The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he or Ministers in his Department will attend the heats and further stages of the Bar National Mock Trials Competition.
Mr Shailesh Vara
I am aware of this valuable initiative for school students organised by the Citizenship Foundation and funded by the Bar. While Ministers have no current plans to attend any of the stages, I wish this competition continuing success.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what provision the Government made in the conditions of the sale of Royal Mail for suitable local alternatives to be provided in the event that local sorting or collection offices were closed.
Anna Soubry
Decisions on whether to close and re-locate local collection offices have always been operational matters for Royal Mail. The Government played no role in such decisions prior to the sale of Royal Mail.
Regardless of ownership, Royal Mail, as the United Kingdom’s designated universal service provider, is required to provide a universal postal service that meets the minimum requirements as set out under the Postal Services Act 2011.
It is the responsibility of the postal regulator, Ofcom, to ensure that Royal Mail provides sufficient access points to meet its universal postal service obligations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what upgrades are planned for Newmarket railway station.
Claire Perry
There are plans already in development to improve lighting at Newmarket station which will be undertaken in the early years of the new franchise due to start in October 2016.
For the new East Anglia franchise we have adopted a new stations policy. This requires a 40 year Stations Asset Management Plan along with a 10 year Station Social and Commercial Development Plan. This will ensure the bidders target the provision of services at stations according to the volume and needs of passengers at the individual station. We expect bidders to plan for investments to improve the station environment and facilities for passengers as part of a 40 year station strategy.
Theformation of a Station Social and Commercial Development Plan involves consulting with users and the local community on concerns, issues, opportunities and risks relating to individual stations and the priorities for investment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Earl Howe on 18 January concerning a gifting package to Ukraine (HLWS463), whether this gift will be financed from the overseas aid budget, the defence budget, or another source.
Earl Howe
The gift of 3,500 first aid kits will be purchased using funds from Her Majesty’s Government’s Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF). The CSSF is a cross-Whitehall fund. As well as defence reform, the CSSF Ukraine programme supports a number of interventions including strategic communications, peace-building activities and support to international organisations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on ensuring that High Speed 2 stations should be located where they can deliver maximum impact on public investment.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.
The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.
When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;
Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.
Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.
Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation have had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.
Claire Perry
Neither the Department for Transport nor the Office of Rail and Road have held any specific discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on changes to criteria for driver-only operation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of officials of his Department resigned in each of the last six years.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is presented in the table below:
|
Financial Year Officials Left |
Number of Resignations |
Proportion of total staff |
|
2010-11 |
84 |
3% |
|
2011-12 |
55 |
2% |
|
2012-13 |
95 |
4% |
|
2013-14 |
95 |
5% |
|
2014-15 |
75 |
4% |
|
2015-16 |
91 |
4% |
The numbers given are for civil servants only. These figures include employees, loans-in from other Government Departments and fixed-term appointments.
The proportion of staff who resigned is calculated by the total number of resignations in the financial year indicated, divided by the total headcount as at the 31 March of that year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government’s proposal to ensure that those who watch BBC iPlayer services are subject to the requirement to pay the license fee will include those who use BBC iPlayer radio services.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The requirement to hold a TV licence will be extended to people streaming or downloading television programmes through on-demand services provided by the BBC (notably iPlayer) and will not include those who listen to radio services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to facilitate and promote (a) work opportunities and (b) apprenticeships for people with both a physical and mental disability.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government is committed to halving the disability employment gap between disabled and non disabled people. Employers have a crucial role to play in this.
Disability Confident is encouraging employers to attract, recruit and retain disabled people who are eager to work and have the skills, talents and abilities that employers are looking for. Employers can register their interest in being Disability Confident and will then be sent advice, support materials and links to other resources. More than 600 employers have registered and the number continues to grow.
There are also DWP programmes that can provide practical assistance to disabled people in work, such as Access to Work. During 2014/15 Access to Work supported over 36,000 disabled people to take up or remain in employment.
We have expanded Access to Work’s Mental Health Support Service to conduct a two-year trial of targeted support for apprentices with mental health conditions. In addition a Taskforce, led by Paul Maynard MP, has been looking at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties or disabilities. Ministers are currently considering its recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the date of receipt was of the oldest outstanding further submission related to an asylum claim.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Home Office records indicate that the oldest outstanding further submissions application related to an asylum claim is dated 12 December 2001.
In March 2015 the Home Office implemented a new policy for individuals who make new further submissions in person in Liverpool and has significantly improved the handling and processing times of applications submitted since 30 March 2015.
The Home Office is currently developing internal plans to address the older further submissions whilst deciding new applications submitted through the Further Submissions Unit in Liverpool. It is important to note there will always be exceptional cases that can not be dealt with due to circumstances outwith the control of the Home Office.