The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the budget is for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in 2015-16.
Nick Boles
The budget for the Employment Agency Standards inspectorate for 2015-16 is £0.5m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to better regulate financial service providers working in the UK (a) in general and (b) specifically those selling off-shore services and investment opportunities; and if he will make a statement.
Harriett Baldwin
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for the regulation of financial services in the UK.
This is therefore a matter for the FCA, who are operationally independent from Government.
The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr James Davies on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the future of the private sector home care industry of the implementation of the national living wage.
Alistair Burt
The Department has engaged with the social care sector, including care providers, to understand how the introduction of the National Living Wage will affect them. The overall costs of providing social care will be considered as part of the Spending Review later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote tenant management.
Brandon Lewis
We have allocated funding of £1million in 2015/16 (through the Tenant Empowerment Programme) to support social housing tenants’ involvement in their local communities. This includes support to those who wish to manage delivery of services to their homes and estates by taking up their Statutory Right To Manage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information the British Defence Attaché to Russia has provided to the Russian government on measures taken to ensure accidental engagement with Russian military aircraft flying in Iraqi airspace does not lead to engagement in military confrontation.
Michael Fallon
Russian military aircraft are not conducting combat operations in Iraqi airspace: The British Defence attache in Moscow has therefore provided no information to the Russian Government on this subject.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submissions his Department has received to date from (a) hon. Members, (b) academics, (c) industry, (d) think tanks, (e) allies and partners, (f) non-governmental organisations and (g) the public on the forthcoming National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review documents.
Michael Fallon
The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total expenditure was on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority between 2010 and 2015; and what the forecast expenditure is in each location on that authority in each of the next five years.
Andrea Leadsom
The total expenditure on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) between 2010 and 2015 was £15,381 million. This was predominantly spent on front-line operations and decommissioning with a small central spend on the NDA itself and on activities such as R&D. The expenditure was across the NDA estate which covers England, Scotland and Wales. However, it should be noted that Sellafield, the UK’s largest, most complex and challenging site accounts for over half of the NDA’s annual budget. There are no nuclear facilities in Northern Ireland.
TheDepartment’s request for future funding as part of the Spending Review contains details of the NDA’s estimates of expenditure in line with its existing plans. This includes focussing on tackling the highest hazards at Sellafield.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress on the (a) establishment of a national unity government in Libya and (b) ending of political instability in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
On 8 October the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino León, announced details of the proposed final political settlement in Libya. This included: names for the Prime Minister and five others members of the Presidential Council, the final text of the Political Agreements, and twelve other names proposed for ministerial positions.
We are working closely with international partners to encourage the Libyan parties to endorse the proposal. UNSMIL hope to achieve formal signature before 20 October.
We are working tirelessly in support of UN efforts to establish a Government of National Accord in Libya. Negotiations remain difficult. But only an inclusive government will deliver the peace and stability that the Libyan people desire and deny the space for ISIL and other extremist groups to operate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the level of sexual violence (a) within Syria and (b) in camps for Syrian refugees.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are extremely concerned by the high levels of sexual violence in Syria and within Syrian refugee camps. The UN Commission of Inquiry report of September 2015 highlighted widespread sexual abuse carried out by the Syrian regime, ISIL and some armed opposition groups within Syria. Assad’s forces and militia are responsible for the vast majority of sexual violence, which include threats, rape, degrading body searches and sexual harassment in prisons and branches of the security agencies. ISIL propaganda condones the barbaric treatment of male and female captives, sexual relations with adolescent girls and sexual slavery. Unfortunately, many of those who flee the conflict remain extremely vulnerable to sexual violence. Exploitation of vulnerable individuals within refugee camps was highlighted by the UN Equity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women report “We keep Silent” issued in April 2014. The UK is providing £1 billion in humanitarian aid, which includes support to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide services for survivors of sexual violence and has so far reached over 27,000 women in Syria. We are also supporting case management in Jordan for over 800 survivors and cash assistance to vulnerable refugee women in Lebanon. The FCO has committed £5.2 million to projects preventing sexual violence in Syria. We are supporting projects to train health professionals and human rights defenders in collecting and preserving evidence of human rights abuses including sexual violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hours of mental health training is required as part of the mandatory training course for (a) student doctors, (b) student nurses and (c) midwives.
Ben Gummer
As the professional regulators it is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricular to ensure newly qualified doctors and nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care.This includes Mental Health training as required.
Health Education England will work with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients.