Tag: 2014

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent social and employment programmes financed through the European Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    The European Social Fund supports a range of activities to help unemployed and disadvantaged people improve their employment prospects and skills. These activities expand or enhance the support provided by national and local programmes. Recent activities are being evaluated by a number of research studies and a cohort survey of participants. Reports on these will be published during 2014 and 2015.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many chemistry teachers undertook a chemistry subject knowledge enhancement course in each of the last five years.

    Mr David Laws

    There are two types of subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses: pre initial teacher training (ITT) SKE, to support recruitment of trainee teachers in shortage subjects; and post ITT SKE, to support workforce challenges in schools.

    We have surpassed our target for trainees entering chemistry teacher training in each of the last three years, recruiting 121% of the target in 2011/12, 108% in 2012/13, and 127% in 2013/14.

    In addition, the latest annual School Workforce Census (2013)[1] shows that 80.4% of chemistry teachers who teach pupils from years 7 to 13 have a relevant post-A Level qualification, up from 72.7% in the 2010 census[2].

    Data for the number of chemistry SKE courses for 2009-2013 is below. Post ITT SKE courses were available only from the academic year 2011/12. SKE course data for 2013/14 is not yet available.

    Academic year

    Number of pre ITT chemistry SKE courses undertaken

    Number of post ITT chemistry SKE courses undertaken

    2009/10

    577

    N/A

    2010/11

    522

    N/A

    2011/12

    574

    87

    2012/13

    399

    91

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional

  • Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average annual household income in each of the ten districts of Greater Manchester in each of the last ten years.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 146W, on food: charitable donations, and 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1105, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency has made of the compatibility of legislation to remove criminal and civil liability from good faith food donors with EU food safety laws.

    Jane Ellison

    We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that consideration was given to whether an exemption from European Union food safety law was available in respect of donations of food for charitable purposes in 2012. The FSA’s view at that time was that no exemption is available and as the FSA’s advice has not changed it does not consider that any further assessment of the issue is necessary.

    The FSA published guidance on its web site in July 2013 on which charitable and community food provision does not require registration. This can be found at:

    http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/hall-provision.pdf

    Food supply not requiring registration is exempt from the requirements of food hygiene legislation although all such provision is still required to provide food that is safe.

  • Baroness Byford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 67 successful prosecutions brought by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority since the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 are related to on-farm” activities; and how many were brought against the food supply industry.”

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    As at 8 April 2014, 69 prosecutions have been undertaken against 44 individuals

    and companies that operated without a licence, one company that obstructed the

    Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) officers, and 24 individuals and

    companies that used the services of unlicensed gangmasters.

    A standard GLA licence allows a gangmaster to undertake activity in both

    agriculture and food supply. As a result, the GLA do not retain data on

    whether individual prosecutions related to agriculture or food supply.

  • Geraint Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Geraint Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geraint Davies on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funds have been provided from his departmental expenditure limit to meet the costs of (a) clinical negligence and (b) NHS litigation in this financial year.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    £1.2 billion has been budgeted by the National Health Service Litigation Authority for the current 2014-15 financial year. £1.1 billion of this is allocated to clinical negligence, by far the most significant proportion of which is funded by members’ contributions, rather than allocated directly from the Department’s expenditure limit.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) median and (b) mean (i) annual and (ii) hourly salary is for (A) men and (B) women in Government-sponsored apprenticeship schemes; and what those figures were in each of the last five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    In 2012, the median gross hourly wage for an Apprentice in England was £6.09. The mean was £6.21. In 2011, the equivalent gross hourly wages were £5.83 and £5.80.

    For females, in 2011, the median gross hourly wage was £5.96 and the mean £5.88. In 2012, these were £6.19 and £6.23 respectively.

    For males, in 2011, the median gross hourly wage was £5.43 and the mean £5.71. In 2012, these were £5.93 and £6.19 respectively.

    Please note that the only available data we have for Apprenticeship Pay is for 2012 and 2011, from the two Apprenticeship Pay Surveys (APS). These surveys do not calculate an annual wage from the survey responses as the hours Apprentices work are variable. There was a pay survey conducted in 2007, but this is not considered to be comparable with the two later years.

    Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-pay-survey-2012

    “

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which completed reports from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration have been submitted for publication but had not yet been published on 17 June 2014; and what the (a) date of submission and (b) date she expects to publish the report is in each case.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Secretary laid two reports before Parliament on 19 June 2014,
    that had been supplied by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and
    Immigration pursuant to sections 50 (2) and 50 (3) of the UK Borders Act 2007:

    – An unannounced inspection of the service provided by Glasgow Public Enquiry
    Office, ID 13061402 06/14.

    – The rights of European Citizens and their spouses to come to the UK:
    inspecting the application process and the tackling of abuse, ID 2634429 04/14.

    Four further reports have been supplied by the Chief Inspector that will be
    published shortly.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when Ministers in his Department met officials from the Insolvency Service to discuss insolvency practitioner (a) fees and (b) partial licences in the last 12 months.

    Jenny Willott

    Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills meet with officials from the Insolvency Service on a regular basis to discuss a wide variety of insolvency issues.

  • Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an 0300 telephone line is available for people wishing to make enquiries of UK Visas and Immigration.

    Karen Bradley

    UK Visas and Immigration offer the following numbers for members of the public
    wishing to make enquiries

    Number
    Service
    0300 123 2253
    European and Nationality related enquiries
    0300 123 2235
    Asylum Support Customers
    0300 123 2241
    General enquiries
    0300 123 4699
    Sponsor and employer helpline