The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what dates the Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas met representatives from that industry to discuss its plan for the UK oil and gas workforce.
Andrea Leadsom
The members of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas regularly meet with industry in their roles and use this to inform the group’s work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Merriman on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of the National Citizen Service on life chances.
Mr Rob Wilson
NCS is open to all young people and can significantly improve life chances. 7 in 10 participants felt more confident about getting a job in the future after NCS. Young people eligible for free school meals participate in high numbers and demonstrate stronger positive impacts in building resilience. The NCS Bill will make NCS a permanent feature of British life for young people from every background.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel in the light of the concern expressed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine about the death of a refugee and the high number of civilian injuries from live ammunition on 16 August during an Israeli military incursion into Fawwar refugee camp.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over this issue, we have regularly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate. We understand the IDF is currently investigating the circumstances of the death.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Department for Education figures, published on 13 October, showing that the percentage of pupils entering at least one arts subject at GCSE has fallen by 1.7 percentage points to 47.9 per cent of pupils in state-funded schools in 2016, what plans they have to increase take-up of arts subjects.
Lord Nash
All schools, including academies and free schools, must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society.
Between 2012-2016 the Government invested over £460 million in a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes that are designed to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background, and to develop talent across the country.
GCSE entries in arts subjects declined in 2016, but one year of data does not make a trend. Between 2012 and 2015, entries into arts subjects rose. The proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 taking a GCSE in at least one arts subject is down from the last two years but is still higher than it was in every year between 2010 and 2013. The number of exam entries does not reflect the extent of students’ engagement with the arts. Many students decide not to study arts subjects as academic subjects but nevertheless continue to enjoy taking part in the arts, in school and out, by singing in choirs, playing in orchestras and bands, and acting in school plays.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the total number of households have been owner occupiers in each of the last 10 years in each London (i) borough and (ii) constituency.
Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold this information at local authority level. The 2011 Census (Office for National Statistics) provides local authority estimates for 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints from workers were received by HM Revenue and Customs on non-compliance with minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.
Mr David Gauke
The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforces the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does so by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 28587 for information on recovery of arrears and on the number of incidences of non-compliance on 26 November 2015.
In 2014/15, HMRC issued financial penalties on 735 employers totalling £934,660 for non-compliance with NMW legislation.
In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2,204 investigations as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation.
Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100. HMRC reviews every complaint that Acas refer to it but these may not always lead to an investigation. In 2014/15, HMRC received 2489 worker complaints via the helpline.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of how many museums and galleries charged for entry in (a) 2005 and (b) 2010; and what estimate his Department has made of how many museums and galleries plan to introduce such charges in 2016.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Thanks to an excellent Spending Review settlement in November 2015 – the Government is honouring its manifesto commitment to keep entry to the permanent collections of our national museums free.
Through the Arts Council England, DCMS is increasing funding for major partner museums to £22.6 million to enable greater regional spending. In addition to this, regional museums can bid for funds from ACE’s £10 million per year Resilience Fund. We are also investing millions of pounds to boost local and regional museums – for example, £5 million towards a new South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum and £2.5 million to the Manchester Museum of Science andIndustry.
Spend on DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries was £389.7 million in 2014/15. In 2005 spend was £397.4 million and in 2010 it was £474.7 million. The Heritage Lottery Fund is also a major source of support to museums. To date, HLF has supported a total of 38,000 projects with £6.6 billion across the UK with around one third of this being allocated to museums, including support for capital projects, acquisitions and skills development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) overall levels of available compensation and (b) confidence in the NHS of fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence cases for patients who are (i) over the age of 60 and (ii) female.
Ben Gummer
The Department has established a working group to look at the impact of the proposal on equalities, health inequalities and families. The consultation stage assessment for the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence is work in progress and we will seek views on the impact of the policy on equalities, health inequalities and families within the consultation. We can confirm that age and gender, along with the other protected characteristics named within the Equality Act 2010, will be considered. The policy is not seeking to reduce the amount of damages but to reduce the levels of recoverable legal costs and to make claimant legal costs more proportionate to damages and defence costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 27898, whether the Association of Train Operating Companies objected to his Department releasing the average season ticket price.
Claire Perry
The information held by the Department on season tickets sales is derived from the rail industry’s central revenue and ticketing database. The Department is given access to this database for internal use only under licence by the Association of Train Operators (ATOC) who manage the database on behalf of the operators. This licence is subject to a number of conditions which restrict the Department from releasing information that has been derived from the revenue and ticketing data. ATOC’s contact details can be found on their website http://www.atoc.org/contact-us/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Collins on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to commemorate the life of Bobby Moore and to mark the 60th anniversary of his captaincy of the 1966 England FIFA World Cup winning team.
David Evennett
Sir Bobby Moore OBE made an exceptional contribution to English football – his leadership and skill inspired not only the 1966 squad, but also subsequent generations of aspiring footballers at clubs across the country.
The FA is leading commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup win, which the Government supports. The FA will be making a formal announcement in due course.