The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 25292, to which countries RAF Reaper or Watchkeeper drones have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties since 5 February 2016.
Penny Mordaunt
From 5 February until 4 April 2016, UK Reapers have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in Iraq and Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the establishment of a national emergency operations centre within Public Health England; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The Department and Public Health England (PHE) have specific responsibilities for planning and managing the response to emergencies and health protection incidents and outbreaks in an extended team that works across government. The Department commissions PHE to exercise specific functions on behalf of the Secretary of State under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, including a duty to ensure effective plans are in place, take part in national exercises, and co-ordinate responses. The Secretary of State has cross-government responsibility to provide assurance on the health system’s emergency preparedness. Thus PHE is required to complete an annual assurance exercise for the Department to ensure arrangements are in place for a sustainable and interoperable response in the event of an incident, emergency or business continuity event.
The PHE National Emergency Operations Centre operates when the response requires national leadership and co-ordination. It coordinates PHE’s activities and as one of its functions produces briefings and situation reports for Ministers, the Cabinet Office briefing room system and officials.
PHE was established in 2013. The National Emergency Operations function was previously carried out by the former Health Protection Agency. Therefore the Department has not been able to specifically identify the historical costs of creating the National Incident Coordination Centre in 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications there were by developers for housebuilding on brownfield sites in each of the last five years.
Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the numbers of planning applications made on previously developed (brownfield) land.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what activities (a) she and (b) officials of the Government Equalities Office have undertaken to promote breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week 2016.
Caroline Dinenage
The Government Equalities Office fully supports the work of the Department of Health, which leads Government work to promote breastfeeding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2016 to Question 49308, on the Warm Home Discount Scheme, how a person opts out of that scheme.
Jesse Norman
The scheme has formal arrangements in place for individuals wishing to opt-out from the scheme.
All Pension Credit Guarantee Credit recipients are first sent a letter with information about the scheme. Only these recipients automatically receive the Warm Home Discount rebate. Those who do not want their data shared with their energy supplier, can write to Department Work for Pensions stating their wish to opt-out from the scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the functions of the officials from the Home Office and other departments who are now serving in the north of France; whether they will instruct those officials to give priority to finding and assisting refugees there (1) who may be eligible for family reunion in the UK, or (2) for whom the Government have some responsibility, such as interpreters formerly employed by the Armed Forces; and if not, whether they will fund an NGO to do that work.
Lord Bates
Border Force officers are deployed to the Northern French ports to undertake immigration and customs functions as part of the juxtaposed controls arrangements with France, whereby elements of border control are completed prior to travel to the UK. Under the treaties which govern these arrangements, Border Force officers can only undertake official functions within defined “control zones” at the ports. Under the terms of the August 2015 UK-France Joint Declaration, Border Force officials additionally visit the migrant camps in conjunction with French officials to inform migrants of the dangers in seeking entry to the UK illegally and the importance instead of seeking asylum in France, and the fact that this is a prerequisite to apply for family reunion. French officials, as the responsible authority, also provide information to migrants during these visits.
Separate schemes have existed since 2013 to assist interpreters previously employed by the UK Armed Forces. These apply only to those who have remained in Afghanistan and, in recognition of their unique and exceptional service or the danger the interpreters may face because of their work, can lead to relocation to the UK if certain criteria are met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which national homelessness prevention and reduction schemes received direct funding from central government (a) in 2015-16 to date and (b) in each financial year since 2009-10; and what the cost of these schemes to the public purse was in those years.
Mr Marcus Jones
Since 2010 we have invested over £500 million to enable local authorities and the voluntary sector to support those vulnerable and at risk of homelessness. Our initiatives have included funding:
The Government has provided £470 million funding for homelessness prevention over the last Spending Review period. Salford City Council was allocated the following amounts based on the homelessness prevention funding formula within the Local Government Finance Settlement:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Robinson on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the case of Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa; and if he will raise that case with his counterpart in the Indian government.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are aware of Surat Singh Khalsa’s hunger strike and continue to follow developments. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed human rights with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK in November 2015. Mr Modi assured him that his government in India remains committed to diversity and fundamental freedoms. Mr Modi also met a delegation of UK Sikh leaders during his visit and discussed a range of issues affecting the Sikh community in India. I discussed concerns about minority rights with the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh in November 2015 and the British High Commission in India regularly discusses the treatment of minorities, including the Sikh community, with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with state governments across India. Prime Minister Modi’s visit, including his address at Wembley, highlighted the contribution that Sikh and other religious minority communities make to India, and to UK-India relations. Relations between the Sikh community in India and the Indian government are ultimately an internal matter, but we encourage both parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30801, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to introduce a requirement on local authorities to ensure that home-schooled children are being educated to the same standard as schooled children.
Edward Timpson
The standard to which home schooled children have to be educated is already the same as for those attending school. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires parents to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitudes, either by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. ‘Education otherwise than at school’ includes elective home education, and therefore, although methods may differ, the overall requirement is the same.
Section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 deals with the inspection of local authorities by Ofsted and would not be an appropriate method for imposing a new duty on them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department takes to limit the effect on service users of contracts with sub-contractors being terminated early due to the provider being at risk of failure.
Nick Boles
Where a subcontractor is impacted by the Skills Funding Agency’s (SFA) decision to terminate a provider contract, the SFA ensures that the learners can remain in their programme of learning either through the subcontractor or through a transfer to another provider depending on the circumstances of the termination. However, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) does not terminate contracts on the grounds of a provider being ‘at risk of failure’.