Tag: 2016

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) total cost and (b) cost per sortie mission flown has been of UK military action in Syria since 2 December 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    It is not possible to separate out the costs of UK military action in Syria from that of wider Counter-Daesh operations due to the inter-related nature of the UK’s military activity. However, information on the net additional costs of Counter-Daesh operations during the financial year 2015-16 will be published in the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts, with £75 million approved by Parliament at Main Estimates in July 2015 to meet the initial net additional costs of such operations in 2015-16. We will update this estimate in our 2015-16 Supplementary Estimates which Her Majesty’s Treasury plan to lay before the House in February.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to monitor whether the number of refugee places for victims of domestic violence is increasing or decreasing.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We have invested over £280,000 in UK Refuges on Line (UKROL) to monitor the number of refuge bedspaces around the country to ensure that victims get the support that they need. It will also ensure victims calling the National Domestic Violence Helpline looking for refuge get additional help in finding the support they need.

    Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that shatters lives. That is why we are committed to ensuring that no victim is turned away from the support they need. To support this ambition, we have committed long term fund of £40 million over the next four years which will offer support to victims of domestic abuse. This increased funding, which triples our funding in the last spending period, complements Government’s wider approach and support for violence against women and children’s services, which will be set out in the forthcoming refresh of the Strategy.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bus operators have an incentive to invest in new vehicles when franchising is an option open to local authorities.

    Andrew Jones

    Local transport authorities with access to bus franchising powers will wish to ensure that local operators are aware of their intentions, so that investment decisions can be taken and services continue to be provided in the best interests of passengers.

    Any authority that chooses to implement franchising will have the ability to specify its requirements of operators as part of any franchise contract. This could include requirements relating to the standards of vehicles to be used by operators.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the ambulance service.

    Jane Ellison

    Recruitment and retention of ambulance service staff is the responsibility of individual ambulance trusts. Many are taking direct action in this area now with national and international recruitment campaigns.

    There are almost 2,000 additional paramedics in the system now than in 2010 and we are training another 1,900 over the next five years.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Whitaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to issue guidance to vets on how to proceed with the micro-chipping of dogs or horses when the owner is of no fixed abode, such as in the case of Gypsies and Travellers.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Owners of horses and dogs without a fixed address should provide the address of a family member or close friend with whom they keep in contact. Defra have worked with the veterinary representative organisations on their guidance for vets on microchipping of dogs.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence budget was spent on foreign military sales in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The proportion of the defence procurement budget, and the defence budget spent on foreign military sales in each financial year cannot be provided. Under the Foreign Military Sales Agreement (FMS), Her Majesty’s Government commits to FMS cases with the US Government which then places contracts with industry to deliver our requirements. Additionally, FMS cases typically cover differing periods of performance, thereby making estimation of the commitment that would fall within each financial year unreliable.

    The number of new cases, together with their values, committed to under FMS for each financial year is given in the table below. They do not equate to actual expenditure, accruals or contractual commitments and include contingency provisions.

    Financial Year

    No. of new cases

    Value of new cases ($millions)

    2009-10

    22

    995

    2010-11

    30

    111

    2011-12

    33

    284

    2012-13

    23

    137

    2013-14

    25

    301

    2014-15

    26

    328

    2015-16

    32

    245

    2016-17 to date

    6

    13

    Totals

    197

    2,414

  • Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department plans to fund support for economic development in developing countries.

    Priti Patel

    My department remains committed to providing support for work on economic development. We are currently developing our Economic Development Strategy and will be considering funding allocations as part of our wider aid reviews.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship were (1) issued, and (2) subsequently taken up, by employers in each month since the permanent cap was introduced in April 2011.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The data requested is routinely published on the Gov.uk website and can be found at the following address https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-sponsorship-restricted-certificate-allocations/allocations-of-restricted-certificates-of-sponsorship Please also find the information included in the link set out in the table below

    Allocation Month

    Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship Available

    Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship Granted

    Apr-11

    4200

    1019

    May-11

    4666

    781

    Jun-11

    5397

    845

    Jul-11

    6064

    859

    Aug-11

    6760

    819

    Sep-11

    7719

    673

    Oct-11

    8536

    818

    Nov-11

    9559

    766

    Dec-11

    10269

    729

    Jan-12

    11023

    706

    Feb-12

    11773

    832

    Mar-12

    12429

    1040

    Apr-12

    1725

    1037

    May-12

    2415

    913

    Jun-12

    3188

    924

    Jul-12

    3950

    1007

    Aug-12

    4648

    776

    Sep-12

    5486

    785

    Oct-12

    6418

    715

    Nov-12

    7418

    717

    Dec-12

    8408

    753

    Jan-13

    9355

    780

    Feb-13

    10269

    955

    Mar-13

    11031

    1044

    Apr-13

    1710

    1247

    May-13

    2172

    772

    Jun-13

    3120

    1373

    Jul-13

    3416

    1417

    Aug-13

    3680

    1110

    Sep-13

    4189

    1044

    Oct-13

    4863

    973

    Nov-13

    5595

    1024

    Dec-13

    6283

    1275

    Jan-14

    6714

    926

    Feb-14

    7427

    1289

    Mar-14

    7825

    1033

    Apr-14

    1724

    1699

    May-14

    1728

    1083

    Jun-14

    2350

    1738

    Jul-14

    2308

    1749

    Aug-14

    2213

    1763

    Sep-14

    2050

    1442

    Oct-14

    2277

    1473

    Nov-14

    2511

    1723

    Dec-14

    2481

    1819

    Jan-15

    2416

    1670

    Feb-15

    2392

    2409

    Mar-15

    1690

    1519

    Apr-15

    2528

    1888

    May-15

    2285

    2277

    Jun-15

    1609

    1215

    Jul-15

    2040

    1943

    Aug-15

    2347

    2418

    Sep-15

    1544

    1520

    Oct-15

    2111

    1953

    Nov-15

    2011

    2100

    Dec-15

    1898

    1774

    Jan-16

    1926

    1441

    Feb-16

    2439

    1760

    Mar-16

    2661

    1748

    Apr-16

    2175

    1692

    May-16

    2464

    1849

    Jun-16

    2575

    1853

    Jul-16

    2701

    2238

    Aug-16

    2695

    1952

    Sep-16

    2879

    1509

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) membership and (b) terms of reference will be of the extended Natural Capital Committee.

    Rory Stewart

    Professor Dieter Helm was reappointed as Chair of the Natural Capital Committee on 9 December 2015. The recruitment process to select the other members of the Committee is underway. The new Committee’s remit will be to advise Government on the development of an integrated 25 year environment plan to protect and improve our natural capital. The detailed terms of reference for the new Committee will be finalised once the Committee members are appointed.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider including young adult carers in the vulnerable bursary criteria for the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Government recognises the extremely valuable service that young carers provide to their community as well as to their families.

    Additional disadvantage funding is given to schools and colleges through Block 1 and 2 funding to provide extra educational and pastoral support for students whose education has fallen behind for any reason, such as having caring responsibilities.

    The 16 to 19 vulnerable bursary targets specific groups of vulnerable young people whom we know experience financial hardship and we have no plans to change the qualifying criteria.

    The 16 to 19 discretionary bursary is available to support any student who needs financial assistance to stay in education and we will strengthen the guidance provided to the schools and colleges that administer discretionary bursary funds to ensure the needs of young carers are recognised.