The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she intends to answer the letter of the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 28 September 2015, on John Rooke.
Mr Desmond Swayne
I responded to the Rt Hon Gentleman’s letter on 6 November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Syrian refugees will qualify for (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) UK citizenship after five years of residence.
Richard Harrington
Syrians who are resettled under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme are given a five year humanitarian protection visa. At the end of the 5 years they can apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) and if granted they can apply for UK citizenship 12 months later. Each application for settlement and citizenship is decided in accordance with our guidance for these routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the type approval regime is for (a) aircraft used at UK airports and (b) ships used at UK ports; and whether there are any emissions standard components to either of those regimes.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The certification of aircraft and aero-engines is primarily the responsibility of the certification authority for the state of manufacture. In Europe this is the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) who also have oversight of aircraft and engines certified in other regions that expect to be registered in the UK or any other European country.
The certification requirement for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Carbon Monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbon is based on operating the engine on a test bed at different thrust settings to simulate the landing and take-off phases of flight below 3000 feet. The visible smoke test identifies the worst case condition for smoke. A new standard for CO2 emissions from aircraft is being developed and is expected to assess the cruise emissions as this phase dominates total fuel burn. EASA certification Engineers would verify the fuel burn on tightly controlled test flights.
Ships are primarily regulated through the United Nations International Maritime Organization and are subject to a range of technical and operational requirements set down in international law.
Emissions from shipping are subject to controls under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and a related European regime with performance standards in place for both pollutant emissions and energy efficiency. Where these requirements refer to the type approval of specific equipment, an approval process is carried out against the agreed standard to ensure the equipment is fit for purpose. The type approval of equipment on ships is normally carried out by a certification authority on behalf of a State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislation to encourage the greater use of non-custodial sentencing options for driving offences where danger was caused but with no evidence of intent or wilful risk-taking on the part of the driver.
Andrew Selous
Parliament sets the maximum penalties for driving offences and it is for the courts to decide what sentence to impose, taking into account aggravating and mitigating factors of the offence and the offender, and in line with the sentencing guidelines. The previous Secretary of State established a review into these issues. We are considering how to take this forward. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State is meeting colleagues to discuss this issue in the new year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will extend the current additional financial incentives for modern foreign language teachers in secondary schools to language specialists entering the teaching profession in primary schools.
Lord Nash
Financial incentives for initial teacher training (ITT) are designed to attract applicants to certain subjects. We have increased bursaries for secondary languages ITT trainees for 2016/17 in response to growing demand.
We have no current plans to extend these generous financial incentives for secondary language trainees to primary trainees. Primary ITT courses continue to be popular with applicants, and we are confident that we can recruit enough trainees nationally to meet need at the bursary rates announced for 2016/17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the scale of the change of his Department’s workforce arising from the departmental settlement announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
As set out in Table 1.B of the Spending Review document, the Department’s Spending Review settlement includes a real terms reduction to its administration budget of 12%. The Department’s workforce will need to reduce broadly in line with this settlement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their criteria for identifying countries of concern in the FCO annual report on human rights and democracy.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In the 2014 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, we continued to use the criteria published in the 2012 report to determine whether a country should feature as a country of concern:
• the gravity of the human rights situation in the country, including both the severity of particular abuses and the range of human rights affected;
• whether a deterioration or improvement in the human rights situation in the country would have a wider impact in the region;
• whether the human rights situation in the country has an impact on wider UK interests; and
• whether we are able to influence the human rights situation there.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stuart on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what trade missions to Latin America the Government has organised in the last 12 months; and what such trade missions are planned in the next 12 months.
Anna Soubry
In the last 12 months, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has organised the following trade missions to Latin America;
Multi-Sector Mission to Colombia and Peru – November 2014
Multi-Sector Mission to Mexico and Colombia – November/December 2014
Automotive Mission to Mexico – December 2014
Oil & Gas Mission to Colombia – March 2015
Trade Mission to Mexico – March 2015
Trade Mission to Brazil – March 2015
Global Sports Mission to Brazil – August 2015
Northern PowerHouse Mission to Mexico/Colombia – September/October 2015
Water Mission to Brazil (visiting FITABES Trade Show) – October 2015
MSB (Medium Size Business) to Brazil (led by Lord Maude) – November 2015
Broadcast Mission to Mexico – November 2015
Multi- Sector Mission to Colombia and Peru – November 2015
Information relating to planned missions from April 2016 onwards is not available at this time. UKTI is currently undertaking business planning for the period in question. The 2016-2017 Events Programme will be available by end of March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support women and ethnic minorities to reach senior positions in the legal sector.
Lord Faulks
The Government is keen to see a diverse legal profession. Regulation of the legal profession is independent of Government. The Legal Services Board (LSB) and Approved Regulators are responsible for setting the requirements for entry to the profession as well as for continued professional development. These bodies have a duty to promote competition in the provision of regulated legal services, and encourage an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession.
There are a number of initiatives being taken forward on education and training by the three largest frontline regulators for the legal profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Standards Board and CILEx Regulation, to widen opportunities for a more diverse pool of people to enter the profession through more flexible routes to qualification. These are published on each of the frontline regulators’ website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of each (a) Paveway IV bomb and (b) Brimstone missile procured by the RAF; and how many such weapons are in the RAF stockpile.
Mr Philip Dunne
I am withholding details of costs for in-service Paveway IV bombs and Brimstone missiles as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. I am also withholding details of the number of bombs and missiles held by the RAF as disclosure would or would likely prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces and allies.