The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to publish evaluations of the universal credit in work conditionality pilots.
Esther McVey
The Department is currently developing the evaluation strategy, including publication plans, for the large-scale Randomised Controlled Trials that we will deliver in Universal Credit. The first of these trials will be launched in April this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many procurement processes have been triggered as a result of the Community Right to Challenge.
Stephen Williams
The Department does not collect or collate administrative data from local authorities on the number of Expressions of Interest they receive under the Community Right to Challenge. We do however carry out follow up surveys with community groups and parish councils that have used the Community Right to Challenge support service. The Department also collates intelligence from local authorities, where they speak to us about an Expression of Interest.
From this, we are aware of 51 Expressions of Interest submissions to councils, but this is not a comprehensive figure. Of these, we know of seven completed procurement exercises, four of which have resulted in the organisation that submitted the Expressions of Interest winning a contract. We know of two other cases where an Expression of Interest has been accepted and a procurement triggered, but not completed.
We know that voluntary groups remain interested in the Community Right to Challenge. The most recent follow up survey of organisations using the Community Right to Challenge support service showed that a further 43 groups, out of 105 respondents, were intending to submit an Expression of Interest in the next 12 months.
We do know that Challenge is recognised by the voluntary and community and parish sectors as being helpful in opening up relationships with lcoal authorities. In a recent survey of 188 enquirers to the advice service, 25% were in negotiation with their council on potential commissioning and said negotiation had come about as a direct result of the Challenge legislation. Almost half (48%) felt that their local authority was more open to contracting with eligible bodies than before the legislation came into force and 25% were working with ttheir authorities on commissioning as a result of the legislation. 70% felt the support they received had improved their contrct readiness and 82% were expecting to bid for the delivery of public services. Timescales for procurement exercises are sdignificant but we are working with support providers to monitor the number of organisations that succeed in winning contracts.
This information is informing our future programme of work especially around commissioning processes. Community groups advise us that they are encouraged by the shift in culture and the changing mind-sets of procurement and commissioning officiers in councils across England as a result of the Localism Act 2011. They tell us the community rights have prompted many councils to examine how local public services are commissioned in their area.
Through our support programme we have supported 376 groups with specialist referrals and provided 216 groups with financial assistance to develop their capacity to bid for and deliver services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the definition of energy subsidies used by his Department is the same as the definition set out in the report, Subsidies and costs of EU energy: an interim report, published by the European Commission on 10 October 2014; and if he will make a statement.
Matthew Hancock
The European Commission study on Subsidies and costs of EU energy notes the OECD’s conclusion that there is “no universal definition of what constitutes a subsidy”, hence the use throughout the study of the term “public interventions.” The study was developed on the basis of information and data which has been estimated and utilised methodologies developed by the Commission’s consultants which were not endorsed or assured by Member States prior to its publication. Accordingly its approach reflects the views of those consultants, not those of the UK or Member States generally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Saudi Arabian government about freedom of speech in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We continue to raise a range of human rights issues with the Saudi authorities including the right to freedom of expression. Earlier this month we raised freedom of expression at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ruffley on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-emergency admissions to hospital via A&E departments were made in each NHS hospital in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each year since 2005.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is not collected centrally. The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Hospital Episode Statistics database classes all admissions through accident and emergency as emergency admissions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are currently serving sentences in the UK that were (a) handed down by the International Criminal Court or (b) heard at the Hague.
Andrew Selous
One prisoner convicted and sentenced at The Hague by the Special Court for Sierra Leone is serving his sentence in the United Kingdom. There are no prisoners serving sentences in the UK which were handed down by the International Criminal Court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the levels of litter on the strategic road network.
Mr John Hayes
I have taken a keen interest in this matter and believe more should be done.
Levels of litter on the Highways Agency network are assessed through routine inspections, customer surveys and information received from members of the public reporting littering issues on the network.
However, I intend to discuss with the Highways Agency what further steps could be taken to reduce litter on the Strategic Road Network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Armenia about the detention and trial of Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Askerov; and whether they recognise as legitimate Armenian court procedures in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has not made any representations to the Government of Armenia about the detention of Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Askerov in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, we have discussed this case with the International Committee of the Red Cross who are able to access Nagorno-Karabakh and have visited the detainees several times. The UK does not recognise the so-called ‘Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’ and therefore does not recognise the legal framework or Court proceedings in question.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of 17 year-olds in England are participating in education and training in fulfilment of the duty to participate set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, and what steps they are taking to maximise participation from September 2015 when the requirement to participate increases to the 18th birthday.
Lord Nash
Young people who were aged 17 at the start of this academic year were covered by the first phase of raising the participation age (RPA) set out in the Education and Skills Act 2008. This required them to continue in education or training for one further year, to 27 June 2014. This cohort is therefore no longer under a duty to participate, although we expect that the vast majority of them will continue to participate this academic year.
Data showing the proportion of these young people participating in the current academic year will be published as part of the 16-18 participation statistical first release at the end of June.
Young people who were aged 16 at the start of this academic year will be under a duty to participate until their 18th birthday. We will encourage schools, colleges and training providers to ensure that young people are aware of this requirement.
In addition, local authorities have a duty to promote the effective participation in education and training of 16 and 17 year olds in their area with a view to ensuring that they fulfil the duty to participate.
We plan to invest £7.2 billion in 2014/15 to fund education and training places for 16 to 19-year-olds. The government has implemented a range of other measures to promote participation and help young people get the best possible start in life, including the reform of vocational education and the Youth Contract.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have provided any financial support for the redevelopment of houses destroyed during recent floods in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The UK government has not received a request from the Indian Government for financial assistance. In 2012, DFID announced that it would end our traditional financial grant aid to India in 2015. From this year on, our partnership will be based on sharing skills and expertise, investing in private sector projects that benefit the poor, and working together on global development issues.