The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many consultation documents his Department issued which received fewer than 100 separate responses in each of the last four years.
Jenny Willott
Data on consultation response rates is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s Eleventh Report, on Plastic Bags, HC 861 will be completed and sent to the Committee.
Dan Rogerson
The Government is considering the Committee’s recommendations and will respond as soon as details have been finalised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Tees Valley City Deal.
Greg Clark
All City Deals are available on gov.uk.
A copy of the Tees Valley City Deal has been placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Russian annexation of Crimea on the Moldovan government’s commitment to signing an Association Agreement with the EU.
Mr David Lidington
The Government of the Republic of Moldova began to negotiate an Association Agreement with the EU in January 2010. Negotiations concluded in June 2013 and the text was initialled at the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2013. Throughout this period, the Moldovan government has been clear in its wish to achieve signature of the Association Agreement as early as possible. This position has not changed in recent weeks.
The Conclusions of the European Council held on 20 and 21 March 2014 confirmed the aim of the EU to sign the Association Agreement no later than June 2014. The UK is working with our European partners to ensure the conditions are in place to meet this deadline, including through the appropriate Parliamentary scrutiny.
The UK supports Moldova’s choice of European integration, which will help to bring greater stability, prosperity and democracy to all Moldovan citizens. We have been clear in dealing with Russia that Moldova should be able to make its own choices, including on European integration, without pressure from third countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons Mapeley has not come to an agreement with Network Rail regarding the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site for the construction of new parking facilities for Dover Priory railway station.
Mr David Gauke
Commercial arrangements in relation to the land at the Priory Court site are a matter for discussion between Network Rail and Mapeley. The Crown does not own the land.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to allow the most vulnerable Syrian refugees to come to Britain.
James Brokenshire
The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in the UK on 25 March as part of the
Government’s Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) Scheme. The next group of
refugees
is expected to arrive this month, with further groups to follow on a regular
basis. We continue to work with UNHCR to establish a steady flow of cases.
Whilst there is no set quota we predict that the VPR scheme will support
several hundred people over the next three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 364W, on Reserve Forces, what the current national recruitment rate to the Army Reserve is.
Anna Soubry
I refer the hon. member to the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Personnel Report which is published by Defence Statistics. This shows Reserve trained and untrained strength figures, as well as movements into the Future Reserves 2020 populations. It is available on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-armed-forces-quarterly-personnel-report-2014
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received from organisations concerned about the inclusion of books in the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect the inclusion of books in that scheme will have on prisoner rehabilitation.
Jeremy Wright
There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons, and allowing parcels to be sent in unrestricted would be operationally unmanageable and would lead to a significant risk of drugs and other illicit items being smuggled into prisons.
We have always recognised the importance of reading and literature in the rehabilitative process, and the positive effects this has on prisoners’ welfare. The National Offender Management Service works closely with schemes such as the Shannon Trust reading network, which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels.
The Howard League for Penal Reform, English PEN and Liberty have made representations concerning prisoner access to books. There have been no changes in the availability of books in prisons. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of school-age children living in areas where the only state schools within reasonable travelling distance are faith schools.
Mr David Laws
We have made no such estimate. Local authorities have responsibility for securing sufficient school places to meet the needs of their local communities and have the statutory duties and powers to support that. They must also ensure that the balance of different types of provision meets local demand and that they make suitable transport arrangements for eligible pupils.
The Government does recognise the need to ensure that new provision meets the needs of the whole community. New academies and free schools with a religious designation may only prioritise up to 50% of pupils on the basis of faith-related admissions criteria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hart on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there are plans for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to accept Army Personnel Centre records of driver qualifications as proof of army personnel having passed driving tests.
Stephen Hammond
Legislation provides, under delegated authority, for military personnel to carry out driving tests. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) following a notification from the Military of Defence records the test pass and applies the new entitlement to the driving record. Letters from the Army Personnel Centre are also accepted, provided it confirms that the driver has passed an appropriate driving test that allows them to drive on public roads.