The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures his Department follows when a jobcentre client requests a food bank voucher for the fourth time in any given year.
Priti Patel
The Department for Work and Pensions does not issue food bank vouchers.
Jobcentre Plus holds details of local organisations to which its staff can signpost claimants experiencing financial difficulty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Israeli government about the restrictions on construction in government-planned Bedouin towns.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to demonstrate UK concern by regularly visiting Bedouin communities in the Negev. The Embassy has arranged for the Arab Centre for Alternative Planning to meet Israel’s Minister of Construction to discuss the issue of restrictions on construction in Negev Bedouin towns. The Ambassador plans to raise this issue with the Minister of Construction in January.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employees in his Department have (a) taken the CESG Certified Cyber-Security Training Course and (b) received other relevant cyber-security training.
Penny Mordaunt
CESG certify a range of cyber security training courses, such as the Open University Introduction to Cyber Security and the MSc in Cyber through Cranfield University. As most employees complete these courses in their own time, it is not a requirement to record it on departmental systems. It would be impossible to present accurate statistics for their take-up as this information is either not held, or not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All users of MOD IT systems, some 255,000 people (both civilian and military), are mandated to undertake the Defence Information Management Passport, an e-learning course, which includes a cyber security element. In addition all Services have now implemented Cyber Awareness Training across their Single Service introductory training. Further, a range of cyber security material is promulgated, including briefings, online and hardcopy materials, in order to maintain awareness across Defence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to sell unused property from the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Selous
On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build nine new prisons with physical conditions to improve rehabilitation, thereby enabling prisoners to turn away from a life of crime. We will close ageing and ineffective prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate.
No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed, beyond those already announced for closure. The Ministry of Justice will seek to maximise best value for the taxpayer when disposing of any surplus property.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5795), what aspects of treatment provided by drugs and alcohol services are not funded by the NHS.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All public funding for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is provided by the National Health Service.
Depending on local arrangements, drug and alcohol services commissioned by local authorities in England and funded from the Public Health Grant, may provide service users with aspects of HCV treatment. These would usually include initial testing and counselling, referring and supporting patients who test positive to engage with and complete HCV treatment provided by the NHS. They might also cover providing premises for NHS diagnosis and treatment to take place in the community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase oversight of or the level of responsibility in home-schooling in the light of the 40 per cent rise in home-schooled students of secondary-school age over the last three years.
Lord Nash
I refer the Lord Storey to the answer to parliamentary question HL6799, submitted to Parliament on 14 March 2016, which states that:
“Some local authorities maintain voluntary registers of children educated at home but as they have no statutory basis, they cannot be regarded as an authoritative source of data.”
We continue to receive representations from local authorities and other stakeholders on this subject, but at present the responsibilities of parents and local authorities remain as in previous years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police staff have been deployed to (a) each region of the UK from other EU member states and (b) other EU member states from each region of the UK to police (i) football matches and (ii) other sporting events in each of the last 10 years.
Mike Penning
Whenever national football or club teams from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland play a match outside of the UK, an assessment is made as to whether a UK police delegation can be useful to the host nation’s policing operation. However, the decision to request UK police officers rests with the relevant host nation. Similarly whenever national football teams or club teams from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland host a match against a foreign club or national team, an assessment is made by the police and this will include whether they would welcome support from the relevant police force. Such consideration can also be given to other sporting events, but it is mainly applicable to football matches. We do not hold the specific detail asked for in the question.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on which safety responsibilities Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd plans to be discharged by staff employed in the proposed role of on-board supervisor.
Claire Perry
Transport safety is a key objective of the Government and the UK has one of the safest railways in Europe. Each operator is responsible for the safety of their staff, passengers and services. The Office of Rail and Road’s duty is to ensure that those responsible for keeping Britain’s railways safe for passengers, and providing a safe place for staff to work, do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government is taking to enable UK citizens living in other EU countries to remain there if they (a) have retired, (b) are working in those countries with habitual residence status and (c) are working in those countries part of the time but without habitual residence status.
Mr Robin Walker
At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, including those living in other EU countries or who own property in the EU. It is already the case that all Member States are bound by Article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights which obliges them to respect property rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hypothecate revenue generated from Vehicle Excise Duty to local roads maintenance from 2017.
Greg Hands
All revenue generated through English VED from 2020-21 onwards will be used to fund the English strategic road network. This will ensure the Government can issue a second Roads investment Strategy for the period 2020-25, to follow the first strategy published at Autumn Statement 2014. Investment in our local road network will be set out as part of the Spending Review.
In the period before 2020-21, VED revenues will continue to go to the Consolidated Fund which support general expenditure on public services including spending on local roads.