The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times he has (a) met and (b) corresponded with a minister of the Welsh Government on the draft Wales Bill in the last 12 months.
Dominic Raab
The Wales Office is the lead Government department on the draft Wales Bill, and is the primary point of contact with the Welsh Government on matters related to the draft Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Heappey on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department acts as the enforcement authority for the criminal offences defined in Part XI of the Fair Trading Act 1973 and in consequent trading schemes regulations and exemptions; and if he will make statement.
Nick Boles
Breaches of the Trading Schemes legislation (i.e. the Fair Trading Act 1973 and the regulations made under it) would be referred to the lawyers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Criminal Enforcement to determine whether or not a criminal investigation should be undertaken. The matter may also be referred to the Insolvency Service, to investigate and ascertain whether the offending company should be wound up in the public interest. The 1973 Act does not confer an express enforcement duty on any particular body, however this Department would look to bring a case in appropriate circumstances. Otherwise, enforcement could fall to Trading Standards or possibly the Competition Markets Authority should widespread malpractice be suspected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the time the DVLA takes to process reapplications for a driving license after a suspension of that license for medical reasons.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not hold specific information about the processing times for driving licence applications, which were submitted following the revocation of a licence for medical reasons.
The DVLA aims to complete 90% of all cases that require further medical investigations within 90 working days and is working hard to identify ways of improving the time taken to deal with these cases. Additional caseworkers and medical advisers have been employed and new processes introduced to speed up the time it takes to receive the necessary information. Longer term, the DVLA is considering digital solutions to improve the service it provides in this area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on setting up the Institute for Coding; and how applications for the £20 million funding can be made.
Mr Edward Vaizey
My officials are working with officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on proposals for the development of the new Institute. Further details on the competition will be announced in the new year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-11-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many projects, of what value, have received investment through the Pensions Infrastructure Platform in (a) 2015 and (b) since the platform’s launch.
Greg Hands
The Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PIP) is a vehicle for encouraging pension funds to invest in infrastructure. It does this by establishing special purpose infrastructure investment funds that are designed to meet the needs of pension funds. The PIP is owned by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) with investment from pension funds.
Two funds have been launched so far through the PIP. The first fund was launched in 2014 and is managed by Dalmore Capital with a remit to invest in UK PPP/PFI project equity. The fund has currently raised £508m commitments of a £600m target. The second PIP fund is a domestic solar PV fund managed by Aviva, it was launched in February 2015 and has commitments of £131mn and a target of £250mn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department’s Policy paper, UN Human Rights Council: United Kingdom 2017-2019 candidate, published on 9 December 2015, for what reason reference to the prevention of torture included in previous candidature policy papers was omitted from that policy paper.
Mr David Lidington
Our UN pledges reflect our enduring commitment to promoting universal human rights. Our work to prevent torture globally is intrinsic to this. Our pledges renew the UK’s commitment to encourage the ratification and implementation of core UN human rights instruments – this includes the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and its Optional Protocol. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said, “torture is always wrong”. We continue to call on all states to set up meaningful national preventative mechanisms to put an end to all use of torture and remain committed to torture prevention work globally as evidenced by the launch of the new edition of the Torture Reporting Handbook on 24 September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the activities of organisations and bodies fully funded by local authorities are subject to the conditions of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.
Mr Marcus Jones
The code applies in relation to all decisions by local authorities relating to paid advertising and leaflet campaigns, publication of free newspapers and newssheets and maintenance of websites – including the hosting of material which is created by third parties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on when Lady Justice Macur’s Review of Sir Ronald Waterhouse’s inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the former Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas of North Wales between 1974 and 1996 is likely to be published.
Caroline Dinenage
On 10 December Lady Justice Macur delivered her report to the Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales.
It is being considered as a matter of urgency with a view to publication as soon as possible.
The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales are very grateful to Lady Justice Macur for her work on this important matter over the last three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage the teaching of emergency first aid skills in schools.
Edward Timpson
There is nothing more important than keeping children and staff safe. Schools can teach emergency first aid and life-saving skills through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, and the best ones already do. The non-statutory PSHE Programme of Study produced by the PSHE Association, teaches young people how to recognise and follow health and safety procedures, ways of reducing risk and minimising harm in risky situations, and how to use emergency and basic first aid. We have put in place a new duty requiring schools to support all children’s medical needs and have set-up a scheme so they can buy defibrillators at a reduced price.
The Department for Education also works closely with expert organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance who provide learning materials to schools, including life-saving training kits produced by the British Heart Foundation. These kits provide young people with first-hand experience of life-saving skills and we have promoted the use of these via the termly school email and social media channels. The Department is also providing £254,911 in funding for St John Ambulance via the Character Grant, which will select 31,500 pupils for first aid training.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Britain’s exit from the EU on access to pensions for older British citizens who are resident in other EU countries.
Priti Patel
The Prime Minister believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed European Union. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.