The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to review the school funding formula to ensure fair funding for schools in rural areas.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We are committed to making schools funding fairer and will come forward with our proposals for this in due course. These will include proposals about how to ensure that schools in rural areas are funded fairly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports his Department has received of al Shabaab’s activities in the lower Shabelle region of Somalia.
Grant Shapps
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives a wide range of reporting on Somalia from our Embassy in Mogadishu and other actors on the ground, including the United Nations and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the media and other open sources. Reporting shows that Al Shabaab continues vigorously to contest the lower Shabelle region. Recent Al Shabaab activities have included the re-occupation of Janaale and Kurtenwarey (alongside the continuing occupation of Jilib) following tactical AMISOM withdrawals from these smaller, more isolated positions in order to consolidate forces and focus offensive efforts elsewhere. These attacks and Al Shabaab’s ability to conduct asymmetric attacks elsewhere in the country – targeting the Federal Government of Somalia, Somali security forces, AMISOM and members of the international community – highlight the significant threat that it continues to pose to Somalia’s security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from charities and patients’ groups on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
The Department has received a number of representations on this issue from a wide range of interested parties including hon. Members, noble Lords, patient representative groups and charities, the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.
This Government is committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund which has helped over 72,000 people in England to receive the life-extending cancer drugs that would not otherwise have been routinely available to them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will provide the information on the police formula requested by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands; and how the exemplifications described in Annex A of her Department’s letter of 15 September 2015 will affect that force.
Mr John Hayes
The consultation on police funding arrangements closed on 15 September and the responses are being analysed. The Government will consider these responses carefully to determine what changes, if any, are required. We will continue to engage with policing partners during this process and intend to provide information, including exemplifications of future allocations, as these develop. At this stage final force-level allocations have not been set and will not be determined until we have completed our analysis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons were for each application made by local authorities in England and Wales for emergency protection orders in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) January to March 2015.
Caroline Dinenage
This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rogan on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether current staffing levels of HM Prison Service meet the standard complement.
Lord Faulks
Staffing levels have been reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmark staffing requirements for each establishment have been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing role.
Benchmark staffing levels have been agreed in 85 public sector prisons. Amongst prison officers, the shortfall of staff in post against benchmarks for these establishments at 30 September 2014 was 4%.
Staffing levels have improved, but there remains a geographical variation and detached duty has been used to manage temporary shortages in particular locations. Such measures are always needed in such a large, widely spread organisation.
In addition HM Prison Service Reserve, consisting of former prison officers, has been established to support capacity changes and unplanned shortfalls in officer numbers.
The Prison Service has been returning to large scale recruitment levels as the period of closures and benchmarking has been coming to an end. As well as prison officers, we are also recruiting Operational Support Grades (uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of security based work) and instructors (who manage prisoners in workshop activities and training).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the amount of musculoskeletal training in the general practitioner curriculum, whether they will they publish a workforce development strategy for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners and specialist practitioners in musculoskeletal disorders.
Earl Howe
The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. It has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
Health Education England (HEE) will work with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal College of General Practitioners to seek to ensure general practice training meets the needs of patients.
In addition, HEE has established an independent Primary Care Workforce Commission which is chaired by Professor Martin Roland of the University of Cambridge. The Commission will identify models of primary care that will meet the needs of the future National Health Service including greater emphasis on community, primary and integrated services. It will focus on patient and population need; emerging models of care to respond to the population need; and maximising new skill sets and education and training.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Committee that a ban on subsistence hunting, where hunting is an essential element in the culture of the community”
Lord De Mauley
The UK Government is fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, including indigenous people, without discrimination on any grounds. We continue to work overseas and through multilateral institutions to improve the situation of indigenous people internationally, and have long provided political and financial support to the economic, social and political development of indigenous peoples around the world.
We regard the General Comments and Decisions of the United Nations Human Rights Committee as valuable guidance for all State Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). We do not, however, consider that they are legally binding and have therefore made no assessment of whether a ban on subsistence hunting breaches Section 27 of the ICCPR.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-02-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect he expects the judgement in Edenred (UK Group) v HM Treasury & Ors to have on the timescale for roll-out for the tax free childcare scheme contract.
Priti Patel
Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) will provide support to hard-working families for childcare costs. The introduction of TFC will give almost two million families the opportunity to receive up to £2,000 per annum of support per child, via a new simple online system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of each of the golf courses owned by his Department.
Anna Soubry
The value of the golf courses would depend on market conditions at the time of any sale, therefore this information is not held by the Ministry of Defence.