The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations that have charged rents in excess of local housing allowance rates in each of the last six years.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Pakistan on the case of Flight Lieutenant Gurdev Sing Rai and Captain Kamal Bakshi.
Mr Philip Hammond
Sadly, the fate or whereabouts of a number of Indian and Pakistani combatants in the wars that India and Pakistan have fought since 1947 is not known to their relatives.
The UK works closely with other states and the Red Cross Movement to promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including the Third Geneva Convention which governs the treatment of Prisoners of War in situations of armed conflict. We call on states and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and act in accordance with their obligations under it. Within this context, we regard establishing the fate and whereabouts of combatants, and arranging for the release of any surviving combatants as a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheryll Murray on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her announcement of 2 November 2015 Introducing greater emphasis on literacy and numeracy at key stage 2, what representations she has since received on that policy; and approximately how many such representations were (a) against and (b) in favour of that statement.
Nick Gibb
We have not received specific representations on literacy and numeracy following the Secretary of State’s announcement in November. The government remains committed to raising standards of literacy and numeracy and works closely with professionals to raise standards for all pupils so that they are equipped to succeed in education and in life. In 2010, one in every three children starting secondary school was unable to read, write, or add up properly. Following government reforms, teachers have driven up standards with the figure now at one in five.
It is vital that we get the foundation right so that every child has a fair chance to succeed through all key stages. That is why we have placed phonics at the heart of the early teaching of reading and introduced a phonics check at the end of year 1 to enable schools to assess whether the essential building blocks of reading are in place. The percentage of pupils meeting the required standards of phonics in year 1 has increased from 58 percent in 2012 to 77 percent in 2015, putting 120,000 more 6 year olds each year on track to become confident readers. We fund a programme of 200 book clubs in primary schools where reading attainment at key stage 2 is currently low, and support schools to enrol year 3 pupils with a public library.
Beyond this, we have placed a greater emphasis within the primary curriculum and assessment on a secure grasp of the essentials such as grammar, punctuation and spelling, introducing a grammar, punctuation and spelling test in year 6.
For mathematics, we have placed particular emphasis in the primary curriculum on fluency in mental and written calculation. Just as knowledge of phonics is an essential foundation for success in reading, sound knowledge of arithmetic is essential for future success in mathematics. We removed the use of calculators for the end of key stage 2 mathematics tests from 2014 and in January 2016 we announced that all children will have their multiplication skills checked at the age of 11.
We want to ensure that all children have the right foundation at primary school and that any child who falls behind can catch up quickly. We provide funding to secondary schools to help year 7 pupils catch up and, as the Secretary of State said in her November speech, we have announced a resit test for year 7 pupils who do not meet expected standards in reading or mathematics at the end primary school.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of train operators or Network Rail taking over the operation of train ticket offices previously operated by local authorities.
Claire Perry
No local authorities operate train ticket offices, therefore no such assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the responses to his Department’s National Flood Resilience Review.
Mr Oliver Letwin
The report of the National Flooding Resilience Review is due to be published in the summer of 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support issuances of land titles and registration of land in Rwanda.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID has supported the Government of Rwanda’s Land Tenure Regularisation (LTR) programme since 2009. This ambitious programme is supporting the issuance of a registered land title to every landholder in Rwanda as well as establishing systems for maintenance of those titles to facilitate investment and support women’s rights to land. To date, the programme has delivered 7.1 million registered titles, out of a target of 8 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the gap in apprenticeship completion rates for people who are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.
Nick Boles
We want to increase the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships, including for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Our far-reaching reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. The Institute for Apprenticeships is being created to ensure the quality of apprenticeship standards in England.
Information on apprenticeship completion rates is published in the National Achievement Rate Tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sfa-national-achievement-rates-tables-2014-to-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what factors Ministers in his Department took into account when signing a memorandum of understanding with Aventa Capital in 2014.
Greg Hands
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a high-level arrangement, which is not legally binding, and enables the participants to work together toward a desired outcome. Between the period April 2014 to October 2015, the Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) negotiated MoUs with seven companies. Only one of those MoUs remains in place.
Aventa is a regeneration investor and comprises a regulated asset management company and a vehicle for managing early stage development and construction risk. The Regeneration Investment Organisation and Aventa Capital MoU was developed in October 2014 to support Aventa’s work in seeking to develop a regeneration fund and thereby encourage institutional investment into UK regeneration projects. The Department felt the proposal covered by the MoU was viable given Aventa’s sector and management experience.
There was no commitment on the part of RIO to provide any capital or resource in connection with the agreement. In addition, any recommendation from Aventa would have been reviewed and subjected to due diligence by the developer as a commercial partner. The MoU was concluded, by mutual agreement, following meetings with officials during December 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to tackle cyber attacks originating in Russia and China.
Matthew Hancock
For security reasons we do not comment on specific details of cyber security attacks. The Government takes cyber security very seriously; from 2011 to 2016, we have invested £860 million in a National Cyber Security Programme.We plan to almost double investment in cybersecurityto £1.9bn over the next five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which roles currently fulfilled by HMS Ocean will be carried out by HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales when they enter service; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (Cm9161), we will enhance a Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carrier to support our amphibious capability. Together with existing amphibious ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, this will provide the capacity and capability to deploy our amphibious forces.
HMS OCEAN can carry up to 690 Embarked Military Forces (EMF) – Royal Marines and Aviation Group personnel – in addition to her ship’s company. She can deploy a variety of helicopter types in multiple combinations as required by her mission and role.
The QEC aircraft carriers can embark up to 900 EMF, in addition to their ship’s company, in support of their missions and tasks and a flexible mix of helicopters subject to the operational tasking.