The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18956, if he will provide details of the new Access fund for sustainable travel.
Mr Robert Goodwill
On 15 February 2016, we announced that the new Access fund would be launched later in 2016 for delivery in 2017/18, and will be preceded by a £20m Sustainable Travel Transition Year for 2016/17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings (1) Treasury ministers, and (2) Treasury officials, have had with the Association of British Insurers in each of the last three years.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of companies and organisations to discuss relevant issues.
As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32551, how many reports from the dedicated reporting channel were passed on to other investigatory bodies and prosecuting authorities.
Jeremy Wright
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is an intelligence led agency and follows the National Intelligence Model (NIM) when sharing information with law enforcement partners.
Every report made to the SFO is assessed by a member of its Intelligence Unit in conjunction with other information available. The SFO passes information on to others when it has appropriate intelligence to share. This could be information from a single report, or a collated intelligence package.
The vast majority of reports made to the SFO are not matters which it can investigate, and are more appropriate for the police or other agencies. Action Fraud is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre. Individuals are asked to report matters directly to them so that Action Fraud can make best use of their information. They will also be given a crime report number for future reference.
The table below shows the minimum number of intelligence referrals made by the SFO to other agencies which are directly referable to reports made through the dedicated reporting channel(1) since these statistics have been recorded. It also shows the number of SFO investigations opened since 2012 where the initial report to the SFO came through its online reporting system.
|
Year |
Number of referrals |
SFO investigations that originated through online reporting system |
|
2012 |
Not recorded |
1 |
|
2013 |
Not recorded |
2 |
|
2014 |
144 |
3 |
|
2015 |
154 |
3 |
1. The SFO does not record statistical information about all types of referrals that it makes to other agencies that are directly referable to reports made through the dedicated reporting channel, so the total number may be higher.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) Egyptian authorities and (b) other stakeholders on the implications for UK aid projects in Gaza of disconnection of power lines providing electricity into South Gaza by Egypt.
Mr Desmond Swayne
We are concerned by the electricity shortage in Gaza and the serious impact it is having on the humanitarian situation. We are in regular dialogue with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other development actors, specifically the EU and UN, on energy issues. We regularly raise the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the Egyptian government, and have raised this issue with them. The UK will continue to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza, and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role a maintained school issued with an Academy Order to convert to academy status has in selecting its multi-academy trust or sponsor.
Edward Timpson
Where a maintained school is eligible for intervention, there is no requirement to consult on the sponsor selection except in the case of a foundation or voluntary school with a foundation. In these circumstances the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) is required to consult the trustees and the people who appoint the foundation governors and, in the case of a school which has a religious character, the appropriate religious body about the identity of the sponsor.
The proposed sponsor of the new academy is under a duty to communicate their plans to improve schools to parents.
Further information about RSC powers of intervention over maintained schools and their decision-making are set out in the Schools Causing Concern guidance and the RSC decision-making framework, which can be found on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510080/schools-causing-concern-guidance.pdf; and https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 12 September (HL1480), how they will establish whether the Football Association is adhering to the new Code of Governance.
Lord Ashton of Hyde
The new Governance Code for Sport in the UK will be published shortly. It will build on the existing governance requirements of UK Sport and Sport England and set out new governance standards that will be expected of all sports bodies seeking public funding. It will be for UK Sport and/or Sport England to determine compliance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what outcomes her Department is working for at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in February 2016.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Through the “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” Conference we aim to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of all those affected by the crisis within Syria, and to support neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees.
The Conference will address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis through supporting the creation of jobs and providing education in the region, offering those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future. Specifically, we aim to ensure access to education for all refugee and host community children by the end of the 2016-17 school year.
The Conference will also maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to stop the obstruction of humanitarian relief and abuse of civilians that perpetuate the crisis and respect International Humanitarian Law. We aim to agree action to give people inside Syria safer healthcare, safer education, and support for the most vulnerable, especially girls and women. Looking ahead, it will need to ensure the international community is well prepared to support a coordinated stabilisation effort.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what proportion the rent for premises leased by Network Rail has increased for businesses based in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Claire Perry
I am unable to provide this information as it is held by Network Rail and is commercially sensitive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any other circumstances in which 2,500/100,000 serious adverse events and 3,300/100,000 cases of autoimmune disorders, as reported by the human papilloma virus vaccine manufacturers, would be accepted in order to try to prevent the occurrence of 10/100,000 cases of cervical cancer.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Thorough reviews undertaken by health authorities, most recently by the World Health Organization in December 2015, across the world have found no evidence to support a link between the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine and the development of autoimmune and chronic illnesses. The safety of HPV vaccines was thoroughly evaluated prior to being licensed. Around three million girls have been vaccinated so far in the United Kingdom, with more than 80 million people vaccinated worldwide. As with any vaccine or medicine, all reports of serious adverse events following HPV vaccination are taken seriously and remain under continual review. However, such events are not necessarily due to the vaccine and coincidence can also be a factor. The available scientific evidence does not suggest that HPV vaccines are associated with these rates of serious side effects.
The aim of the vaccination programme is to prevent cervical cancer related to HPV infection and the best way to do this is to vaccinate girls and young women. The HPV vaccine has a good safety record, and surveillance shows it has contributed to a significant decrease in rates of infection with the two main cancer-causing HPVs. The UK programme is expected to eventually prevent hundreds of deaths from cervical cancer every year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what UK Trade and Investment’s annual budget is for work in Europe.
Anna Soubry
It is not possible fully to disaggregate UK Trade and Investment’s budget for all its work in each overseas market. The overall budget will be made up of costs incurred in country and funds that are not market specific.