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Tag: 2014

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether applicants to the Royal Navy who meet an initial body mass index requirement of 28 face a different check at any other stage of the process.

    Anna Soubry

    The recommended Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines for entry into service in the Royal Navy are attached.

    Further assessment is by measurement of waist circumference: males with a BMI over 28 may join if their waist circumference is less than 94cm; females may join if their waist circumference is less than 80 cm.

    The standards do not change during the application process but BMI is measured as part of the medical assessment, and results may differ from a candidates’ individual declaration and/or the outcome of the initial BMI check.

  • Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reassure consumers, who for religious or other reasons do not wish to consume halal or kosher meats, about the provenance of the meat they buy, in the absence of any informative labelling as to the method of slaughter used.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Government is of the view that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. Any method of slaughter labelling system needs to cover more than just the UK. We are awaiting the results of an European Commission study on method-of-slaughter labelling, which is due this summer. We will look at possible options in light of that report.

  • 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 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse to date is of the Recruiting and Partnering Project.

    Anna Soubry

    The cost of the Recruiting & Partnering Project to date (for the three years from March 2011-2014) is around £300 million. This figure includes the costs of the service provider, CAPITA and costs to the Ministry of Defence such as military and civilian manpower, Information Communication Technology provision and infrastructure.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the recovery of benefits through the Mesothelioma Support Scheme will yield; and what assurances they can give that some of this money will be spent on research for a cure for mesothelioma.

    Lord Freud

    Benefit and lump sum payments that were made in respect of mesothelioma will be recovered from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) payment in the same way as they would be recovered from other compensation payments. The latest Impact Assessment for the DMPS dated 10 March 2014 estimates that the recovery of benefits in the first 10 years of the Scheme, to 31 March 2024, will be £72m.

    The issue of research is not directly a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions; however we have worked closely with the Department of Health to make progress in this area. This work has included setting up a partnership to identify mesothelioma research priorities which will lead to the National Institute for Health Research turning priorities into fundable research questions and to encourage applications from the research community. In addition the National Cancer Research Institute has a workshop planned on 02 May 2014 to discuss and develop new proposals for mesothelioma studies. The Government has established robust systems to ensure that funding is provided to the highest quality research bids. The work that the Department of Health is taking forward will support researchers in producing these bids and ensure that funding is allocated in a way that best supports sufferers of this terrible condition.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average annual cost of training an apprentice aged 16 to 18 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) individuals and (c) employers.

    Matthew Hancock

    The cost of providing an Apprenticeship is highly variable.

    In 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned a report from The Institute for Employment Research entitled: “Employer Investment in Apprenticeships and Workplace Learning”

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32306/12-814-employer-investment-in-apprenticeships-fifth-net-benefits-study.pdf

    The report gives details of the costs of Apprenticeships to employers in several sectors for 16-18 year olds and for 19-24 year olds. It also compares the contribution of employers to that of the state.

    “

  • Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    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 recent assessment he has made of the need for local authority pension schemes to integrate environmental, social and governance issues into their investment decision-making.

    Brandon Lewis

    These issues are matters for individual local authorities that administer pension funds to consider when deciding upon their investment strategies. Each administering authority is required to publish a statement of principles, which should address such issues. Statutory guidance states that the authority must report periodically to scheme members on the implementation of their policies.

    Notwithstanding, local authorities need to focus on delivering a good rate of return for their fund and value for taxpayers, given local government pensions cost taxpayers (via employer contributions) almost £6 billion a year.

  • Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many custodial sentences have been passed for convictions for fraud in the last five years for which figures are available; what the average length of those sentences was in each such years; and what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum sentence for fraud.

    Jeremy Wright

    The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for fraud offences, in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 (the latest data available), can be viewed in the attached table. Average custodial sentence lengths have increased from 12.2 months to 14.9 months over the last 5 years.

    The maximum penalty for fraud is a 10 year custodial sentence. There are no immediate plans to increase the maximum sentences for fraud, but we keep all maximum sentences under review.

    Under this Government, if convicted of fraud, you are more likely to go to prison and for longer.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many spare (a) generator step-up transformers and (b) transmission transformers are held in the UK.

    Michael Fallon

    Electricity generation in the U.K. is privatised and the decisions on spare step-up transformers are for the individual generator businesses. Electricity transmission operations in the U.K. are private, regulated businesses. Decisions on spare transmission connected transformers are matters for the transmission businesses, to meet the licence conditions under which they operate; they form an important component in the provision of reliability of supply. The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not hold data on generator step-up transformer or transmission connected transformer quantities held as spares by industry.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian government.

    Michael Fallon

    Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.

    Information on meetings by other officials is not held centrally.

  • Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Diane Abbott on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by the Refugee Council, When Maternity Doesn’t Matter, what steps her Department has taken to reform the dispersal policy of the former UK Border Agency.

    James Brokenshire

    The report covers procedures for accommodating pregnant asylum seekers who are destitute. The Home Office has been consulting about changes to these procedures and is considering some detailed suggestions by the Refugee Council and Maternity Action. Once that is completed we will move towards finalising and publishing revised guidance on the procedures.