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Tag: 2014

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick de Bois on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow mandatory sentencing in cases of carrying an article with blade or point of offensive weapon; and if he will make a statement.

    Jeremy Wright

    Possession of an offensive weapon or bladed article is a serious offence which carries a maximum 4 year custodial sentence. This Government has already introduced new offences for threatening with a knife, which carries a minimum mandatory custodial sentence for adults and 16-17 year olds in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2013. More recently we made it clear that cautions for adults can not be used for knife possession offences, and are legislating in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill to put statutory restrictions around their use.

    Knife crime continues to fall, with a higher proportion of offenders going to prison for knife possession than in previous years and average custodial sentences getting longer.

    Whilst this is encouraging, this Government continues to keep this area of the law under close scrutiny and if further action is necessary it will bring forward proposals.

  • Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Arts Council England strategic programmes are designed specifically to address the National Lottery directions issued in 2007.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Lottery Distributors, including Arts Council England, are required to take account of directions issued under Section 26 (1) of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. It is for the Arts Council to determine how best to do so in designing its strategic programmes.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific training is received by Ministry of Defence officials in negotiating equipment and services procurement contract terms and conditions effectively and in guaranteeing best value for money.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    Ministry of Defence (MOD) procurement activity ranges from the purchase of low value consumable items through to complex equipment acquisition, support and services. These activities involve multi-disciplinary teams, including engineering, technical, finance, project management and procurement staff. There is clear separation of responsibilities between those authorising the initial requirement, those giving financial authority and those empowered to place contracts.

    The MOD currently has around 1,700 civilian staff in the commercial function of which 1,200 are in active commercial roles and are authorised to sign contracts with suppliers.

    Commercial staff must demonstrate the necessary levels of functional competence and experience to be licensed and receive a formal commercial delegation. Some 60% of commercial staff currently hold, or are working towards, qualifications in the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). This is expected to rise to around 75% in 2015. The MOD is also developing an advanced commercial skills programme to provide additional training relevant to the MOD complex acquisition process, which goes beyond standard CIPS training.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessment he has made of the safety of aircraft handlers and maintenance personnel due to the noise produced by the Joint Strike Fighter.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Full assessment has been made regarding the noise levels of the Joint Strike Fighter. Personnel noise exposure risk is managed in accordance with The Control of Noise at Work Regulations, 2005 and will include a combination of personal protective equipment and procedures to control daily noise exposure, normal practice for personnel operating machinery such as helicopters, tanks and other aircraft.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 30 January (WA 253), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the terms of reference of the review being carried out by Social Finance into innovative models of providing temporary accommodation for homeless families.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    I have placed a copy of the terms of reference contained within the Social Finance contract in the Library of the House. The final report will be published in due course, and I will write to the noble Baroness with a copy when it is available.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of 2014DIN05-012 on JSP 441 – The Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures: Publication of Version 4:3 in the Library.

    Dr Andrew Murrison

    A copy of the Defence Instruction Notice 2014-DIN05-012 regarding JSP 441 will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £90 million to establish centres for agricultural innovation has been allocated; and how many such centres have been established.

    Mr David Willetts

    Following the launch of the Strategy we prioritised the Agri-Tech Catalyst, to encourage collaboration between industry and academia. We have been engaging further with industry to ensure the Centres are developed as true partnerships. The process to establish the Centre for Agricultural Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability will be launched this Spring. Therefore, to date, no centres have been fully established or money allocated.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent illegally-harvested timber and endangered hardwoods being imported into the UK.

    Dan Rogerson

    In March 2013 the Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations were introduced in the UK. The regulations implement the EU Timber Regulation, which aims to prevent the trade of illegally harvested timber in the EU by:

    • prohibiting the placing of illegally harvested timber and timber products on the EU market for the first time;
    • requiring operators who place timber products on the market for the first time to exercise ‘due diligence’; and
    • requiring traders to keep records of their suppliers and customers in order to facilitate the traceability of timber products through the supply chain.

    The UK also provides financial and in-country support to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process between the EU and timber producing countries under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. Once VPAs are in operation, EU-bound timber exports will be issued with FLEGT licences which guarantee the timber’s legality.

    In addition, the import of a number of endangered hardwood species into the UK is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) licensing system. The system aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species and is implemented in the EU by the Wildlife Trade Regulations.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the fitting of the Rangeless Autonomous Information Debriefing System equipment to Tornado aircraft was regarded as mitigation for the collision warning risk over the last decade.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System (RAIDS) as fitted to RAF aircraft has no collision warning capability.

    It logs and stores GPS positional data during flight. Data can only be downloaded post-flight to allow replay during sortie debriefing of the positional data for all aircraft fitted with RAIDS. Therefore, it provides no situational awareness to the crew in flight.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve Rotheram – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times ambulance response times in (a) the North West and (b) each ambulance service trust in England have exceeded (i) 15, (ii) 20, (iii) 30 and (iv) 60 minutes since May 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not available in the format requested. The attached tables show that in April 2014, North West Ambulance Service responded to 95% of Category A immediately life threatening calls within 17 minutes and that 99% of calls were responded to within 31 minutes. The tables also provide response time information for each ambulance service trust in England since April 2011.