The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on developing energy policy.
Anna Soubry
My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has had a number of recent discussions with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on energy policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 13848, with which schools her Department is discussing its STEM international recruitment programme; and how many of these schools are recruiting teachers internationally.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education discusses international recruitment with a number of schools and does not keep a list of the schools with which such discussions take place.
The department does not monitor individual schools’ recruitment activities. This is a matter for schools.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which suppliers have provided Certificates of Performance under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for each Department in 2015.
Matthew Hancock
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not require the submission of Certificates of Performance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what correspondence he has had with Vauxhall on Vauxhall Zafira car safety issues; and what steps he has taken to help deal with those issues.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is in regular contact with Vauxhall regarding their investigation into the cause of the fires. Vauxhall are continuing their action of notifying owners of Zafira’s, requesting the return of the vehicle to a franchised dealer for inspection of the heating and ventilation system.
DVSA have a forthcoming meeting with Vauxhall to evaluate early evidence from the fire damaged vehicles and those vehicles examined as part of the pro-active action. DVSA will continue to work with the manufacturer to identify the cause of the fires and agree an action going forward to address the issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures the Government plans to take to address the concerns expressed by the Independent Monitoring Board in its report, HMP Winchester, Annual Report June 2014 to May 2015, published on 2 November 2015.
Andrew Selous
The HMP Winchester IMB Annual Report acknowledges the professionalism and commitment of the Governor and his staff at HMP Winchester, who manage a challenging and diverse population. We are currently recruiting prison officers to fill vacancies at Winchester, and new officers are due to start work in the new year. Should a serious incident occur at Winchester or any other prison, the situation would be constantly risk assessed as it develops to ensure the best and most appropriate response. National resources are available to provide assistance at any time, if additional resources are needed.
A wide ranging programme of work has been initiated to counteract New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in prisons. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) continues to work hard to source more work for prisoners across the entire prison estate. This includes working with local and national businesses as well as other Government Departments.
I wrote to Winchester’s Independent Monitoring Board Chair on 3rd November, providing a full response to the concerns raised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what rights protected in the Human Rights Act 1998 the Government plans not to include in the proposed British Bill of Rights.
Dominic Raab
We have been clear that the Bill of Rights will remain faithful to the basic principles which we signed up to in the European Convention on Human Rights. Our focus will be on mitigating the expansion of rights by the Strasbourg Court and the Human Rights Act. This government is as committed as any to upholding such rights, which underpin any civilised society, but we also want to prevent abuse of the system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount received by his Department in VAT payments from further education and sixth form colleges in (a) the UK, (b) the North West and (c) Warrington in each of the last five years.
Mr David Gauke
No estimate has been made. Data is not available on the VAT received from further education and sixth form colleges in the United Kingdom, the North West or Warrington in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord MacKenzie of Culkein on 2015-12-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received advice from the Council of Deans of Health about the future funding of nursing and midwifery students.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department of Health (DH) received joint correspondence from the Council of Deans of Health and Universities UK about a number of issues relating to healthcare education funding in England.
The Council of Deans of Health and Universities UK also wrote a joint letter to DH and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers on 7 August 2015 requesting a meeting to discuss a redesigned system. DH and BIS Ministers agreed to a joint meeting, which took place on the 2 December.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he or Ministers in his Department will attend the heats and further stages of the Bar National Mock Trials Competition.
Mr Shailesh Vara
I am aware of this valuable initiative for school students organised by the Citizenship Foundation and funded by the Bar. While Ministers have no current plans to attend any of the stages, I wish this competition continuing success.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Upper Tribunal’s decision in MSM (journalists; political opinion; risk) Somalia [2015] UKUT 00413 (IAC), what plans they have immediately to revise their country-specific bulletins, and how they will now apply their discretion to asylum and immigration cases.
Lord Bates
We do not believe our country specific bulletins are at odds with the Upper Tribunal’s decision in MSM (Somalia) such that they require urgent revision. However, we are constantly reviewing our country information and guidance to ensure we reflect the most up-to-date situation and caselaw.
A fundamental principle of the 1951 Refugee Convention is that each case is considered on its own merits. That is the approach taken by the Home Office.