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  • Henry Bellingham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Henry Bellingham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeships have been created under the Trailblazer scheme in the last nine months.

    Nick Boles

    The number of Apprenticeship Starts on Standards (known previously as Trailblazers) is published as part of the Department’s Statistical First Release (first link). Table 20.1 (second link) shows the provisional number of starts on Standards in the 2014/15 academic year, by quarter.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468260/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-data-tables-october15-ofqual-update.xls

    Provisional data for August to October 2015 will be published in January 2016.

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  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether insurers are increasing their premiums year on year due to the automatic renewal of policies without customers’ explicit consent.

    Harriett Baldwin

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government.

    The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the level of energy prices on the steel industry; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government recognises that energy costs are among the factors that have an impact on the competitiveness of the steel industry and for that reason has provided over £50 million compensation to steel makers for energy costs.

    We are also in advanced discussions with the European Commission to approve millions of pounds of further compensation for energy intensive industries, including steel makers. Many years of underinvestment in the UK’s energy infrastructure has meant wholesale prices of energy are higher in the UK than in some other EU countries. The Government is committed to addressing this long term issue through, for example, new nuclear plants and our support for shale gas extraction.

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which police forces contributed to the national Ugly Mugs Scheme during 2014–15.

    Lord Bates

    The National Ugly Mugs Scheme is a mechanism for reporting crimes committed against people involved in prostitution. The Home Office provided £108,000 for the pilot scheme that ran from April 2012 to March 2013, coordinated by the UK Network of Sex Worker Projects. The evaluation of the pilot is available on its website.

    The previous Government supported the pilot as part of its drive to end violence against women and girls. This Government is pleased that the evaluation of the scheme shows that it was successful in increasing access to justice and protection for those involved in prostitution. Police forces have been encouraged to contribute financially to the scheme, given its crime prevention focus and its role in encouraging reporting and contributing to intelligence. That is a decision for individual forces, and the Home Office does not collect information regarding which forces have contributed.

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits they found resulted from the national Ugly Mugs Scheme piloted by the Home Office; whether it was assessed as good value for money; and if so, what was the result.

    Lord Bates

    The National Ugly Mugs Scheme is a mechanism for reporting crimes committed against people involved in prostitution. The Home Office provided £108,000 for the pilot scheme that ran from April 2012 to March 2013, coordinated by the UK Network of Sex Worker Projects. The evaluation of the pilot is available on its website.

    The previous Government supported the pilot as part of its drive to end violence against women and girls. This Government is pleased that the evaluation of the scheme shows that it was successful in increasing access to justice and protection for those involved in prostitution. Police forces have been encouraged to contribute financially to the scheme, given its crime prevention focus and its role in encouraging reporting and contributing to intelligence. That is a decision for individual forces, and the Home Office does not collect information regarding which forces have contributed.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that all decisions about names of areas in Northern Ireland must be taken by mutual agreement of the two communities, as outlined in the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Government remains fully committed to supporting the institutions and principles established under the Belfast Agreement.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will require the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to publish information relating to each determination it makes, and if not, why not.

    Lord Dunlop

    The publication of information relating to determinations made by the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland is an operational matter for the Commission acting independently of Government.

  • Lord Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask general practitioners who prescribe antifungals to patients with Alzheimer’s disease to notify the National Health Service of the results of that treatment, in the light of the article published online by Nature on 15 October regarding the infection of different brain regions with fungi in Alzheimer’s.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The use of antifungal medication is not licensed for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently there would be no requirement for systematic monitoring of the use of these drugs.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to make available free postal delivery to every elector of every candidate’s election communication in the forthcoming Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    As set out in legislation, each candidate at an ordinary Police and Crime Commissioner election is entitled to have an election address published on a website dedicated to promoting the candidates for these polls, and an elector can request a printed version of the election addresses for the police area where they are entitled to vote to be sent to them.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to have fulfilled the agri-environment scheme payments to farmers, and how they will ensure that delays in making such payments do not happen next year.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    We recognise the importance of early payments to the rural community. As at 22 October, Environmental Stewardship advance payments had been made to 25,200 agreement holders with a total value of £62.5 million. Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency continue to work to get payments out as soon as possible with the aim of making the remaining advance payments in November and December.

    This year, 2015, has been a transitional year as new Common Agricultural Policy rules have taken effect. Whilst we would expect these payments to start earlier next year, from 2018 new EU rules will prevent any payments being made before 16 October.