Tag: 2016

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle and prevent organised dog fighting.

    George Eustice

    The Government considers that the necessary laws to tackle dog fighting are already in place. The police have specific powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to tackle dog fighting and work closely with the Special Operations Unit of the RSPCA to gather intelligence against gangs involved in organised dog fights.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make urgent representations to the Pakistani government on the case of Asia Bibi.

    Alok Sharma

    I remain concerned about Ms Asia Bibi ahead of her Supreme Court hearing due this week. We raise regularly our concerns about misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Pakistani Government, and continue to urge Pakistan to adhere to its international obligations and uphold the rule of law. During his visit to Pakistan in March, the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear our concerns about minority communities and misuse of the blasphemy laws. The UK supported the EU statement of October 2014 following the decision of the Lahore High Court to uphold the conviction of Ms Bibi. We will continue to work with our EU and other international partners to ensure our views are made clear to the Pakistani authorities.

  • Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding is available for illiterate prisoners to learn to read and write and to receive education while in prison.

    Nick Boles

    The Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget for adults in custody in England is £128.9m for the 2015-16 financial year. This figure includes funding for the National Careers Service in custody.

    The OLASS budget is not sub-divided for particular subjects or types of learning. The Skills Funding Agency’s funding rules require providers to deliver a core curriculum, commissioned by the prison Governor or the lead Governor for a cluster of prisons in conjunction with the Skills Funding Agency, which must include mandatory initial assessment of English (and maths) for all prisoners on reception to custody, as well as English, maths and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), vocational qualifications, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and employability skills (which may include a wide range of team-working, personal, social and other skills).

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is legally required to consult all councillors in the 10 metropolitan district councils on the sites identified in the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Development Plan.

    James Wharton

    The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities is currently involved in the preparation of a Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Development Plan working with the 10 metropolitan councils in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s area. We understand that this is intended to become a joint development plan document.

    A local authority may arrange for the discharge of any of its functions by a committee, sub-committee, an officer or by any other local authority. The ten local authorities have delegated responsibility for the “coordination” of the Greater Manchester Strategic Framework to Association of Greater Manchester Authorities Executive Board, a committee of the Combined Authority. Under these current arrangements, it is for each individual authority to decide how to engage its members in the production of the document.

    Each local planning authority must also comply with section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which requires them to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement which should explain how they will engage local communities and other interested parties in producing development plan documents and determining planning applications. This should be published on the local planning authority’s website and it is the authority’s responsibility to ensure that any Development Plan Document is prepared in accordance with it.

    It would not be appropriate for me to meet to discuss the detail of a plan in preparation.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the supply of newly-qualified mathematics teachers in Stoke-on-Trent.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the national requirements for the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training places to meet demand, including mathematics.

    The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model

    “

  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-03-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the staff who manage the gardens in Dorneywood country residence are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Dorneywood is a charitable trust and its staff are employed by the charity. Therefore, Government keep no details of its staff’s pensions affairs.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has spent on its industrial strategy in each year in which that strategy has been in force.

    Anna Soubry

    The industrial strategy was launched under the coalition Government in September 2012. The strategy was characterised by support for a number of sectors, in several areas where government action (via investment or otherwise) was identified to have an impact in promoting jobs and growth.

    These areas were access to finance, support for emerging technologies, creating a pipeline of skilled workers, government procurement and the development of supply chains.

    The figures below show how much money has been spent in the spend areas of Aerospace, Automotive and Agri-tech, in each year that it has been in force:

    13/14 (£)

    14/15 (£)

    15/16 (£) (Forecast)

    Euro-Transonic Wind-tunnel (part of the Agri-tech Catalyst)

    1,111,747

    683,000

    1,195,000

    Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)

    72,697,664

    132,544,663

    128,877,536

    Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)

    –

    16,009,948

    32,358,783

    Agri-Tech Catalyst

    1,648,790

    1,959,154

    24,837,890

    Total

    75,458,201

    151,196,766

    187,269,209

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) West Sussex County Council of delays in discharging older patients from hospital in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has made no formal estimate of the costs of delayed discharges to the National Health Service or individual hospitals.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indian government on suppression of the press in Kashmir and Jammu.

    Alok Sharma

    The UK Government has not made any representation to the Government of India on freedom of press in Jammu and Kashmir. We recognise that there are broader human rights concerns in Kashmir. In November 2015, Indian Prime Minister Modi assured the former Prime Minister, my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) of his commitment to and respect for India’s core values of tolerance and freedom.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is the Government’s policy to comply with EU rules on the exchange of (a) blood and (b) organs after the UK has left the EU.

    David Mowat

    The safety and quality of our blood, tissue and cells and organ donation and transplant programmes must be assured. Any proposed changes within or outside Europe will continue to be considered carefully to ensure a safe and high quality service. Whilst the United Kingdom remains a full member of the European Union, EU legislation will of course continue to be in place and all obligations of EU membership will apply. Ongoing discussions are taking place regarding which rules and regulations are best placed to meet UK healthcare needs.