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  • Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recipients of war disablement pensions there are in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

    Anna Soubry

    The number of recipients of war disablement pensions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, can be found below:

    Country

    Number

    England

    89,450

    Wales

    6,925

    Scotland

    11,890

    Northern Ireland

    3,680

    Other UK

    340

    UK Unknown

    345

    Not Known

    135

    Total

    112,765

    Notes:

    1. Other UK includes Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

    2. In line with Defence Statistics’ Rounding Policy, all figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest 5. Due to rounding, the figures provided may not sum to totals.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2014 to Question 216388, if he will permit Normandy Veterans to apply for funding for independent travel to Normandy as part of the D-Day Return scheme.

    Anna Soubry

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not fund visits by veterans to return to sites of Remembrance. The long standing MOD policy on official commemorations is that only certain specific anniversaries of events of major importance receive MOD sponsorship at public expense.

    Funding is still available from the Big Lottery fund, Heroes Return 2 scheme, as long as veterans travel before 31 December 2015 and haven’t benefited from this scheme since 1 January 2013. This scheme allows veterans to return to the theatre in which they saw action, so travel is not limited to Normandy.

    In addition, and as advised by my hon. Friend the Treasury Minister (David Gauke) in his response to Question 216388, the Royal British Legion (RBL) has been chosen to run the D-Day return scheme on the Government’s behalf. As detailed on the RBL website, the D-Day return scheme will not fund independent travel.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2014 to Question 216388, if he will provide funding for Normandy Veterans to return to sites of Remembrance they choose rather than to sites chosen by the Royal British Legion as part of the D-Day Return scheme.

    Anna Soubry

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not fund visits by veterans to return to sites of Remembrance. The long standing MOD policy on official commemorations is that only certain specific anniversaries of events of major importance receive MOD sponsorship at public expense.

    Funding is still available from the Big Lottery fund, Heroes Return 2 scheme, as long as veterans travel before 31 December 2015 and haven’t benefited from this scheme since 1 January 2013. This scheme allows veterans to return to the theatre in which they saw action, so travel is not limited to Normandy.

    In addition, and as advised by my hon. Friend the Treasury Minister (David Gauke) in his response to Question 216388, the Royal British Legion (RBL) has been chosen to run the D-Day return scheme on the Government’s behalf. As detailed on the RBL website, the D-Day return scheme will not fund independent travel.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are in receipt of a war disablement pension in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

    Anna Soubry

    The number of recipients of war disablement pensions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, can be found below:

    Country

    Number

    England

    89,450

    Wales

    6,925

    Scotland

    11,890

    Northern Ireland

    3,680

    Other UK

    340

    UK Unknown

    345

    Not Known

    135

    Total

    112,765

    Notes:

    1. Other UK includes Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

    2. In line with Defence Statistics’ Rounding Policy, all figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest 5. Due to rounding, the figures provided may not sum to totals.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the advertising budget is for the Defence Discount Service campaign; and how much his Department has spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the phrase Defence Discount Service since January 2012.

    Anna Soubry

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not incur any costs in respect of advertising the Defence Discount Service. Advertising the scheme is the responsibility of Blue Light Card Ltd which provides this service at no cost to the MOD.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the advertising budget is for the Troops for Teachers campaign; and how much his Department has spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the phrase Troops for Teachers since January 2012.

    Anna Soubry

    The Troops to Teachers programme was formally announced in June 2013. The overall marketing spend to 31 December 2014 was £117,796.

    The table below details the breakdown of the specific marketing and advertising expenditure.

    Type of Advertising

    Expenditure

    Incurred £

    Television

    0

    Newspaper

    17,036

    Online

    3,600

    Radio

    0*

    Other forms of advertising (this includes marketing materials and design; development of website and promotional video)

    97,160

    * The MOD did not incur any costs for the feature on British Forces Broadcasting Service.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to inform older people about the implications of digital radio switchover.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government set out its plans for digital radio in December 2013. We have always been clear that the listener is at the heart of any decision in relation to a digital radio switchover. With digital radio listening under 40% we concluded it was not the right time to announce a switchover or set any dates.

    Whilst we are fully committed to a digital future for the UK, a decision about the timetable for a future switchover will only be considered once 50 per cent of all radio listening is on digital platforms and local and national DAB coverage matches FM.

    As part of the Digital Radio Action Plan, DCMS worked with the Consumer Experts Group (originally formed to inform the digital TV switchover process) which included representatives from a number of consumer organisations*, including Age UK, in order to ensure the policy on digital radio takes account of a wide range of listeners needs. A paper by the Consumer Experts Group was published by DCMS and is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-scheme-digital-radio-action-plan. The Government will take account of this paper as part of a future consideration of a switchover.

    “

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2014 to Question 222384, whether regional data is available on any of the campaign spend.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Regional data is not available on any of the campaign spend as media was bought on a national basis. The purpose of the campaign is to increase public awareness of, and interest in superfast broadband in order to drive take up. The Government’s Superfast Broadband programme is central to the economic growth agenda. Every £1 spent will see a return of up to £20 in net economic benefits with 89% outside of London and the South East.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2014 to Question 222384, on broadband, what the digital and video on demand outlets were and how much was spent with Facebook.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The digital outlets Facebook, Youtube, Google, Twitter, Mail Online, Telegraph Online, Money Supermarket, Spotify, Xbox, 4th Screen and Skype.

    The video outlets were Videology, ITV.com, 4OD and Demand 5

    Facebook spend is £14,898.95

  • Jim McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Jim McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McGovern on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle the gender pay gap and (b) increase the number of women in the video games industry.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Changes to the national curriculum mean all children now have the opportunity to learn to code and initiatives such as the Your Life campaign, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors help challenge gender stereotypes and encourage more girls to consider careers in the video games sector.

    ‪We are working with industry on developing new routes into video games development, including the Next Gen Skills Academy and Creative Skillset’s trainee placement scheme. Initiatives specifically designed to help address barriers to women working in the video games industry include the Next Gen Skills Academy’s Gender Balance Workforce programme. This is investigating career challenges faced by women in the games industry and offering practical workshops and knowledge sharing, for employees and employers, based on the evidence collected.

    ‪For women in the workforce the Government has extended the right to request flexible working to all employees, and is introducing a new system of shared parental leave from April 2015. To help women return to the sector Government will provide support for a dedicated platform to match STEM trained women graduates to return to jobs in industry following career breaks and to provide them with advice and information about support on offer.

    The Government will make free software available to all UK companies later this year which will enable them to calculate their gender pay gap easily, and help them identify issues preventing women from progressing in their career