Tag: 2015

  • Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will prioritise Christian, Shia Muslim and Yazidi refugees, who have been targeted by ISIL, when considering asylum cases.

    James Brokenshire

    All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the UK’s obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve Rotheram – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that all railway stations in (a) Liverpool Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool City region and (c) England and Wales are wheelchair accessible.

    Claire Perry

    Whenever the rail industry carries out infrastructure work at stations it is required to meet the latest UK and EU accessibility standards.

    We have also extended the Access for All programme, which will have provided step free access at over 200 stations by 2019. In Liverpool Walton both Fazkerley and Orrel Park have been completed. In the wider Liverpool City area Liverpool Central, Sandhills, Birkenhead North, Formby, Hooton, Meols and Waterloo have also been included in the programme.

  • Mike Wood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mike Wood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Wood on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that good quality education is provided in (a) sixth form and (b) further education colleges.

    Nick Boles

    We are introducing reforms to ensure that all post 16 institutions are providing high quality academic and technical education. We are reforming A levels and technical qualifications so that they match the best in the world and ensure that young people are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to progress into employment, apprenticeships or further study.

    A levels are now linear and technical qualifications approved for inclusion in 16-19 performance tables meet rigorous standards and are backed by employers. We will further reform technical and professional education to simplify and streamline the number of qualifications so that individuals have a clear set of routes which allow for progression to high level skills.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the cuts in the budget of the Ministry of Justice on the ability of first-tier tribunals to hear and determine immigration and asylum appeals.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government is confident that there is sufficient funding to enable the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylym Chamber) to hear and determine the number of immigration and asylum appeals to be received during 2015-2016.

  • Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage first aid training in secondary schools, and whether, in particular, they are taking steps to offer CPR training, which is offered free of charge by some volunteer organisations.

    Lord Nash

    All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for adult life. The new national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils.

    Schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics such as First Aid training beyond the prescribed curriculum to ensure that children receive a rounded education.

    The Government welcomes the work of expert organisations such as the British Red Cross, St John Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation to support schools in this aspect of teaching and are currently working with the sector to provide information to young people about first aid, CPR and how to deal with medical emergencies.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many housing association tenants are expected to buy their home under the Right to Buy scheme by (1) 2020 and (2) 2025; and whether they will place research on this topic in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million tenants.

    More details will be announced in due course.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel in the light of figures released by the Parliamentary Under Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which showed that the Israeli military have opened fire into the Gaza Access Restricted Area on at least 696 occasions since August 2014.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raise concerns over use of live fire by Israeli security authorities, most recently on 19 October when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv spoke to Israel’s Cabinet Minister, Avichai Mandleblit. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised the use of live fire by the Israel Defence Forces with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit to the UK on 10 September.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of his Department in each of the last three years.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Since 2010-11 the Government has restricted awards for senior civilservants to the top 25% of performers (from 65% in previous years),saving around £15 million overall. We have also reformed the system of bonuses, resulting in a reduction of total payments from £735,259 in 2010-11 to £448,000 in 2014-15. This is expected to be cut by a further £75,000 in 2015-16.

    Non-consolidated performance related pay is only paid to rewardexcellence, for example to recognise and incentivise those responsiblefor delivering high quality public services and savings to thetaxpayer. These one-off payments are not pensionable

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of Army (a) officers and (b) regular soldiers are recruited from (i) Scotland, (ii) England and Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.

    Mark Lancaster

    The proportion of regular Army officers and soldiers recruited from each country of the United Kingdom for 2014-15 is shown below:

    Regular

    Officer

    Soldier

    England

    88.4%

    80.6%

    Scotland

    4.7%

    8.9%

    Wales

    4.7%

    6.3%

    N Ireland

    1.4%

    2.5%

    Other

    0.8%

    1.7%

    The locations shown reflect the contact addresses recorded and may not be the home address. ‘Other’ refers to non-UK contact addresses, or those not identifiable, but does not include Gurkhas.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in the Cabinet Office on the removal from the Ministerial Code of a reference to Ministers having a duty to comply with the law including international law and treaty obligations and to uphold the administration of justice.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.