The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to become a founding donor of the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies when it is launched at the World Humanitarian Summit 2016.
Mr Nick Hurd
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided on 24 May to Question number 37332.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39360, on his Department’s reorganisation, whether graduates taking part in the cross-government graduate scheme can take up policy roles in his Department based outside of London.
Joseph Johnson
The Executive Board announced on 26 May that from January 2018 all policy roles will be based in our single HQ and policy centre in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the Department for International Development’s total overseas development aid was spent on sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Department of International Development spent 12.4% of its official development assistance on sexual, reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in each year 2013 and 2014. Data for 2015 is not yet published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of detainees held in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre are receiving medication for mental health problems; and what proportion of those detainees have had their dosage increased since being held in detention.
Alistair Burt
Information on the number of detainees who are prescribed a particular medicine or any changes in prescriptions is not collected centrally.
It is essential that any person detained within the immigration detention estate receives medical attention appropriate to their clinical needs. Health professionals should assess and keep under review the medicines requirements for each individual to determine the best course of action for that patient, taking into account their views and preferences.
Health providers at Yarl’s Wood have now established a Health and Wellbeing Group for detainees in recognition of the anxiety levels that many detainees exhibit when they arrive in the establishment. This group supports the detainees to feel less disempowered in their environment and, as such, can pre-empt the escalation of anxiety which when not acknowledged, can lead to more serious mental health presentations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Heappey on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department acts as the enforcement authority for the criminal offences defined in Part XI of the Fair Trading Act 1973 and in consequent trading schemes regulations and exemptions; and if he will make statement.
Nick Boles
Breaches of the Trading Schemes legislation (i.e. the Fair Trading Act 1973 and the regulations made under it) would be referred to the lawyers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Criminal Enforcement to determine whether or not a criminal investigation should be undertaken. The matter may also be referred to the Insolvency Service, to investigate and ascertain whether the offending company should be wound up in the public interest. The 1973 Act does not confer an express enforcement duty on any particular body, however this Department would look to bring a case in appropriate circumstances. Otherwise, enforcement could fall to Trading Standards or possibly the Competition Markets Authority should widespread malpractice be suspected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-01-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage innovation in paint products to make better use of resources, and what steps they are taking to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and to create new markets for paint products.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
I am pleased to highlight a project by Akzo Nobel, Newlife Paints and Seymour Consulting supported through our delivery arm – Innovate UK – to industrialise the process of recycling paint through increased automation which has proved successful and could lead to significant commercial opportunities as well as a better environmental outcome.
Additionally, the Government’s Innovation in Waste Prevention Fund is supporting a RePaint project in Cheshire which is working across the local community to minimise the amount of paint going for disposal.
The disposal of liquid waste, including liquid paint, to landfill is banned under the Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste). The ban is implemented in England through the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (as amended) and is enforced by the Environment Agency through the environmental permits it issues to landfill operators.
The creation of new markets for paint products was one of the recommendations from the British Coatings Federation’s “Paintcare” initiative which was launched last year. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is taking steps to encourage consumers to recycle/reuse household paint by providing information through the Recycle Now campaign. This includes a postcode locator to pinpoint local facilities and information on how to deal with paint.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made on the test launch by North Korea of a long-range ballistic missile on 7 February 2016; and what representations the Government has received on the UK maintenance of the its long-range Trident ballistic missile system since 7 February 2016.
Mr Hugo Swire
I have strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s satellite launch of 7 February, which used ballistic missile technology in clear violation of a number of UN Security Council Resolutions. On 8 February I summoned the DPRK’s Ambassador to make clear the UK’s strong condemnation of the launch. In addition, I issued a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 11 February, setting out the UK’s response to the satellite launch. The DPRK’s actions are a further threat to regional security and the stability of the Korean peninsula. It is clear that the DPRK continues to prioritise its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes over the welfare of its people.
The government has not received any representations on the Trident long-range missile system since 7 February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and what action they plan to take to protect the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in the event of such a withdrawal.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have a special relationship with the EU, provided under Protocol 3 to the UK’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community. The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. After two years, the departing Member State is deemed to have left the EU, meaning that both the rights and the obligations that derive from membership would lapse. This two year deadline can be extended, but only by unanimous agreement of all EU Member States.
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the UK special status in a reformed EU. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), to the House of Commons 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 Nic Dakin on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.30 of Educational excellence everywhere, Cm 9230, when she plans to amend the academy articles of association models to remove the requirement for new academy trusts and school governing boards to elect parent governors; and if she will take steps to enable existing academies to make that change.
Edward Timpson
The model articles of association give multi-academy trust (MAT) boards the freedom to appoint a local governing body. The board is also free to decide on what, if any, governance functions they delegate to subsidiary governance structures at the level of either individual schools or clusters of schools. Whatever arrangements MATs use, they must set out and publish on their website their chosen arrangements in a clear scheme of delegation.
The White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere outlines our intention to place a new expectation on all academies to put in place specific arrangements to engage with all parents in a meaningful way to listen to their views and feedback. To enable a move to fully skills-based governance, the White Paper also announces an end to our requirement on new and existing trusts to reserve places on the board for elected parents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average waiting time for a practical driving test and (b) number of staffing opportunities at test centres not yet filled was in each region of England in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency recruitment strategy.
Andrew Jones
The average waiting time for a car driving test for the 2015/16 financial year was 8.4 weeks. The average waiting time for a car test measured at the time of writing (24 May) was 11.5 weeks.
The following table explains the current driving examiner recruitment position:
|
New Recruits 2015/16 |
Planned Recruits 2016/17 |
completed training since 1 Apr 2016 |
currently undergoing training |
training start confirmed |
offer made – undergoing pre- employment check |
Ongoing recruitment (latest advert) |
|
|
Scotland & N England |
28 |
58 |
2 |
8 |
16 |
9 |
32 |
|
Central England & N Wales |
64 |
67 |
7 |
4 |
24 |
3 |
49 |
|
Southern England & S Wales |
59 |
58 |
9 |
8 |
30 |
2 |
45 |
|
London & S E England |
42 |
104 |
8 |
8 |
13 |
7 |
52 |
|
193 |
287 |
26 |
28 |
83 |
21 |
178 |
During 2015 DVSA carried out a review of the end to end process of driving examiner resourcing – from forecasting demand for driving tests to understand where and how many driving examiners are needed, through the attraction and selection stages of recruitment to offer of appointment and training. The overall assessment was that there was significant scope for improvement at all stages in the process. The recommendations of the review are being implemented and include:
The overarching objectives are to shorten the time from a driving examiner vacancy being identified to it being filled. DVSA also wants to improve the diversity and capabilities of the new starters it appoints.