The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many valid British passports are currently held, and how many of those passport holders also hold passports of another state.
Lord Bates
There are 49 million valid UK passports in circulation. Records are not held centrally of persons holding both a UK passport and foreign passport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of passengers departing overseas from each British (1) airport, (2) port, or (3) railway station, are currently having their passports checked by Border Force officers, and when they expect to reach 100 per cent checking for each departure point.
Lord Bates
Exit checks have been in place since April 2015 across all scheduled commercial services departing the UK from air and sea ports and from international rail stations, except those services not within scope such as, for example, journeys within the Common Travel Area. Departure data is collected by carriers and port operators and transmitted to Home Office systems, where work takes place to match it to arrival data, visa conditions and other information as appropriate.
Exit checks are not conducted by Border Force officers; however Border Force officers do from time to time carry out intelligence led operations and interventions which are not part of the exit checks procedures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what circumstances the UK would be able to opt out of implementing the agreement contained in the statement of the Heads of State or Government of the EU issued on 7 March to accelerate the implementation of the visa liberalisation roadmap with all member states with a view to lifting the visa requirements of Turkish citizens at the latest by the end of June 2016″.”
Lord Bates
The UK Government cannot be obliged by the EU to lift visa requirements. Visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens as referred to in the Statement of 7 March is in respect of the Schengen area only. In accordance with the Schengen Protocol (No.19), the UK does not participate in the Schengen acquis concerning visas. The UK is free to request to participate in some or all of the provisions of the Schengen acquis which it does not already participate in, but is explicitly not obliged to do so. Nor is the UK bound by any Justice and Home Affairs measures in the area of EU visa policy unless the UK explicitly chooses to opt in, in accordance with the UK and Ireland’s JHA Protocol (No 21).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding or support they have provided to the Kenya Defence Forces, Kenyan police forces, including the anti-terror police and the National Intelligence Service, and the Kenyan Wildlife Service in each of the last three years.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK and Kenya have a shared interest in tackling terrorist threats, and in line with the UK’s approach to address terrorism overseas we are committed to supporting the Government of Kenya and building capacity to counter this shared threat.
The Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) received approximately £640,000 in 2013/14, £870,000 in 2014/15, and £1,110,000 in 2015/16. The bulk of this money over the three years was for pre-deployment training with the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), including human rights training on sexual and gender based violence. In addition, the KDF received £22,000 as part of a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat maintenance package from 2013-15.
The Kenyan Police Force (KPF) received approximately £140,000 in 2013/14, £156,000 in 2014/15, and £356,000 in 2015/16. Our 2015-16 programmes support police reform and strengthen the accountability of the Kenyan National Police Service.
The Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) does not receive direct funding from the Government. However, the KWS is a project partner on three projects through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The three projects receive around £790,000 over the period 2014-2018. In 2015/16, 6 KWS employees were part of an i2 Notebook and Intelligence Analysis training course. The overall cost was £105,000.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported human rights abuses by Kenyan security forces in response to terror attacks in the north-eastern region of Kenya.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We take human rights very seriously and strongly oppose human rights abuses in all circumstances. We continue to believe that a human rights compliant approach is the most effective way to secure long-term peace and stability. Where allegations of abuses have been made, we urge the Kenyan government to fully investigate any credible allegations of non compliance and hold those responsible to account.
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), signed a bilateral Security Compact with the Kenyan government in September 2015 aimed at enhancing our security cooperation. The Compact provides assurances on Kenya’s commitment to adhere to its international human rights obligations. The Conflict, Security and Stability Fund is working to build capacity to ensure security forces in the region are better governed, more accountable and more effective, and to build community resilience to respond to security challenges through work with civil society.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch will be responsible for overseeing the National Reporting and Learning System.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch will not be responsible for overseeing the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). The national safety functions, including the responsibility for overseeing the NRLS, will be transferring to NHS Improvement from 1 April 2016. The Government announced this decision in July 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the set up costs, and (2) the running costs, of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.
Lord Prior of Brampton
In the first year, the setting up costs and the running costs of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be £3.6 million. The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will sit within NHS Improvement and therefore other costs, such as premises and back office functions, will be met by NHS Improvement.
The budgets of arm’s length bodies are agreed on an annual basis, subject to business planning. The budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be set through this process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of abolishing the National Patient Safety Agency.
Lord Prior of Brampton
An internal report Abolition of the National Patient Safety Agency, Transition and closure (July 2012) states that “In total, the savings secured through closing the Agency have been calculated to be approximately £9.3 million per annum … The vast majority of the Agency’s cost base related to personnel. A significant amount of cost saving was secured through proactive management of headcount through restructuring and redundancy programmes.”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value of strategic local approaches to play, and the case for local authorities to submit regional play strategies to them for review.
Lord Nash
I refer my Noble Lady to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29737, which I have also set out below:
The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.
Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”
The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department.
Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.
In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.
Local Authorities provide and offer Continuous Professional Development and training to early years settings; some of which may include training on play. However, it is not a requirement for local authorities to deliver regional play training as it is already a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage to cover play in a setting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that adequate ring-fenced funding is provided to local authorities to enable them successfully to deliver the Government’s childcare provision targets.
Lord Nash
We have already announced over £1bn funding for the early years entitlements within the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant by 2019-20, which includes £300m to uplift the funding rate to providers. The increase to the funding rate is based on robust evidence from the Review of the Cost of Childcare. We have made clear our commitment to maximise the amount of this funding which reaches front line childcare providers, and will consult on proposals for achieving this as part of our consultation on early years funding reform later this year.