The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the maximum duration should be for a degree apprenticeship.
Nick Boles
There is no maximum duration for Degree Apprenticeships. The pattern of delivery of the degree will be a key component in the length of a Degree Apprenticeship, both employers and Higher Education providers will want to ensure the apprenticeship standard is achieved in full.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that all Government departments undertake a cross-cutting review on the effect of their policies on (a) inequalities in health and (b) deprivation in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Scotland.
Ben Gummer
All UK Government policies and legislation that extend to Scotland in reserved areas, as would be the case with Wales and Northern Ireland, are accompanied by the necessary economic and equality impact assessments, which are published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the priorities of the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage are; what that Office’s budget is for 2015-16; whether that Office has set out a strategy for 2015-16; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government believes Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has the potential to play an important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK.
The Department’s Annual Report & Accounts for 2015-16 will be published in June 2016 and will review the work of the Department, including the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage in 2015-16. The Budget for the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage for 2015-16 is £41.3 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 16435, when his Department expects to publish the Impact Assessment on changes to reduce costs in medical negligence mitigation.
Ben Gummer
The Department will publish the impact assessment alongside the consultation document on introducing fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence claims.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce mandatory geo-fencing technology for civilian drones.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The UK Government and the Civil Aviation Authority are talking to manufacturers about implementing geo-fencing technology on their drone systems. There are a number of drones already sold in the UK with this technology installed. My department is talking to a range stakeholders, including airports, about potential solutions for restricting drone operations around airports and other key infrastructure. We expect to have some results from this work by the end of the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has a strategy to ensure that the growth of district heating is accompanied by the development of non-fossil fuel heat sources that are compatible with long term carbon emissions targets.
Andrea Leadsom
Yes. The development of heat networks and non-fossil fuel heat sources needs to go hand in hand. One of the key benefits of heat networks is that they can be used to transport heat from a wide range of low carbon heat sources.
The Government’s support for both renewable heating and district heating (heat networks) was confirmed in the Autumn Statement. My Rt Hon friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear that the Renewable Heat Incentive will see an increase in funding to £1.15 billion by 2020-21 and separately that over £300 million of funding would be made available for up to 200 heat networks to generate enough heat to support the equivalent of 400,000 homes.
We are currently designing the Heat Network Investment Fund to allocate this funding, which is due to launch later in 2016 and run until 2021. We are keen to ensure that the projects supported by the fund are low carbon, economically viable and strategically designed to ensure future growth and development. We expect a range of projects with a mix of different heat sources to come forward for support, as we have seen with those Local Authority projects already supported at the development stage by the Government’s Heat Network Delivery Unit. As well as fossil fuelled Combined Heat and Power, such sources include non-fossil fuel heat from waste, deep geothermal heat, water-sourced heat pumps and heat from underground minewater. In addition, DECC’s innovation budget was doubled; some of this will be used to support the development of low carbon technology in heat delivery.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that the Education cannot wait: the fund for education in emergencies focuses on (a) girls, (b) children with disabilities and (c) other marginalised children.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait – a fund for education in emergencies. A key focus for Education Cannot Wait will be on ensuring that marginalised children and young people are able to access a quality education. This includes refugees and internally displaced children, as well as children facing barriers to their education because of their gender, disability or other factors. This focus is reflected in the Fund’s indicative headline results, which commits to providing “Inclusive education [that] reaches the most marginalised children and young people in crises” with a target of “100% of supported education opportunities demonstrate increase in education for girls, disabled and those in remote locations”. The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase, to ensure that this commitment is fully reflected in its final design and results frameworks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 7 on page 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in March 2012 whether his Department has made an assessment of the extent to which the UK’s carbon budgets and 2050 climate target is taken into account by planning authorities when making planning decisions.
Brandon Lewis
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that sustainable development should be at the heart of planning, and should be pursued in a positive and integrated way. It makes it clear that policies set out in paragraphs 18 to 219, taken as a whole, constitute the Government’s view of what sustainable development in England means in practice for the planning system – both in preparing local plans and taking decisions on individual planning applications. It is for the decision-maker to take these policies into account when considering applications for development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from the Coast to Capital LEP and West Sussex County Council on the Central Sussex College in (a) Haywards Heath and (b) Crawley.
Robert Halfon
The Post 16 education and training area review of Sussex, which involved both the Coast to Capital LEP and West Sussex County Council, as well as all the colleges in Sussex, was undertaken earlier this year and a report of the review is expected to be published shortly. As part of the review, Coast to Capital LEP indicated the need to maintain further education in Crawley and arrangements are being taken forward to ensure that this need is met.
We are also working with West Sussex County Council to establish the future use of the Haywards Heath campus, following the Central Sussex College’s announcement to withdraw from this campus in April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the distinction is between the Sovereign’s formal and informal permission in his Department’s rules and regulations on the use, style and designation in the UK accorded to British and dual nationals of Commonwealth realms who are recipients of a titular knighthood or titles of honour in any of those realms; and whether UK dual nationals residing in or visiting the UK may continue to use such titles as a courtesy title.
James Duddridge
The recognition of foreign honours is a matter for the Royal Prerogative and is governed by convention. My Department does not set rules or regulations for these matters. The Sovereign does not give permission for the formal use of the title “Sir” in the United Kingdom; only those British nationals, including dual nationals, awarded British knighthoods may use the title “Sir” in a formal context in the United Kingdom. The Sovereign acts with the advice of the Government. In giving advice or administering any relevant aspects of these matters, the Government follows the relevant convention. Nationals of all the Realms, awarded a British knighthood, are entitled to use the title “Sir” in the United Kingdom. The titles of Realm nationals, who are not British, and have been awarded a knighthood by their own country, are recognised in the United Kingdom as an official courtesy. Titles associated with awards to dual British nationals are not recognised as an official courtesy in the UK.