The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent by the Department on purchasing or maintaining carpets in buildings owned by his Department in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Mr Francis Maude
Information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Goods Vehicle Levy in Northern Ireland.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The levy is supported by a majority of hauliers in Northern Ireland, all of whom pay it alongside their Vehicle Excise Duty. Hauliers from Ireland must also pay before they use roads in Northern Ireland. A typical large HGV from Ireland visiting Northern Ireland twice a day, as would be the case for a round trip, would effectively pay only £1.28 per visit if they had purchased an annual levy. Smaller vehicles pay less, and those under 12 tonnes pay nothing. These represent small amounts compared to the running cost of a UK HGV of £80,000 to £100,000 per year, and much less than the tolls a typical Northern Ireland HGV would face doing a round trip to Dublin at around £8. Parliament has already debated the exempting of some border roads in Northern Ireland, totalling around 7 miles. These exemptions are a practical measure meaning that vehicles entering Northern Ireland for a short distance do not have to pay the levy, and exempting them simplifies enforcement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what diagnostic training general practitioners receive with regard to neurofibromatosis.
Earl Howe
The content and standard of medical training of trainee general practitioners (GPs) is the responsibility of the General Medical Council, which is an independent statutory body. It has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
In the specific area of genetics in primary care, the curriculum designed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) requires GPs to understand that while some genetic conditions always present with the same signs and symptoms, others can show variability between family members, particularly some autosomal dominant conditions (such as neurofibromatosis type 1).
The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. This mandate includes a commitment that HEE will ensure that GP training produces GPs with the required competencies to practise in the new NHS. Consequently HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of the court cells at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court since December 2013.
Lord Faulks
The cell accommodation at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court is housed within the interconnected Pilgrim Street Police Station which is due to close in summer 2014 and belongs to Northumbria Police.
The cells have not been in use since 7April, 2014 when a temporary arrangement was put in place to enable urgent fire safety works to be undertaken. Whilst five of the 13 cells are unlikely to be used again due to safety concerns, the remaining eight are now available for use as the fire safety work has been completed.
The current temporary closure has been extended until 30 May, 2014 to enable conclusion of discussions with the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner over future use and maintenance of the cells once the Police Station closes.
The temporary arrangement, comprising a daily remand court at North Tyneside and the listing of other custody work in available courtrooms across the court estate in Northumbria, is not wholly satisfactory and the impact is being assessed on a daily basis, in particular the impact on victims and witnesses. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is seeking to conclude the discussions with the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner as quickly as possible and currently intends to resume use of the cells on 2 June, 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with the Iranian government on the prosecution of people of the Baha’i faith.
Hugh Robertson
The UK has repeatedly expressed concern at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran, including the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment and the regular harassment the community suffers from. We raised the treatment of Baha’is with the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014 and the UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires discussed freedom of religion with the Iranian authorities during his last visit to Iran on 12 March. We will continue to call on the Iranian government to ensure that all its citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of religion, free from persecution and harassment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in preparing a cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment and training of minors; and when he expects to publish a report on that issue.
Anna Soubry
The report has been submitted by the Army to Ministry of Defence (MOD) HQ, for consideration. It is not possible to provide a publication date for the report until the report’s findings have been considered.
The terms of reference of the report are as follows:
Question – “What is the cost overhead to MOD of Phase 1 training for Junior Entry (JE) soldiers versus Standard Entry (SE) soldiers joining the Army?”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken in response to the recent violence in the Central African Republic.
Mark Simmonds
The UK is working closely with international partners to ensure an effective and co-ordinated international response to the current humanitarian and security crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR). The UK will continue to work with the AU and UN to ensure the effectiveness of the AU mission as well as the effective deployment of a UN Peacekeeping Operation. The UK has also provided airlifts to help with deployment of the EU security mission (EUFOR); has provided a planning officer to the Operational Headquarters; and is providing a share of EUFOR’s common costs as well as engaging with EU Partners on EUFOR’s approach and rules of engagement. We remain the second largest provider of humanitarian aid, having given £23 million since the crisis began. I last discussed with interim President Catherine Samba-Panza on 23 May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training programmes or qualifications are available to recruits who enlist as minors which are not available to those who enlist aged 18 years or over.
Anna Soubry
Young people joining the Army attend Phase 1 training at the Army Foundation College (Harrogate) and complete different programmes depending on the part of the Army they wish to join. Full details of the training offered at Harrogate is available at this link: http://www.army.mod.uk/training_education/24420.aspx
For the Royal Navy and RAF, age at enlistment has no bearing on the training programmes or qualifications available during initial training.
Irrespective of the age that an individual joins the Armed Forces, approximately 90% of all recruits complete an apprenticeship within three years of joining.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of zero-hours contracts in the UK which bar any additional employment.
Jenny Willott
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not collected any quantitative information on the number of zero-hours contracts in the UK which bar any additional employment. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggested, in its report Zero Hours Contracts: Myth and reality that 9% of workers on zero hours contracts reported that they were never allowed to work for another employer when their primary employer had no work for them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help blind and partially sighted passengers travel on buses.
Stephen Hammond
The Department for Transport is committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the same access to transport services and opportunities to travel as other members of society. The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) outline specific requirements for the bus industry to ensure that buses are as accessible as possible for disabled passengers. Latest statistics (September 2013) show that 78% of buses in England now meet PSVAR accessibility requirements, while 92% operate with a low floor facility and these figures continue to grow steadily.
The Department also recognises that blind and partially sighted passengers find audio and visual announcements particularly useful when travelling on buses. We will therefore continue to encourage bus operators and local authorities to invest in audio/visual announcement systems for their buses where possible. However, we also understand that this technology comes at a considerable cost.
With this in mind, my noble colleague, Baroness Kramer wrote to bus operators on 4th February 2014 to encourage the development of simpler, more affordable audio/visual announcement systems for buses that can provide benefits to as many passengers as possible. Alongside this, the Department for Transport is also looking into the possibility of establishing a research initiative involving small businesses and academic institutions through the ‘Transport Systems Catapult’to encourage further innovation.