The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what amount of ticket revenue was shared between (a) London Midland, (b) Virgin West Coast and (c) Arriva Cross Country through the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services System in each of the last five years.
Stephen Hammond
The Department does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local education authorities currently operate a three-tier system; how many such authorities have sought to change to a two-tier system since 2010; and how many such authorities have changed to a two-tier system.
Mr David Laws
The Department does not hold records about the number of local authorities that operate three-tier systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the potential effects on (a) industrial relations, (b) rail passenger services and (c) rail franchising policy of London Midland’s staffing proposals.
Stephen Hammond
Staffing levels are a matter for the train operator, as long as they continue to deliver services that meet the requirements of the Franchise Agreement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to ensure that British values are taught in schools.
Lord Nash
Independent schools, academies and free schools are already required to encourage pupils to respect British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
We plan to strengthen the requirement placed on these types of school, to one of actively promoting British values. We will also ask Ofsted to change the Section 5 inspection framework to reflect this expectation, which will ensure that for the first time maintained schools are also properly held to account.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the event that Scottish voters opt for an independent Scotland, what plans they have in relation to the status of Scottish constituencies at the 2015 general election.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
If the people of Scotland vote to leave the UK, the UK would continue in its current form and with its existing Parliament, laws, institutions and responsibilities for governing Scotland up to the point that independence were given legal effect, unless the UK Parliament were to pass legislation to change existing arrangements. It would be for the UK Parliament to determine, in the event of a ‘yes’ vote, what, if any changes should be made to existing arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries currently receive United Kingdom international aid; and how much was paid to each of those countries in (1) 1995, (2) 2000, (3) 2005, (4) 2010, and (5) 2013.
Baroness Northover
Information on the countries currently receiving United Kingdom international aid; and how much was paid to each of those countries in (1) 1995, (2) 2000, (3) 2005, (4) 2010 has been placed in the House of Lords library. Figures for 2013 are currently being compiled and will be published in Statistics on International Development in October 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many displaced people they estimate to be in Darfur, Sudan; how many visits Department for International Development staff have paid to Darfur in the last two years; and which organisations they support there.
Baroness Northover
According to the latest update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 15 June 2014, the cumulative number of verified Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur who have been displaced since January 2014 and have yet to return to their areas of origin is 264,528. This figure is in addition to the estimated number of over 2 million people who, at the end of 2013, have been living in longer term displacement. It is not possible to determine retroactively the number of visits that have occurred over the past two years but DFID staff do travel regularly to Darfur. To date in 2014, there have been a total of six separate visits with a total of eight DFID staff participating, including two by the Head of DFID Sudan.
DFID has provided support to a wide range of development and humanitarian organisations working in Darfur both directly and through different joint funds such as the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) and the Darfur Community Peace and Stability Fund (DCPSF). Direct funds go to organisations including the following: the World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision Sudan, Oxfam America, Norwegian Church Aid Sudan and United Methodist Committee on Relief. Organisations getting funding through the joint funds include agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations, International Organisations, International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and National Non-Governmental Organisations (NNGOs).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood on 2014-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in luxury construction projects is consistent with the Department for International Development’s overall objectives in developing countries.
Baroness Northover
In 2013, CDC’s 1,300 investee companies directly employed over a million people, and created more than 68,000 net new jobs.
Individual investments are fully decided by CDC and the Government has put in place strict rules which require commitments to deliver jobs, economic development and poverty alleviation in developing countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laming on 2014-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure there are sufficient beds in acute mental health services.
Earl Howe
The Government has made it clear that beds must always be available for those who need them. The 2014-15 Mandate to NHS England states that every community must develop plans to ensure no one in mental health crisis will be turned away. In February 2014 we published the mental health Crisis Care Concordat, which describes the roles and responsibilities for improving outcomes for people experiencing a crisis. This makes it clear that local commissioners should commission a range of mental health services that allows beds to be readily available for people in urgent need. Local areas are expected to commit to and agree to deliver their own ‘Mental Health Crisis Declaration’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-06-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to follow the Northern Ireland initiative of test and vaccinate or remove” in relation to badgers carrying bovine tuberculosis as opposed to any replication of the cull.”
Lord De Mauley
The Northern Ireland Executive has begun a five-year ‘test and vaccinate or remove’ tuberculosis research project on badgers in a 100km2 area of County Down. We currently have no plans to adopt this approach in England although we will of course be interested in the outcome of the research in Northern Ireland.