Tag: 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 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK staff worked at the Permanent Representation to NATO in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) the latest date for which figures are available.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The figures for UK staff, both from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, working at the UK Joint Delegation to NATO in Brussels during this time period are as follows: For 2014 to 2015 there were 38 UK staff members. For 2013 to 2014 there were 36 UK staff members. For 2012 to 2013 there were 39 UK staff members. As of 31 January this year there are 36 UK members of staff working at the UK’s Joint delegation to NATO.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, on Yemen: military intervention, whether his Department has made an assessment of the independence and integrity of Saudi Arabia’s internal procedures for investigations as referred to in that Question.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As the Saudi Arabian Government has publicly announced, British and other foreign advisors will provide advice to the independent committee that will assess Saudi Arabian military activity in Yemen. We are standing by to assist this activity as required.

    The UK has been using diplomatic and military channels to engage with Saudi Arabia on compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). I have spoken to the Saudi Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has engaged with his counterpart on the importance of compliance with IHL.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29382, how many Bikeability training places his Department funded in each school year between 2009-10 and 2015-16.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Bikeability training places are monitored and compiled by financial year. The table below shows the number of Bikeability training places funded by the Department for Transport in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. Figures for 2015-16 have yet to be compiled.

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    133,984

    199,197

    293,969

    255,833

    279,358

    350,561

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of the White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, published in March 2016, when her Department plans to consult sector bodies on the proposed creation of centres for excellence for initial teacher training; and how that consultation will take place.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

    The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

    We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if his Department will publish a white paper on the UK’s exit from the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    In preparation for negotiations to leave the EU the Government is undertaking work across a range of areas to establish how best to deliver the government’s objectives. No decisions have yet been made on how this should be presented publicly.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the current sources of financial pressure on schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government has protected funding for schools in real terms, so that it will rise as pupil numbers increase. However, like other public services, schools will face additional pressures in the next few years. The sources of these additional pressures are:

    • Annual salary increases for staff

    • The introduction of the national living wage from April 2016

    • The increase to employer national insurance contributions from April 2016, affecting all employers who offer a defined benefit pension scheme

    • The increase to employer pension contributions for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme from September 2015

    • The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, which will affect all employers with a paybill above £3 million

    • General inflation

    Working with the sector, the Department has published a collection of tools and guidance to help school leaders, governing boards and business management professionals to improve their schools’ financial health and use their budgets more effectively. This can be found at: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency

  • Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Faulkner of Worcester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which clubs in the Premier League and Football League currently comply with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority’s Accessible Stadia guide.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We do not hold this information.

  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet the hon. Member for Kettering and other interested parties to discuss how an action plan might be drawn up to speed up the adoption by local highways authorities of new residential roads.

    Andrew Jones

    I share my honourable colleague’s concern over the need to avoid unnecessary steps that might hold up the adoption of suitable roads into the public highway. I would be very happy to arrange for him and other interested colleagues to meet my Ministerial team.

  • John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if NHS England will publish a list of the commissioning policies scheduled to be developed in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18.

    George Freeman

    There are no plans for NHS England to publish the list of clinical policies in development.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department permits GP practices to require patients to have a telephone consultation prior to seeing a GP.

    Alistair Burt

    There is no central guidance to general practitioner (GP) practices on waiting times for telephone consultations.

    GPs can conduct telephone consultations with patients if they feel it is appropriate to do so. This could remove the need for the patient to go on to have a face to face consultation, however, it is for the GP to use his or her clinical judgement to decide if and when a face to face consultation should take place, and for the patient to decide if they wish to attend.

    This Government is committed to improving access to GP consultations and the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund encourages practices in the schemes to use innovative methods to provide appointments to patients.