The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect the armed forces from persistent legal claims.
Penny Mordaunt
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in the House on 18 April 2016 to Question 904485 to the hon. Member for Braintree (James Cleverly).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that energy efficiency in the private rented sector is improved to meet new regulations regarding E-grade standards for properties to be let.
Jesse Norman
The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 requires that all landlords of domestic and non-domestic privately rented property in England and Wales ensure that, from 1 April 2018, their properties reach an energy performance rating of at least an E before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants, unless a prescribed exemption applies.
The Department has undertaken, and will continue to undertake, engagement activity with landlord groups to help them understand the requirements of the regulations. Officials are currently preparing guidance to assist non-domestic landlords in complying with their obligations under the regulations, and we will prepare similar guidance for domestic landlords in due course.
The Department is also developing a landlord exemptions register, a requirement of the Regulations, which will be used by enforcement authorities to help target their enforcement activities, and which will allow landlords to register online any exemptions that apply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise awareness of mental health issues, to address the impact of stigma and discrimination on those affected, and to engage with local businesses to develop employment opportunities for those affected.
Lord Prior of Brampton
It is important that local authorities employ individuals who possess the necessary skills to engage effectively with those with mental health problems. Local authorities should make training opportunities available to all staff.
Mental health social workers empower individuals with mental illness and their families, carers, and communities to lead fulfilling, independent lives. On 1 September this year applications for a new fast track route into mental health social work careers opened for an intensive on-the-job programme called Think Ahead. The programme aims to attract promising students and graduates into mental health careers.
Health Education England, working with NHS England, aims to ensure that there are sufficient therapists and other staff with the right skills to support the identification of mental health issues.
Community mental health services, which include community mental health teams, crisis and home resolution teams, assertive outreach teams and early intervention in psychosis teams, all have a key role in supporting people with mental health problems either to avoid the need for in-patient care or to provide them with on-going support once in-patient treatment is no longer necessary.
From April 2016, the first set of mental health waiting time standards will be introduced which requires that 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis are treated with a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved package of care within two weeks of referral; 75% of adults referred to the national programme for psychological therapies will be treated within 6 weeks, and 95% within 18 weeks.
This is supported by an £80 million funding package for 2015-16 from NHS England’s budgets, breaking down as:
‒ £40 million recurrent funding to support delivery of the early intervention in psychosis (EIP) standard;
‒ £10 million to support delivery of the new psychological therapies standards; and
‒ £30 million to support liaison psychiatry in acute hospitals.
The Time to Change initiative is an ambitious national programme being delivered by leading mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness to reduce stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems. The Department, the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief have all provided funding for the programme.The Department funded the campaign with over £16 million between 2011-12 and 2014-15 and is continuing to fund the programme with £2.5 million in 2015-16. Time to Change continues to work with people with experience of mental health problems to challenge attitudes and discrimination; run social marketing campaigns and work with local and regional partners on community-led activity. To date, more than 350 organisations across England have committed to tackling mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department’s rural satellite broadband voucher scheme, what estimate he has made of the average cost of (a) installation and (b) a 12 months subscription to 2 megabit rural satellite broadband services.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The initiative will be administered by local authorities who will provide a code to eligible homes and businesses upon request. The code does not have a specific fixed value, but when used to obtain a satellite broadband service from one of the selected retail service providers, the use of the code will reduce the total cost (i.e. installation and commissioning costs plus 12 monthly subscriptions) by around £350.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from (a) 6 SCOTS and (b) 7 SCOTS did not attend the minimum number of training days in each year since 2012.
Mr Julian Brazier
There is no minimum number of training days for Army Reservists.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the proposed location is for the new primary academy to be opened in West Christchurch from September 2016 by Twynham Learning Foundation; and what financial contribution her Department plans to make to that academy’s premises.
Edward Timpson
The proposed location for the new school is in Marsh Lane, West Christchurch, subject to local planning approval. Whilst we require local authorities to provide a site for schools under the free school presumption, the choice of site is an entirely local matter. Basic need funding is allocated to local authorities to help them create new school places. Dorset has been allocated £15 million of basic need funding for the period 2015-18. It is for the local authority to determine how much of this to allocate to individual projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many core staff of his Department are based in each location in the North East of England.
Joseph Johnson
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has a total of 1,997 staff based in the North East Region of which 25 are HQ staff. Locations are set out in the table below.
|
Location |
Number of people |
|
BIS HQ, Queensway House, Billingham |
1 |
|
BIS HQ, Lingfield Point, Darlington |
8 |
|
BIS HQ, St Georges House, Gateshead |
16 |
|
BIS HQ Subtotal |
25 |
|
ACAS |
73 |
|
Insolvency Service |
44 |
|
Land Registry |
428 |
|
Skills Funding Agency |
51 |
|
Student Loan Company |
1,370 |
|
UK Trade & Investment |
6 |
|
BIS Total |
1,997 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of existing multi-academy trusts to absorb the remaining community schools in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire.
Edward Timpson
Existing schools are choosing to join or form a multi-academy trust (MAT); in 2014/15 over 90% joined or formed a multi-academy trust with one or more other schools. They are doing this because forming these MAT partnerships creates capacity in the system allowing schools to pool resources, share best practice, and benefit from strong leadership.
We are committing over £500M to build capacity and convert schools over the next four years – including recruiting excellent sponsors and encouraging the development of strong multi-academy trusts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent atrocities, such as the Gatumba massacre, from taking place in Burundi.
James Duddridge
The UK is playing a leading role in trying to build a strong and coherent international response to the crisis in Burundi. I visited Burundi in December 2015 and have consistently urged the Government of Burundi, in the strongest terms, to end the violence and engage in inclusive dialogue. Through the conflict, stability and security fund, we will be increasing our efforts on the ground which will include deploying a Burundi coordinator to Bujumbura.
DFID offices in Kigali and Dar Es Salaam have stepped up their analysis and coverage of the crisis to ensure they can respond to an evolving situation and increasing humanitarian assistance as necessary. My Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, Nick Hurd MP, has visited the Burundi refugee camps in Tanzania and DFID has provided £14.25 million in Tanzania and £6.9million in Rwanda to support refugees.
In March I addressed the UN Security Council and regional leaders of the Great Lakes, highlighting the need for urgent action in Burundi. British Ambassadors and High Commissioners across the region continue to lobby their host Governments on the importance of taking action to resolve the situation in Burundi.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to Sri Lanka.
Sir Desmond Swayne
DFID’s bilateral aid to Sri Lanka ended in 2006 when middle income status was achieved. We continue to support them through multilateral organisations and through centrally managed DFID programmes. In 2014 these amounted to at least £28m.