Tag: 2016

  • Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many citizens of other EU countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Aliens’ Employment Act 1955 makes it an absolute requirement that all staff recruited to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on UK terms and conditions must be UK nationals. The FCO therefore employs UK-based staff who are UK Nationals, or dual nationals where one of those ​nationalities is the UK. Our executive agency, FCO Services, applies the same recruitment principles. Neither FCO nor FCO Services hold details of any additional nationality held by UK members of staff.

    Other FCO agencies do not record the information centrally. However, our non departmental public bodies have a total of 10 EU nationals.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) apprenticeships and (b) vocational training in the haulage industry.

    Robert Halfon

    The Department has supported the Logistics and Supply Chain Trailblazer group in developing new apprenticeship standards for LGV drivers and Supply Chain Operators, both of which were approved for delivery in May. Both standards have been developed by employers to truly meet the needs of their sector. The new LGV Driver standard allows apprentices to gain their Category C LGV licence alongside the training and assessment for the new standard, rather than it being an entry requirement as it was under the old system.

    The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has an account management function to support employers to invest in apprenticeships and they are working with some of the biggest hauliers including DHL, Kuehne, Nagel and, more recently, Wincanton. The SFA is also supporting the British International Freight Association to develop a new apprenticeship standard for international freight.

    Transport and logistics is also one of the 15 technical education routes set out in the Post 16 Skills Plan.

  • Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the resource cost charge in England of (1) full-time fee loans in higher education, (2) full-time maintenance loans in higher education, (3) part-time fee loans in higher education, and (4) adult further education fee loans, for those aged 24 and over who are studying on Level 3 and 4 courses.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    We estimate that the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge for full time tuition fee and maintenance loans, and part time fee loans, is between 20% and 25%.

    We estimate that the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge for Advanced Learner Loans is around 40%. BIS is collecting data on learners as it emerges and based on this data we regularly review and update the RAB charge estimate for Advanced Learner Loans.

    These estimates take into account the changes to student finance and the new HM Treasury discount rate used to value the student loan book announced at Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. We will update our estimates in summer 2016 and publish these at the same time as BIS accounts.


  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 10743, how many applications from Normandy veterans for the Legion d’Honneur are not yet processed by his Department.

    Mark Lancaster

    In order to help the French authorities we have jointly developed improved administrative procedures, whereby the UK is submitting Legion d’Honneur applications to the French in a steady flow in approximately the order they were received by the Ministry of Defence.

    Some 2,900 applications have been sent to the French Embassy since the new system began in July last year; we have approximately 1,750 cases still to be submitted and the Department continues to receive new applications on a weekly basis. Cases are given priority on the grounds of ill-health or extreme age.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money the NHS invested in ensuring access to and provision of structured education for diabetes patients in (1) 2013, (2) 2014 and (3) 2015, and what percentage those figures represent of total NHS spend on diabetes during each year.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England and Monitor are working closely together to ensure that the payment system supports service developments in the vanguard sites (including those where integrated diabetes care is a focus) as well as monitoring local innovative approaches to supporting integrated care taken by some clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). This is to ensure that the payment system keeps abreast with the development of future service models and is not a barrier to the development of new models of care.

    During 2016/17, NHS England will look at the current incentives and funding arrangements for diabetes to see how greater alignment could be achieved between the financial incentives for primary and secondary care.

    Information on how much money the National Health Service invested in structured education for diabetes patients is not collected centrally.

    Under the Health and Social Care Act (2012), NHS England has a statutory duty to conduct an annual assessment of every CCG. Since April 2013, CCGs have been assessed twice, for the period 2013/14 and for 2014/15.

    For 2016/17, NHS England will introduce a new CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework (CCG IAF). This new framework will align with NHS England’s mandate and planning process, with the aim of driving improvements in a number of key areas including the management and care of people with diabetes.

    NHS England has been working with Diabetes UK on including diabetes indicators in the CCG IAF. The proposed diabetes indicators are:

    – the percentage of diabetes patients that have achieved all three of the National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence recommended treatment targets; and

    – newly diagnosed diabetes patients referred to, or attending, a structured education course.

    Under the proposals, diabetes will also be one of the six clinical priority areas in the CCG IAF that will be overseen by an independent group.

    The CCG IAF proposals are subject to the outcome of an engagement process which closed for comments on February 26 2016. More information can be found at:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccg-improvmnt/

    “

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 2.48 of the National Minimum Wage Low Pay Commission Report Spring 2016, Cm 9207, what assessment he has made of the potential incidence of employers hiring apprentices to avoid paying the new higher minimum wage.

    Nick Boles

    No assessment has been made of the potential incidence of employers hiring more apprentices to avoid paying the national minimum wage.

    The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.30 per hour. This applies to apprentices who are aged under 19 or those in the first year of their Apprenticeship. Apprentices aged 19 or above and in the second year of their apprenticeship must be paid at least the minimum wage rate that relates to their age. This means an apprentice aged 25 or above in the second year must be paid at least the National Living Wage.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the decision of the House of 20 April 2016, on recognition of genocide by Daesh against Yazidis, Christians and other religious minorities, what steps he is taking to implement that resolution.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    This Government shares the House of Common’s condemnation of Daesh atrocities against minorities, and the majority Muslim populations of Iraq and Syria. The Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said he believes there is a very strong case to answer, but ultimately it should be a matter for judicial authorities.

    We will do all we can to support the gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used in a court to hold Daesh to account. And we are continuing to deliver our comprehensive strategy to defeat Daesh and thereby stop them from preventing more atrocities. Addition as per PQ 35349.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24th May 2016 to Question 37256, on the WHO framework convention on tobacco control, when he expects to take a decision on whether the delegation will be led by Ministers in his Department.

    Jane Ellison

    The next meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will be held in India from 7 to 12 November 2016. The composition of the United Kingdom’s delegation has not yet been decided.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 5 September 2016, Yemen Update, HCWS 128, whether the Government plans to raise (a) alleged breaches of international humanitarian law, (b) allegations that Saudi Arabia has used cluster munitions and (c) the need for other countries to increase humanitarian funding at the UN General Assembly meeting on Yemen to be hosted by the UK in September 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK will host discussions on Yemen at the UN General Assembly later this month with key international partners. We have raised the use of cluster munitions with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, we continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. We have raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funds for which purposes the Government pledged at the Brussels conference on Afghanistan, held on 4-5 October 2016; what measures she has put in place to monitor how those funds are (a) distributed and (b) spent; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    On 2 October the Secretary of State announced that the UK would spend up to £750m in ODA to Afghanistan to 2020, depending on Afghan government performance and security conditions. UK support will help build a safer, more stable and prosperous Afghanistan through increased state capacity and legitimacy; it will support increased economic growth and self-reliance and decreased poverty and vulnerability. It will be delivered via multi-donor trust funds and contracts with commercial providers of good and services, UN agencies and UK, Afghan, and international NGOs, and monitored by both internal and external mechanisms.