Tag: 2016

  • Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to improve the performance of the Feed-in Tariff scheme for solar power.

    Jesse Norman

    Solar continues to be deployed under the Feed-in Tariff scheme, with over 140 MW of applications since the scheme reopened in February.

    Changes to the scheme were introduced in 2016 to manage costs and ensure value for money.

    While it is appropriate to allow for a period of stability following these changes, my rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State continues to keep the performance of the scheme under review.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the rise in online misogyny.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Abusive or threatening behaviour – whoever the target – is totally unacceptable. As set out in the Violence Against Women and Girls prevention strategy, my department, with the Home Office, has established a cross-government working group to develop proactive responses to online misogyny. We have also provided new funding for the Revenge Porn Helpline.

  • Lord Northbourne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Northbourne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Northbourne on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of secondary schools in building self-confidence and social and emotional skills in their pupils.

    Lord Nash

    All schools should equip young people with the necessary skills to leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education has a vital role to play in this and we want all schools to put it at the heart of their curriculum.

    This includes developing character traits like self-confidence, motivation and resilience. These traits support academic attainment, are valued by employers, and encourage young people to make a positive contribution to British society. Many schools are already doing this. The 27 schools and organisations that were winners of character awards in 2015 demonstrated excellence in the area. We will continue to support schools in developing these traits in pupils without prescribing compulsory measures. In order to do this, we are investing £5 million in character education, including £3.5m of grants for 14 projects and £1m to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to build evidence and expand research into the most effective character education.

    Last September, Ofsted introduced a common assessment framework for the inspection of schools, early years and further education and skills remits. There is an overall effectiveness judgement underpinned by four graded judgements, one of which is a new judgement on personal development, behaviour and welfare. This aspect, therefore, will be graded and reported on in all school inspections.

    Additionally, before making the final judgement on the overall effectiveness of all schools, Ofsted inspectors must evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This means that when judging the effectiveness of leadership and management, inspectors will consider the design, implementation and evaluation of the curriculum, ensuring breadth and balance and its impact on pupils’ outcomes and their personal development, behaviour and welfare.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23290, for what reasons he will not make it his policy that the House be given the opportunity to debate any decision to deploy UK Reaper aircraft outside of Syria and Iraq.

    Michael Fallon

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois), on 23 June 2014 (Official Report, column 99W), to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Tom Watson).

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many graduates have begun the Think Ahead programme in each year since its formation; and how many have been enrolled to start in 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    Conditional offers have been made for the first cohort of 80-100 participants, who will begin the Think Ahead programme in July 2016.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of elections due to take place in November 2016 on political stability in Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The Government is concerned that elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may not take place by the Constitutional deadline in November 2016. We believe that it is still technically possible to hold the elections on time and remain committed to doing what we can to support this process.

    On 4 March 2016 the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my Hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), announced in Kinshasa that the UK was prepared to make available £11.4 million to support the elections provided that certain conditions were met. These conditions include the production of a credible timetable and budget for the elections.

    We have called upon the Government of the DRC to ensure that political freedoms, freedom of media and speech and human rights are respected to ensure a peaceful and fair environment for the elections. We have also called upon all actors to respect the law and avoid inciting violence and disorder.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals working for which organisations have received clearance to directly access the database of Suspicious Activity Reports in each year since 2009-10.

    Mr John Hayes

    The end user organisations (police forces, multi agency teams and other agencies) that have ‘direct’ access to suspicious activity reports (SARs) are listed in the SARs Annual Reports, which are available on the NCA website. They are summarised in the table below.

    Year

    Number of end users organisations that have ‘direct’ access to SARs

    2009

    78

    2010

    78

    2011

    78

    2012

    77

    2013

    69

    2014

    69

    2015

    71

    All individuals outside of the NCA who have ‘direct’ access to SARs are accredited by the NCA Proceeds of Crime Centre as being Financial Investigators, Financial Intelligence Officers or Financial Intelligence Administrators in line with the end user agreements in place with each organisation. Not all those individuals that have accreditation have ‘direct’ access to SARs. It is not possible, without further significant analysis, to determine the number of individuals who over time have had such access to the SARs System.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the list of conditions eligible for a medical exemption certificate has been reviewed since its introduction.

    Alistair Burt

    We cannot be sure from our records how many times the list of medical conditions which provide eligibility for a medical exemption certificate has been reviewed since its introduction in 1968.

    The most recent external review commenced in 2008 when the then Prime Minister announced the addition of cancer to the list of conditions which would be eligible for a medical exception certificate, and announced at the same time that there would be a review by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore on how to implement exemptions for all those with long term conditions. The report of the Gilmore review was published in May 2010, and it was announced in the 2010 spending review that the recommendations made in the report would not be implemented in light of the financial situation. There are no current plans to undertake a further review of the list.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings have been held between Ministers of his Department and their international counterparts on future trade deals since his Department was created; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Garnier

    As the Prime Minister made clear earlier this week, as we leave the EU, Britain will seek to become the global leader in free trade. This is why my team of Ministers and officials at the Department for International Trade are actively engaging with our international partners. Through these discussions, we are working to best promote British trade, and to ensure we take advantage of the great opportunities available to us – including through our future trading relationships.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear-powered submarines are waiting for decommissioning work to be (a) commenced and (b) completed.

    Harriett Baldwin

    There are 12 submarines in laid-up storage in Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport and seven at Rosyth Dockyard. Under the Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) one submarine will commence ‘Initial Dismantling’ at Rosyth later in 2016, subject to regulatory permissions, to refine the process.

    While laid-up, the submarines are subject to regular maintenance and checks by both the Ministry of Defence and regulators, and pose no additional risk to workers or members of the public.