The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to issue a commencement order to bring into effect Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013.
Mr Edward Vaizey
No decision has been taken regarding commencement of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. The matter is still under consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their planned legislation to enfranchise British citizens resident abroad for over 15 years will be introduced in the current Session.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Government is committed to removing the 15 year time limit on the voting rights of British citizens living overseas, and will bring forward a Bill to make a permanent change on overseas voting rights as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the average cost of moving home for a family in the private rented sector.
Gavin Barwell
The department does not collect this information. However, we have set up a working group to look at affordability and security in the private rented sector and one of the issues this is considering is moving costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on how many times provisions under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 have been used to convict people in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland.
Sir Oliver Heald
We do not hold statistics on the number of offenders found guilty under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, as the offence has yet to be commenced.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to provide better support for ex-servicemen and women and their families.
Mark Lancaster
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 November 2015 to Questions 15830 and 15831.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Chinese government on the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands archipelago; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expressed our concerns about the situation in the South China Sea most recently during his visit to Beijing on 5 January. He stressed the need to avoid raising tensions and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation.
I set out the UK’s position during the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Luxembourg on 5-6 November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what circumstances his Department can terminate the (a) Southern, (b) Thameslink and (c) GTR contracts early.
Claire Perry
Whilst Southern and Thameslink are used as operating names by the franchisee, they are in fact part of the GTR franchise, which operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) Franchise.
Schedule 10.2 of the TSGN Franchise Agreement (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488198/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf p.506) specifies how this franchise can be terminated by the Department.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money the EU provided, in the most recent year for which figures are available, for research, capital expenditure and revenue support for (1) the bus and coach industry, (2) railway passenger and freight-services, (3) the air industry, including runways, aircraft or equipment, (4) the shipping and ports industry, and (5) road schemes and the development of vehicle technology.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The EU budget has a number of programmes aimed at supporting the development of transport which can be at a regional, national or trans-national level.
Given the complexity of the different mechanisms for delivering such funding the UK government does not maintain a central record of the total amount of money that the EU provides for research, capital expenditure and revenue support for transport.
The main source of funding for transport infrastructure comes from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which promotes the development of the different Trans- European Networks for Transport, Energy and Communications. Transport is the major element of the CEF budget with nearly €1.5 billion in commitments allocated to fund EU transport projects in 2016. The EU transport funding priorities are defined in the TEN-T regulation (EU 2013/1315) and focus on improving cross-border connections and developing sustainable and efficient transport infrastructure. Funding is awarded to projects through a competitive bidding process with projects having to meet specific criteria and demonstrate high EU added value. The attached tables have details of projects involving UK participation that have been awarded funding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to respond to Question 24897, tabled on 29 January 2016 by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham for Answer on 3 February 2016.
Joseph Johnson
I apologise to my hon Friend for the delay. I will reply shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number of schools that have received teaching materials on the EU provided by the EU Commission and the Information Office in the UK.
Nick Gibb
The Department does not hold the information on the number of schools that have received materials from the European Commission.
Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools. Schools are best-placed to understand their pupils’ needs and to tailor their curricula accordingly. They are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues, and are required to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. Teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare them to take their place in society as responsible citizens. At key stage 4, the national curriculum includes teaching about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.