The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints her Department has received regarding delays to the issuing of a passport in each of the last four years.
James Brokenshire
The table below shows the number of complaints related to delays in receiving a
passport.
|
Year |
Number of complaints relating to delays |
|
2010 |
1253 |
|
2011 |
1341 |
|
2012 |
1513 |
|
2013 |
1437 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Uppal on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage local authority pension funds to become signatories to the Stewardship Code.
Brandon Lewis
Each local authority that administers a pension fund is already subject to statutory guidance that states that it should recognise the Financial Reporting Council’s Stewardship Code and ensure that the Code is adopted by their fund managers, investment consultants and advisers. The guidance also states that the authority should include a statement of its policy on responsible ownership in its statement of the principles governing its investment decisions and report periodically to scheme members on the implementation of the policy. Sixteen of the eighty nine local government pension funds in England and Wales are themselves signatories to the Stewardship Code as asset owners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department takes to (a) monitor how the grants awarded through the Sponsor Capacity Fund are used and (b) recoup grants from the Sponsor Capacity Fund where the recipients do not go on to sponsor any academies or use the money in an inappropriate way.
Mr Edward Timpson
Academy sponsors who receive the Sponsor Capacity Fund are required to sign a Grant Funding Agreement, agreeing to adhere to the terms and conditions of grant. They are required to submit an Annual Certification of Expenditure, signed by their auditors, and a final report detailing what has been achieved through use of the grant.
If they fail to comply with any of the conditions of grant, or are deemed to be in breach of it, they are required to return the grant to the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the baseline requirement is for wi-fi provision for all primary schools; and if he will make a statement.
Elizabeth Truss
The Department for Education has no baseline requirements for Wi-Fi provision in all schools. Headteachers manage their own budgets and are best placed to decide the extent of Wi-Fi provision. Where schools are built or rebuilt via the Department’s capital programmes, IT infrastructure including Wi-Fi is installed to a standard that supports 1:1 tablet use in the classroom.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which company designed and what the cost to the public purse was of production in 2009 of the plans for a young offender institute at Glen Parva.
Jeremy Wright
Interserve designed the 2009 plans for a Young Offender Institution at Glen Parva with their designers, HLM Architects.
The previous Government spent £5.6 million on developing the plans for a new Young Offender Institution at Glen Parva up to 2010. Although the Secure College pathfinder will be fundamentally different from a Young Offender’s Institution, we are making use of the previous work where relevant.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr David Hanson on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many serious misconduct complaints related to the use of control and restraint during enforced removal were referred to the Professional Standards Unit in each year since 2010.
James Brokenshire
Complaints made by, or on behalf of, detainees are managed in accordance with
Detention Services Order 3/2011. All allegations of serious misconduct are
referred to the Home Office Professional Standards Unit (PSU) for
investigation. These include allegations made against staff who work in the
detention estate or who are engaged in escorting work.
Data on the number of complaints referred to the PSU is not recorded. Only data
of those complaints where PSU have agreed to investigate are recorded. The
number investigated relating to the use of control and restraint during
enforced removal is detailed below.
2010 – 42
2011 – 30
2012 – 39
2013 – 19
These figures are based on management information, which is subject to change,
and does not form part of our publicised statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Space Agency in promoting the UK space industry; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Willetts
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) was created in April 2011 to lead and foster the growing UK space sector. It does so through funding and delivery of civil space projects and downstream space related activities, developing space policy including advice to Ministers and regulating UK space activities to meet international obligations.
The UKSA formally tests its performance against such objectives in a number ways and includes amongst these a measure of its effectiveness in promoting the UK space industry. This is primarily through an independent bi-annual “Size and Health” survey of the UK industrial sector which assesses the growth of the UK space economy. The Agency also monitors contracts that flow back to UK industry from Agency-targeted subscriptions to the European Space Agency as well as monitoring where Agency-supported research and development work has positioned UK industry for success in future operational contracts. More recently the Agency has extended its role in actively supporting and promoting UK industrial exports of both satellite and emerging space-related data services.
All objective measures from these activities point to a growing success story for our space industry. Indeed it is one of our economy’s fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The role of the Agency in this development is significant and it has developed close relationships with industry.
The Size and Health survey due to be published in autumn 2014 is expected to show that the Space Economy has continued to grow between 2011 and 2013.
Its coordination of a business-driven industrial space policy has provided leadership for the UK industrial community (acknowledged by the UK space Innovation and Growth Strategy published in 2013) and this has been recognised by the Parliamentary Select Committee report into the UKSA which was published in October 2013.
The Agency serves as an effective platform to raise awareness of the successes of the UK space sector. BIS and Agency officials continue to evaluate its success in promoting that work using Government Communications Service best practice.
A further key measure of success is the increasing number of overseas space companies choosing to invest in the UK and so growing the UK’s wider space capability and economic development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Blunkett on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the Board of the Big Lottery Fund have their main residence north of the city of Birmingham.
Mr Nick Hurd
There are currently nine members of the UK Board of the Big Lottery Fund, two of whom have their main residences north of Birmingham. Of the remainder, three live in London and the others are based in other parts of the UK.
The Big Lottery Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need, across the United Kingdom.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with B&K Universal Ltd, Yorkshire Evergreen or their associates relating to their planning application for a facility at Grimston, Yorkshire for the breeding of dogs and other animals for laboratory use in the last 12 months.
Mr David Willetts
UK Trade and Investment and BIS officials provided general planning advice to B&K Universal in the last year at the company’s request. BIS officials met with B&K’s parent company Marshall and signposted other sources of advice and information. Officials were also asked to provide advice on EU Directive 2010/63 and referred this query to the Home Office as the Department with responsibility for implementing the Directive in the UK.
The use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving our understanding of how biological systems work both in health and disease and in the development of new medicines and treatments vital for human health and for that of animals. It also underpins the success of the UK’s life science sector which has one of the strongest and most productive industries in the world.
The UK has a rigorous regulatory system which ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum.
The Government is committed to working to further reduce the use of animals in scientific research and in February 2013 published its delivery plan. This demonstrates our commitment to the “3Rs”: where possible to replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used and to refine the procedures involved so as to find additional ways to minimise suffering. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-to-reduce-the-use-of-animals-in-research-delivery-plan
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to ratify the International Labour Organisation amendment C188 on the Work in Fishing Convention, in respect of a minimum age for work on a fishing vessel, minimum medical standards, basic work agreements, occupational health and safety, and social security.
Stephen Hammond
The Government supports the principles behind the International Labour Organization Convention on Work in Fishing (No. 188), and is working with the fishing industry to develop proposals for implementation of the Convention, including those aspects listed above.
The UK will make a final decision on the appropriateness and timing of ratification once the impacts on the industry have been identified and assessed.