.
The government recognises that people may wish to consult different sources of information before reaching a decision about their retirement income. In addition to Pension Wise, The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) provides independent, impartial information and guidance about pensions, free of charge, to members of the public. The Money Advice Service also provides free and unbiased information and guidance on all money matters.
A number of pension providers offer financial guidance. Individuals can also access regulated advice from an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority are jointly considering how financial advice could be made more accessible and affordable for consumers through the Financial Advice Market Review.