The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how much sand and gravel is used each year to protect the United Kingdom coastline.
Lord De Mauley
The Environment Agency holds this information locally and it would be disproportionately costly to collate the records to answer this question accurately in the time allowed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that anonymous military graves at Padstow Cemetery are updated in situations where the identity of the former soldier has been discovered.
Anna Soubry
A claim as to the identity of an individual buried in Padstow Cemetery in a grave bearing a headstone with the inscription “A Royal Marine of the Great War”, is currently awaiting review by officials in the Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre. If the claim is supported by clear and convincing evidence they will task the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to replace the headstone with a new memorial bearing the individual’s name.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 599W, on apprenticeships; what steps he has taken to introduce grading into new apprenticeships; and whether such grading will be mandatory.
Matthew Hancock
Grading is being introduced into new Apprenticeships through the Trailblazer process. Groups of employers are coming together to design Apprenticeship standards and assessments. All new Apprenticeships must be graded, and we have made grading of the end-point assessment a minimum requirement of the new Apprenticeship programme.
Having had their standards approved and published in March, the first phase of Trailblazer projects are now working on their assessment plans, including implementation of the grading requirement.
Grading is important to ensure qualifications are aspirational for all – including those on track to pass who could benefit from being challenged to aim higher.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received regarding the need for a vaccine for bovine TB; and if he will make a statement.
George Eustice
We have received representations on all aspects of tackling Bovine TB, including vaccination for cattle and badgers, from a very wide range of stakeholders. The role that cattle and badger vaccination can play in eradicating Bovine TB is outlined in our comprehensive Strategy for achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free status for England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-06-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance he has given on the role of employers in supporting the uptake and delivery of employer-supported childcare.
Nicky Morgan
HM Revenue & Customs has published extensive guidance to help employers run successful childcare schemes, including the Employer Helpbook E18 ‘How you can help your employees with childcare’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Greek counterpart on whether protests will be permitted to coincide with the upcoming EU meeting.
Mr David Lidington
Ihave not raised this specific issue with my Greek counterpart. Authorities in Greece have the constitutional right to place restrictive or preventative measures on outdoor demonstrations. No such restrictions were in place on 4 and 5 April 2014, the dates on which the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs was held in Athens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many non-fire incidents with casualties were attended by the Fire and Rescue Service in Great Britain in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Brandon Lewis
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of today, Official Report, PQs 200566, 200567 & 200568.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2014-04-03.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, which parliamentary constituencies in Scotland are part of local authority areas whose electoral registration officers did not reach the required performance indicators on Standard 3 in respect of electors who failed to register to vote.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that no EROs in Scotland reported not meeting standard 3 at the recent 2013 canvass. The Commission is in the process of conducting a detailed analysis of EROs’ electoral registration data from the 2013 canvass, following which it will publish its final assessment of EROs’ performance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to increase social mobility in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what measures his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of the Government’s social mobility strategy.
Mr Nick Clegg
The Government is committed to improving social mobility, as set out in our social mobility strategy, ‘Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers’, published in 2011. The strategy sets out a plan for improving social mobility across the whole country, incorporating polices such as early education for two year olds from lower income families, the Pupil Premium and the Youth Contract.
To assess the progress of this strategy, the Government has committed to reporting regularly on a set of key indicators to track closely whether we are moving in the right direction on social mobility; I chair a group of key Ministers to oversee delivery of the strategy, and the Government has created a new Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.
These indicators were last updated in November last year, and will be updated again shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 723W, on conditions of employment, how many and what proportion of vacancies available on Universal Jobmatch are zero-hours contracts jobs.
Esther McVey
In answering question 195183 we have interpreted “employee only jobs” as meaning “employee owner status jobs.”
Universal Jobmatch revolutionises the way jobseekers look for work and it has already helped many jobseekers find the jobs they want. It is part of the government’s plan for providing easy online access to government services for all.
Universal Jobmatch has streamlined our existing services for employers and empowered claimants to take more responsibility for their jobsearch and get more targeted support from advisers.
It does not capture information on the number and proportion of zero-hours contracts or ‘employee owner’ status jobs.
Jobcentre Plus guidance stipulates that claimants should not be mandated to apply for a job offering a zero hours contract. It also states that no sanction action will be taken if claimants refuse or fail to apply.