The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies plan to review their estates as a result of spending reductions agreed with HM Treasury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government will provide full details of the Spending Review outcome on 25 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department plans to allocate to (a) increasing the number of journeys undertaken by bicycle and (b) reducing the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on roads over the next five years.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government remains committed to its manifesto targets to double cycling and make cycling safer.
The Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking, with SR2015 announcing funding support of over £300m. This includes delivering the Cycle City Ambition programme in full, and funding the Bikeability cycle training programme, which increases cycle proficiency amongst school children.
The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will explain the Government’s investment strategy for cycling and walking.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-11-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that an approach supply of finance to productive investment is available to help increase productivity.
Greg Hands
The government is committed to boosting productivity growth and narrowing the gap with other leading advanced economies. In July 2015 the government published ‘Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’; a comprehensive plan that sets the agenda to reverse the UK’s long-term productivity problem.
The financial services sector has a dual role in supporting UK productivity. As well as its own productivity performance, it is critical for supporting the rest of the economy, allocating resources and facilitating long term productive investment. In the latest remit letter to the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England, the Chancellor highlighted the importance of a stable financial system providing finance for productive investment.
To promote the provision of finance to support productive investment, it is important that it can be measured accurately. The Bank of England, working with HM Treasury, have initiated research to create a better measurement of ‘finance for productive investment’ covering all asset classes and all stages of finance, with a view to publishing the data on a regular basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprentices.
Nick Boles
We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in 2020. In the 2014/15 Academic Year, there were 499,900 apprenticeship starts.
Our 2020 Vision for English Apprenticeships sets out how we will increase the number of apprentices and put employers in the driving seat. We are introducing new targets for public sector bodies and extending the successful Apprenticeship Grant for Employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the detention of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka.
Mr Hugo Swire
We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the detention of Tamil political prisoners without trial. I met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, the Honourable Mangala Samaraweera MP, on 14 September in Geneva. I was encouraged by our discussion and by his speech to the UN Human Rights Council. He told members of the UN Human Rights Council that the Sri Lankan government would review and repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with anti-terrorism legislation in line with contemporary international best practices. I have also been encouraged by the recent announcements that bail has been granted to 39 prisoners being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homeowners and businesses have received a grant from the Repair and Renew Grant fund, and what is the average payment.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Over 6,000 home and business owners have benefitted from the Repair and Renew Grant scheme to help protect their property against future flooding events. The average payment was £3,918.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to reach a decision on the possible expansion of Heathrow Airport.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government’s position on airports capacity has not changed since the Airports Commission published their final report on 1 July 2015. Government is still reviewing all of the evidence before coming to any decisions.
The Prime Minister has said a decision will be made by the end of the year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many formal notices have been issued to the Academies Enterprise Trust or individual schools within that Trust; and what discussions they have had with the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner regarding that Trust.
Lord Nash
Pre-warning notices in relation to academies are subject to ongoing review and, where appropriate, intervention as part of the regular dialogue between the trust and Regional Schools Commissioners.
Details of all formal notices that have been issued are in the public domain and have been attached to this answer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission structural education courses to prevent diabetes, in line with NICE guidance.
Jane Ellison
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard for diabetes and guidance support the use of structured education for people diagnosed with diabetes to help them manage their condition.
The National Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) is a joint commitment from NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK and will be the first national Type 2 diabetes prevention programme delivered at scale. People identified as being at high risk of diabetes will be referred onto intensive lifestyle management programmes which will support them to lose weight, improve their diet and be more physically active.
The DPP will link into the existing NHS Health Check programme, which invites adults between the ages of 40 and 74 for risk awareness, assessment and management of the key risk factors leading to premature death and disability in England.
Building on the DDP, the Department has committed to improving outcomes for those with, and at risk of, diabetes. We will announce our plans shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the UK’s opting out of the Prüm Decision has had on solving crime.
Lord Bates
The Government opted out of the Prüm decisions in December 2014 because we were not then in a position to implement it and could have been subject to substantial fines from the European Court of Justice for our non-implementation had we stayed in. On 26 November the Government issued Command Paper 9149 which recommended rejoining Prüm and set out a clear timeframe for implementation.