The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average accommodation and travel costs relating to training at (a) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MOD Llanwrst, (c) MOD Fairbourne (d) MOD Crickhowell were in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
Mark Lancaster
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-01-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the sale of illegally-produced alcohol in shops.
Damian Hinds
The Government is committed to tackling alcohol fraud. Alcohol producers have to be licensed or gain approval by HMRC to operate. Illegal production is off-record and often involves the counterfeiting of established alcohol brands; chiefly spirits.
Detections of illegally produced alcohol in shops are low. However, because of the potentially serious health consequences of consumption, vigilance by enforcement agencies and the public is crucial.
HMRC responds robustly to all discoveries of illegal production of alcohol and works collaboratively with other enforcement agencies such as Local Authority Trading Standards and the Police, to tackle the sale of counterfeit alcohol. As well as exchanging intelligence, HMRC and Trading Standards Officers take part in joint exercises targeting retailers in specific regions to detect illegal products. Agencies working together can bring a broader range of sanctions and penalties against those who chose to flout the laws.
Sales of alcohol that are suspected to be illegally produced, counterfeit or untaxed can be reported to HMRC by using hotline number 0800 595 000, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January 2013 (HL4464) describing the Childsmile programme as very encouraging”
Lord Prior of Brampton
There are a variety of community based oral health improvement programmes that have been shown to be effective in reducing dental decay. No single intervention is likely to provide a solution to oral health improvement priorities and many work together for maximum benefit, for example water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste.
Public Health England recently reviewed such programmes and published an evidence informed toolkit entitled; Local authorities improving oral health: commissioning better oral health for children and young people, for local authorities to support their work on oral health improvement. Local authorities can therefore consider a range of oral health improvement programmes (including those which make up the Childsmile programme in Scotland and water fluoridation) and decide which or which combination is most appropriate to their local population’s needs. A copy of the toolkit is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his proposals for the extension of Sunday trading hours has passed the family test.
Anna Soubry
The Government’s Family Test is not a pass or fail measure.
The Government has conscientiously considered the impact on families and the evidence on this presented during the consultation. The Government will publish the Impact Assessment, including the Family Test, shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Freedom of Information Request release of 1 October 2014, reference BIS/FOI/2014/20352, what the data on referrals is for each financial year between 2009-10 and 2015-16.
Nick Boles
The Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) was replaced by the Acas helpline from 1st April 2015, meaning that the same data referred to in the FOI referenced above is not available for 2015/16. The table below shows the data on referrals from the PWRH to relevant enforcement authorities for the 2009/10 financial year.
|
2009/10* |
|
|
HMRC |
3000 |
|
EAS |
820 |
|
HSE |
290 |
|
DEFRA |
440 |
|
GLA |
100 |
*The Pay and Work Rights Helpline opened in May 2009
Notes
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10
2. Calls can be referred to more than one agency so the sum does not amount to the total number of calls referred for the period
3. Calls referred to agencies includes complaints, complex queries and calls where intelligence was passed to other agencies
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for any grant awarded to Action on Smoking and Health in each of the last five years, how much was awarded in one financial year and spent in a subsequent one.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has received an application for grant funding from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) for the 2016-17 financial year. The application process is iterative to ensure the final objectives are in line with Departmental aims and the application that the Department currently holds is a draft application. Draft applications for grant funding are not published.
There was no underspend of the grant awarded to ASH in 2015-16 and, in each of the last five years, the funding has been spent in the relevant financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many rodent reintroduction incidents have occurred on South Georgia since the commencement of the rodent eradication project.
James Duddridge
There has been one confirmed sighting of a rodent in October 2014. It was found in an area baited as part of the rodent eradication project. The source of the rodent is not known. On its sighting a pre-prepared plan was enacted. After intensive monitoring of the area, no signs of rodents have been seen, and it is believed the response was effective and the area remains rodent free.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the ratio of medical staff to administrators is in the NHS.
Mr Philip Dunne
The ratio of medical staff to administrators in the National Health Service is 1:1.05. The number of medical staff includes only doctors and does not include roles such as nurses, midwives and other non-medical clinicians.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Security Industry Authority licence applications were received in each of the last 12 months; and how many such applications were processed within 25 days.
Brandon Lewis
The average time taken to process applications is unavailable in the format requested. The SIA’s new IT system (introduced in July 2016) enables more detailed performance analysis. The system shows that the average number of days for processing applications (including renewals) was 38 days in July and 30 days in August. Once fully embedded, the SIA expect that the processing time for applications will be quicker than under the old system. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) have an annual performance target to process 80% of applications (including renewals) within 25 working days. The SIA met this annual target in the 2015/16 financial year. Performance for 2016/2017 to date is included in the table below.
|
Applications |
Percentage within 25 working days |
|
|
Sep-15 |
11618 |
89% |
|
Oct-15 |
10799 |
85% |
|
Nov-15 |
10499 |
83% |
|
Dec-15 |
8589 |
76% |
|
Jan-16 |
9905 |
80% |
|
Feb-16 |
10597 |
83% |
|
Mar-16 |
10352 |
85% |
|
Apr-16 |
9951 |
86% |
|
May-16 |
9889 |
81% |
|
Jun-16 |
9277 |
80% |
|
Jul-16 |
6305 |
46% |
|
Aug-16 |
9208 |
72% |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) regulate freelance tutors and (b) ensure that such tutors have an enhanced DBS check in order to safeguard children.
Edward Timpson
It is the responsibility of any school or parent to assure themselves that they are entirely satisfied as to the suitability of any freelance tutor they might choose to employ before they engage them. Private tutors have several options open to them to enable them to obtain appropriate checks in order to provide employers with the assurances they might need. For example, employment agencies are required to process DBS checks for all tutors working with children.
It is of course a serious criminal offence to seek to work with children in regulated activity after having been barred from doing so.