The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport are currently working on the HS2 project.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The High Speed Rail headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) in post as of the end of November 2015 in the Department is 129.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are able to provide to schools in rural areas with attached swimming pools where the age weighted pupil unit is not sufficient to support the operation of such facilities.
Lord Nash
The Department distributes revenue funding to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant. Each local authority receives a fixed level of schools revenue funding per pupil. The local authority is then responsible for designing a local funding formula, in consultation with its schools forum, which must include an age-weight pupil unit (per pupil funding attracted by each pupil at a school) of at least £2,000 per pupil for primary schools, and £3,000 for secondary schools. In consultation with its school forum, the local authority has the flexibility to set rates higher than these minimum levels. There are two further optional factors that are particularly relevant for rural schools: the lump sum and the sparsity factor. It is for individual schools to manage their budgets within the total provided to them, determined by the local formula.
The Department publishes all local authorities’ funding formulae on GOV.UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department engaged in a contract with the Department of Health to transfer land within the Harperbury site for the proposed Harperbury Free School.
Edward Timpson
The negotiation for land for the site of Harperbury Free School was part of a wider land sale for new homes which was being negotiated by the Department of Health. Heads of Terms for the sale were agreed in September 2014 and subsequently revised in October 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 29 June 2015 to Question 4049, when he expects the review of the Autism Awareness project to be published.
Alistair Burt
Following an interim evaluation, the Department’s commissioned Autism Awareness project, has now entered its second and final phase. Once this Autism Alliance UK project has been completed, it will be reviewed and a report will be published. This is expected in approximately six months’ time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracts with the NHS for diabetes education Spirit Healthcare holds.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-05-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the effectiveness of tobacco licensing schemes in tackling the illicit market in tobacco; and what the outcomes of such research were.
Damian Hinds
HMRC has not conducted or commissioned any research into the effectiveness of tobacco licensing schemes in tackling the illicit market in tobacco.
The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Illicit Trade Protocol, to which the UK is a signatory, requires parties to consider whether to introduce tobacco licensing schemes for participants in the supply chain.
HMRC is currently undertaking a public consultation on the possible benefits of licensing participants in the supply chain in tackling the illicit trade in tobacco products. The consultation closes on 20 May and also covers the implementation of a licensing scheme for tobacco manufacturing machinery, a further requirement of the Protocol.
HMRC will publish a summary of responses later in 2016.
The consultation is published on GOV.UK:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the additional cost relative to the previous system of additional entitlements to free school meals created by new eligibility criteria under universal credit.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We will continue to ensure that children from the poorest families benefit from a free school meal. My Department is continuing to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider eligibility criteria for free school meals following the introduction of Universal Credit. In the meantime, any child in a family in receipt of Universal Credit will continue to be entitled to free school meals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to exempt domestic violence refuges from proposals to cap housing benefit.
Caroline Nokes
The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Campbell on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many properties affected by subsidence have been compulsorily purchased by the Coal Authority in each of the last five years.
Jesse Norman
The Coal Authority has no compulsory purchase powers in relation to subsidence and as such has not purchased any properties on that basis in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harries of Pentregarth on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Georgia about its actions towards the independent tv station Rustavi 2.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In response to developments in the legal case concerning the Rustavi 2 TV station, the UK and other EU Member States’ Missions released a joint written statement on 6 November with the Embassy of the United States of America in Georgia, which said:
"The Delegation of the European Union, in agreement with the Heads of Mission of the EU Member States in Georgia, and the Embassy of the United States of America express our concern related to the appointment of a new management to the Rustavi 2 TV company.
In light of the recent interim decision of the Constitutional Court and considering that the substantial judgment of the first instance court in the Rustavi 2 case does not envisage immediate enforcement, the preventive measures adopted on 5 November raise serious questions about the independence of the judiciary and the actual degree of freedom of the media in Georgia.
As our respective Missions have publicly stated many times, freedom of media and independence of the judiciary are essential foundations of a democracy, and diverse opinions should be encouraged in democratic societies. We call on all political actors to refrain from any step or statement that could prevent the Georgian judiciary from ruling dispassionately on this case.
The government and judicial institutions need to uphold the principles of media freedom and political pluralism that are an integral part of Georgia’s declared aspirations.
We will continue to monitor developments closely and raise concerns with all relevant parties as appropriate.”
Our Ambassador in Tbilisi has also held discussions with senior members of the Georgian government and will continue to engage on this issue, bilaterally as well as with EU and other concerned partners.