The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.
Jane Ellison
In the Department, legal spend is captured as part of a budget line which includes other expenditure. It would incur disproportionate costs to establish the exact amount of the relevant expenditure on employment tribunals alone.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to commemorate the First World War in 2016.
David Evennett
Since the Prime Minister set out plans for the Centenary in October 2012 the Government has delivered highly successful commemorative events for the start of the First World War and the Gallipoli Campaign.
In May 2016, commemorative events will be held for the Battle of Jutland, and in July 2016, we will mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme by holding national events at the Thiepval Memorial in France, at Manchester Cathedral, and at Heaton Park. In addition, a national vigil will be held in June at Westminster Abbey, and there will also be vigils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Season Two of the 14-18 NOW culture programme has been announced and this – together with Centenary Partnership events, Heritage Lottery funded projects and local commemorative activity – will ensure people right across the UK have the opportunity to participate in commemorative events.
Other centenary activities such as the UK Tour of the “poppies” and the national repair and conservation of War memorials also continue, more details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/first-world-war-centenary
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will give Ofcom the power to set or cap access charges with regard to 084 and 087 numbers.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom already has the power to impose tariff principles and maximum prices for the purpose of protecting consumers. Ofcom made changes in July 2015 to simplify non-geographic numbers and make call pricing clearer for consumers. This included making Freephone 080 and 116 numbers free from all telephones; and imposing a common simplified structure on revenue generating numbers – 084, 087, 090, 091 and 118 – which splits the price of the call between the phone company and the call service. Ofcom will be reviewing the effectiveness of these new regulations after their first year of operation and will consider whether further regulation should be imposed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the threats to the Tristan albatross and Gough bunting from invasive plants and mice; and if his Department will support the proposed initiative by the Tristan da Cunha council to protect those birds through mouse and invasive plant eradication projects.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government is aware of the threat to the seabirds of Gough Island posed by invasive mice and plants. We are reviewing the options for addressing this problem and will take necessary actions to ensure the protection of these rare and endangered species and to protect the World Heritage Site status of Gough Island.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the success of Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Tracey Crouch
Team GB’s historic medal haul in Rio is an amazing achievement and our athletes have made the country incredibly proud.
Our greatest Olympic performance in a century owed much to UK Sport’s ‘no compromise’ approach and an increase in funding. It is crucial that this funding was invested strategically in the right sports, the right athletes and the right support programmes.
We must not forget the crucial role the British public has played in making us one of the leading Olympic and Paralympic nations in the world with the continued support the public has given our top athletes through the National Lottery.
I am confident that this success will continue at the current Paralympics, and through to Tokyo in 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to retain visa exemptions for PhD-level jobs after the UK leaves the EU.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Future immigration arrangements for EU citizens are still to be determined. However, the Government has consistently enhanced the treatment of PhD-level jobs in the immigration system.
Immigration reforms since 2010 have explicitly taken account of the needs of academics, scientists and researchers and will continue to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14485, whether he has made an assessment of whether aerial bombing of Hayden Hospital in Yemen could represent a breach in international humanitarian law.
Mr Philip Hammond
We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition – including in relation to an alleged airstrike against a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Sa’ada, which we take very seriously. I regularly review the situation with my own advisers and have discussed it on numerous occasions with my Saudi counterpart. Our judgement is that there is no evidence that IHL has been breached, but we shall continue to review the situation regularly. We have emphasised the importance of full compliance with IHL to the Saudi Government and other members of the military coalition. They have assured us of their commitment to comply with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances and have offered advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law. We continue to urge all sides to the conflict to comply with IHL and to investigate incidents of alleged violations fully.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-01.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the 130 HM Revenue and Customs staff at Caledonian House, Dundee will have a guaranteed job in the new regional HM Revenue and Customs centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the planned locations of its future Regional Centres based on a number of key principles. In addition to cost, HMRC has taken account of the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, and the need to retain the staff and skills they need to continue their transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.
HMRC plans to open two new Regional Centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a combined total of between 5,700 and 6,300 posts.In Dundee, Caledonian House is planned to close in 2018 and Sidlaw House will transfer to the administering of Universal Credit. HMRC will be holding individual meetings with every member of staff prior to any office closures or moves, to discuss what these plans mean for them and their choices.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many recorded suicides there were by (a) men of black and minority ethnic background and (b) women of black and minority ethnic background in each London borough in each year since 2010.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what submissions she has received from teachers’ representatives on the rollout of the English Baccalaureate in the last year; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
On 3 November 2015 we launched a consultation seeking views on how to ensure that pupils receive a rigorous education in the core academic subjects; an education that includes the English Baccalaureate GCSEs: maths, English, science, a foreign language and history or geography. The consultation closed on 29 January.
Alongside the consultation, we have discussed the English Baccalaureate with more than 50 head teachers from schools or academy trusts in roundtable discussions, individual meetings or phone conversations. We have also met representatives from teaching unions to discuss the EBacc consultation.
We will publish the results of the consultation and the government’s response later in the spring. This will include information about the submissions received from teachers’ representatives.