The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take following their consultation on the EBacc.
Lord Nash
The consultation closed on 29 January. We are currently considering the responses and plan to publish the government response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK’s energy capacity can keep up with demand.
Andrea Leadsom
The Capacity Market secures electricity capacity, mainly power plant and Demand Side Response, through competitive auctions. Targets for the auction are set to ensure there is enough capacity available to meet peak electricity demand.
On 1 March 2016, DECC announced that we are consulting on changes to the CM, to buy more capacity and earlier; tighten the sanctions on those who fail to deliver on their obligations; and bolster energy security in the short–term, by holding a new auction bringing forward the first Capacity Market delivery year to 2017/18.
We are confident that the Capacity Market is the right mechanism to bring forward the necessary new capacity as older, less efficient plants close.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in Stafford constituency who are eligible for payments under the Basic Payments Scheme 2015 had not been paid by 31 March 2016.
George Eustice
As of 31 March 2016, the Rural Payments Agency had paid 168 (80%) of the 211 eligible Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claims received in Stafford constituency. To date 191 had been paid and the agency has announced that those customers who do not receive a claim payment in April will be provided a bridging payment. Bridging payments will be around half of their claim value.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hain on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 19 April (HL Deb, col 614), whether they will write to the Welsh Government Minister for Public Services setting out in full their argument that those sections of the Trade Union Bill applying only to devolved public services in Wales are nevertheless reserved matters, and if so, whether they will place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Ministers have engaged with the Devolved Administrations on the Trade Union Act.
As part of our engagement, Nick Boles, the policy Minister for the Trade Union Act, has received four letters from Leighton Andrews, Minister for Public Services in the Welsh Government. These letters related to specific aspects of the Act and the Welsh Government position on their applicability in Wales. On 5th February 2016 Nick Boles had a telephone conversation with Leighton Andrews on the Act; and on 4 March, he replied to the letters and has placed a copy of the correspondence in the Library.
As set out throughout its parliamentary passage, the Act is about employment and industrial relations law, which are reserved matters. It will apply consistently across Great Britain, including to public services in Wales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-07-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) the Liverpool City Region and (c) England are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s living wage.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on preventing the execution of UK nationals sentenced to death abroad.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. Whenever there is a case of a British national on death row, provided that individual wants assistance from the UK Government, we make political representations at many levels to the government of the country in question. There is no one-size-fits-all approach; we will tailor our interventions on a case-by-case basis in a way that we judge to be most effective to prevent executions being carried out. Beyond political representations by Her Majesty’s Government, other interventions might include: engaging local and UK-based Non-Governmental Organisations to provide support to British nationals facing the death penalty; liaising closely with the British national’s legal team to ensure any lobbying actions we take complement their ongoing legal activity; and working closely with international partners to encourage wider lobbying.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress the Government has made on providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
On 27 September 2015, the Secretary of State announced an additional £20 million for humanitarian assistance to Yemen, bringing our overall contribution for 2015-16 to £75 million and making the UK the 4th largest bilateral donor to Yemen crisis.
UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what training his Department has provided to staff on the family test; what other steps he has taken to raise awareness of the family test among staff of his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
The Family Test was announced by my Rt. hon Friend the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills welcomed the introduction of the Family Test and has taken steps to embed it by building it into the Department’s Public Sector Equality Duty commitments. This has included training officials on applying the test, disseminating learning materials and best practice.
The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance, published by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the apprenticeship levy is expected to raise in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20.
Greg Hands
The Apprenticeship Levy is expected to raise:
These figures are published in table 3.1 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 document which is available on gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding has been allocated to apprenticeships in each year since 2010.
Nick Boles
The following table shows actual spending figures for apprenticeships in England for Financial Years 2010-2014
|
£K |
FY2010-11 |
FY2011-12 |
FY2012-13 |
FY2013-14 |
FY2014-15 |
|
16 to18 inclusive |
744,870 |
758,966 |
670,211 |
717,575 |
783,198 |
|
19 and over |
450,880 |
624,602 |
753,886 |
737,022 |
776,573 |
|
TOTAL |
1,195,750 |
1,383,568 |
1,424,097 |
1,454,597 |
1,559,771 |
Responsibility for the Apprenticeship Programme is shared between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which funds adult apprenticeships (19+) and the Department for Education which funds 16-18 year olds.
The apprenticeships levy will put apprenticeship funding on an even more sustainable footing and improve the technical and professional skills of the workforce, which is an important component of productivity.