Tag: 2016

  • Lucy Powell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children in each academic year have been eligible for the pupil premium in each year since it was introduced; and how much the Government has spent on pupil premium for primary age pupils in each year group in each academic year to date.

    Edward Timpson

    Information on the overall number of pupils eligible for the deprivation pupil premium in primary and secondary schools and the associated funding allocated is available in the school-level pupil premium allocations, which are published on the department’s website. Data for service child, looked after, and post-looked after pupil premium are also included, but are not broken down by school phase. Links to the data for each year since the pupil premium was introduced are provided below.[1] The information is available by region and local authority, but the pupil premium is not calculated by year group.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017 – click on ‘Pupil premium final allocations 2016 to 2017 by local authority area and region in England’

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations#history

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-funding-tables-2012-to-2013

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0070267/dsg-and-pupil-premium-allocations-for-2011-12

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons his Department has decided not to include Saudi Arabia in its Strategy for the Abolition of the Death Penalty.

    Mr David Lidington

    The criteria used in 2010 to draw up the list of priority countries within the “HMG Strategy for the Abolition of the Death Penalty 2010-2015” are set out in that document. The previous Government decided that limited resources should focus on countries ready to engage in a dialogue about capital punishment likely to lead to reform. Many of the countries prioritised in 2010 have implemented reforms in the intervening five years. Saundi Arabia is included in the 2015 Annual Human Rights Report as a country of concern, primarily because of its use of the death penalty. We do not intend to publish a new strategy specific to the death penalty; but we will be publishing a strategy for the FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme Fund on 18 January, which will show how work to abolish the death penalty is important under all three of the strategy’s new themes. The FCO’s death penalty-related work will also be covered in future instalments of the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place to ensure no shortfalls occur in future in the pensions of firefighters and police officers.

    Mike Penning

    On 1 April 2015, in line with wider public service pension reform, new career average pension arrangements were introduced for police officers and firefighters. These changes have put pension arrangements on a sustainable footing for the future, setting a fair balance of costs between public servants and other taxpayers, while continuing to provide good pensions for police officers and firefighters which reflect their roles.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    George Eustice

    The Govt Legal Dept have represented Defra at Employment Tribunals since Oct 2011. The costs of any such litigation are covered by an annual block fee arrangement which covers all aspects of legal services provided to Defra.

    The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many directors of companies were disqualified as a result of a criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

    Jeremy Wright

    In 2014-15, seven individuals were disqualified from acting as company directors following investigations by the Serious Fraud Office; and one was disqualified in 2013-14.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.256 of Budget 2016, what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on supporting the UK’s bid to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

    Greg Hands

    As stated in Spending Review 15 the government supports the ambition to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in the Northern Powerhouse.

    Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

    Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the level of coal stockpiling in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC publishes data on coal stocks held in the UK. The table below shows the stocks held at the end of the last 10 years. This includes stocks held at electricity generators, ports and undistributed stocks held at coal mines.

    Year

    UK Coal Stocks at end of year (thousand tonnes)

    2006

    17,210

    2007

    14,155

    2008

    17,246

    2009

    24,091

    2010

    16,885

    2011

    16,041

    2012

    13,003

    2013

    14,287

    2014

    18,641

    2015 (provisional)

    14,500

    Source: Energy Trends Table 2.6, March 2016 available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends

  • Jo Churchill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jo Churchill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Churchill on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support tourism through increasing the number of UNESCO-recognised World Heritage sites in the UK.

    Tracey Crouch

    World Heritage Sites are internationally recognised. As a result, they attract visitors from near and far.

    In July, the Gorham Cave Complex in Gibraltar became the UK’s 30th World Heritage Site. I very much hope to see the Lake District become our 31st in 2017.

    The Prime Minister’s Tourism Action Plan sets out how we are working to make it easier for visitors to travel around our country and discover these sites for themselves.

  • Chris White – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Chris White – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the small hive beetle from affecting the UK’s bee population.

    George Eustice

    A Contingency Plan for England and Wales and a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) have been published for the small hive beetle. Elements of the Contingency Plan were tested during 2016 with the completion of two field exercises in England. Such exercises have been carried out annually since 2005 on a four year rolling regional cycle ensuring that all National Bee Unit field inspectors and support staff are trained in Contingency Planning and Operational Preparedness.

    Since the first detection in Italy in September 2014 UK bee inspectors have enhanced our inspection services and surveillance by:

    • tracing and checking past imports of bees from Italy;
    • increasing inspections of high-risk apiaries near ports and airports;
    • doubling the number of targeted exotic pest inspections carried out per year;
    • providing training and guidance materials on pest recognition to inspectors responsible for checking UK imports of plants and plant products (e.g. Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors and Horticulture Marketing Inspectors – as these products could provide a route by which the beetle is introduced); and
    • working with beekeeper associations, government agencies and importer trade associations (e.g. Fresh Produce Consortium) to raise awareness amongst beekeepers, plant produce importers and growers who use managed bees for pollination services.
  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the availability of access to fertility treatments in the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.

    NHS England expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guidelines.

    On 14 December 2015 I met with stakeholders, together with colleagues from NHS England and Monitor,to discuss the provision of in vitro fertilisation. The Department, along with NHS England and Monitor, will be giving further consideration to the scope for improving the commissioning of these services.