Category: Speeches

Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average amount of student loans outstanding for graduates has been in each of the last three years ending on 31 March 2016.

Joseph Johnson

The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics covering English student loan borrowers are published annually by the SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’:

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

Information on the average outstanding Higher Education loan balance of borrowers liable to repay by repayment cohort and tax year can be found in table 5A(iii) of the SFR. The figures refer to borrowers who received loans as English domiciled students studying in the UK or as EU domiciled students studying in England.

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01/01/2023
Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students from India were granted a visa to study in Britain in 2014.

James Brokenshire

There were 11,699 entry clearance visas granted to Indian nationals for study in 2014. This figure relates to main applicants, and is available in the published entry clearance visa statistics (Immigration Statistics April-June 2015, Home Office, table vi_06_q_s, Tier 4 & pre-PBS equivalent).

The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to promote to UK investors the publication by the European Commission of the Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, on 11 November 2015.

George Eustice

The principal feature of the Interpretative Notice is a recommendation that goods imported into the EU which originate from Israeli settlements in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 should bear an indication which makes that provenance clear. That recommendation was included in technical advice to UK retailers and importers concerning labelling agricultural produce from the West Bank that was issued by Defra in 2009. We are currently in discussion with other Departments to consider whether revisions need to be made to the 2009 advice in the light of the Interpretative Notice.

01/01/2023
Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 16 December (HL4512 and HL4513), what when necessary to deliver the carrier strike programme” means precisely.”

Earl Howe

Our aim is to ensure that embarked, jointly manned F-35B air squadrons operate to the same harmony guidelines. The overall principle is that we will manage all embarked air squadrons – which will include Fixed and Rotary Wing forces and personnel from all three Services – to ensure that the different harmony guidelines which all three Services routinely apply, do not adversely affect the way in which the operational output of the aircraft carriers will be delivered, and that they do not undermine joint unit or joint force cohesion. This principle will be given practical application as we continue our work to develop the routine carrier, combat air and helicopter operating cycles from 2020.

01/01/2023
Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Russian violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is not a signatory of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The US has briefed the UK on alleged violations of the Treaty by Russia. Together with our NATO Allies, the UK has called on Russia to preserve the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Continuing to uphold the Treaty strengthens the security of all, including Russia.

01/01/2023

Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was levied in respect of service credits in each key performance indicator designated met in respect of each Compass region in each year from 2012-13 to 2015-16 to date.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. This includes monthly contract management and quarterly strategic review meetings, as well as regular daily discussions with COMPASS providers’ operational delivery managers about day to day issues. The Home Office investigates complaints it receives from service users and third parties and works with contractors to ensure that any issues raised are addressed promptly.

Performance against each key performance indicator (KPI) is measured and may, dependent upon the level of non-conformance, lead to the application of a KPI score. The overall/total score across all KPIs is then used to determine the value of Service Credit (rebate) which should be deducted from the monthly invoice. If an individual KPI is met, no score is accrued and no service credit applies. The following table indicates the amount of service credits recovered following KPI non-conformance for each of the COMPASS contracts from the start of the contracts.

	2013-2014	2014-2015	2015-2016 (YTD)	TOTAL
Serco SNI	£773, 792	£156,156	£443, 545	£1,373,493
Serco NW	£3,137, 017	£1,974	0	£3,138,991
G4S MEE	£1,349, 475	0	0	£1,349, 475
G4S NEYH	£368, 107	0	0	£368, 107
CRH WSW	0	0	0	0
CRH LSE	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	£5,628, 391	£158,130	£443, 545	£6,230,066

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the value of the assets held by the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier

The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The capitalisation threshold to be recorded on an asset register is £25,000, so assets held which do not meet that threshold will only appear on unit inventories across the entire Air Cadet Organisation

01/01/2023
Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to hold events for cities intending to apply to be the 2023 European City of Culture.

Mr Edward Vaizey

DCMS will be running an event this year for potential bidding Local Authorities for the European Capital of Culture 2023 to provide information on the benefits, processes involved and generate interest in this exciting opportunity – in advance of the competition commencing in 2017.

01/01/2023
Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential use and effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in supporting the UK’s international development agenda.

Mr Nick Hurd

It is in the interest of the UK taxpayer, as well as beneficiaries on the ground, ‎that the Department for International Development scrutinises the most cost-effective means of delivering aid, especially when responding to crises. In some cases technology can provide valuable advantages in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as enabling the ability to respond rapidly to crises and assist those in the hardest to reach places.

The Department has recently commissioned a review of the potential of a number of Frontier Technologies including Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, which will help us identify potential applications as well as risks.

There are a small number of examples of UAV technologies currently being trialled in DFID programmes. This includes a small-scale trial of UAV mapping to inform disaster preparedness, mitigation and response efforts in Nepal. There is also research being conducted in the natural and physical sciences arena, including on climate extremes which have an impact on vulnerable populations in developing countries.

01/01/2023
Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with Sussex clinical commissioning groups about patient transport service provider Langfords going into administration.

Mr Philip Dunne

This is a matter for local commissioners.

NHS England has confirmed that Coperforma, holder of the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) contract for Sussex, informed High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (HWLH CCG) on 16 June 2016 that a receiver had been appointed for VM Langfords – transport provider sub-contracted to deliver PTS in East and West Sussex. A number of South East Coast Ambulance Services (SECAmb) staff had been transferred to VM Langfords employment.

HWLH CCG met with Coperforma on 17 June 2016 and was assured that a plan was already in place for additional transport capacity to mitigate any loss of capacity that this situation may cause.

HWLH CCG is working closely with Coperforma and the unions (Unison and GMB) to work through the implications for ex SECAmb staff, to ensure the processes followed are in keeping with employment legislation and good practice and that the impacts on service delivery are kept to a minimum.

There have been no discussions between Ministers in the Department and Sussex CCGs about PTS provider VM Langfords going into administration.

01/01/2023