The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost by UK investors as a result of Providence Bonds and Providence Bonds II being placed in administration in September 2016.
Simon Kirby
The government does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships for people aged 16 to 19 years old.
Nick Boles
Apprenticeships are jobs which provide quality training; their availability is dependent upon employers offering opportunities. Our goal is for young people to see apprenticeships as a high quality and prestigious path to successful careers, and for these opportunities to be available across all sectors of the economy, in all parts of the country and at all levels.
There were 2.4 million apprenticeships starts delivered in the last Parliament, 26 percent of which were under 19. Our 2020 Vision sets out how we will reach 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. This includes continuing employer-led reforms, making it more attractive for businesses to offer more apprenticeships.
We will continue to work with employers to encourage them to take on younger apprentices. Government fully funds framework apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds and will continue to do so. Other employer incentives include the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which offers payments of £1,500 per apprentice to employers taking on a young person aged 16-24. We are providing £85 million to extend AGE to the end of the 2016/17 academic year. The apprenticeship levy will put apprenticeship funding in the hands of employers and will encourage them to invest in their apprentices and take on more.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the returns to the public purse of British Business Bank investments in Funding Circle.
Anna Soubry
British Business Bank’s investment in Funding Circle is one of a portfolio of investments managed by the commercial arm of the bank – British Business Bank Investments Ltd. To date, £60m has been committed to Funding Circle, an amount which has supported over 7,000 businesses. The investment contributes a financial return in line with the performance of the wider portfolio.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the UK’s military presence in the Baltic region in each of the last three years.
Penny Mordaunt
The UK undertakes a wide range of operational, Defence Engagement and training activity within the Baltic region. While it is not possible to provide full information, costs exceeded £1.6 million in FY13-14; £13.5 million in FY14-15 and £4.1 million in FY15-16.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to gather the views of and comments from claimants regarding their experiences with Maximus Health and Human Services Ltd.
Priti Patel
The Department has a formal contractual requirement on CHDA to report on claimant engagement and perception of the service they receive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33699, what the duties of the board members of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be prior to the launch of that Institute in April 2017.
Nick Boles
The Institute for Apprenticeship’s Board will be appointed via a public appointments process later this year. In shadow form, the Board will be expected to oversee the finalisation of the organisation’s workplan and the transition to taking on the Institute’s statutory functions in April 2017. Further information about the roles and duties of the Board members will be provided when the public appointments process is complete.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33645, how many Puma Mk2 helicopters are fitted with the Wire Strike Protection System; and whether the Puma Mk2 that crashed in Afghanistan on 11 October 2015 was fitted with such a system.
Mr Philip Dunne
Seven Puma Mk2 helicopters have been fitted with the Wire Strike Protection System. The remainder of the fleet will have the system fitted by the end of summer 2017.
The helicopter you refer to (XW229) was not fitted with the Wire Strike Protection System. The Service Inquiry into the incident is on-going and findings are yet to be published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to increase awareness of the Disability Confident campaign; and how his Department plans to measure the effectiveness of that campaign.
Penny Mordaunt
We have developed a new Disability Confident employer accreditation scheme. This went live in July.
This will be core to our engagement with employers to raise awareness, improve performance and drive up engagement on the disability employment agenda.
We are developing plans to formally launch the scheme in the Autumn and more information on take up and effectiveness measures will be available from then.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report, published on 12 October 2016, on the collision involving the MV Karen fishing boat from Ardglass, County Down in the Irish Sea on 15 April 2016.
Mike Penning
As recognised in the Marine Accident Investigation Report (MAIB), the Royal Navy has already taken actions as a result of this incident. We are now considering the MAIB’s report and its conclusions and recommendations to identify what further actions may be required. I will be visiting Northern Ireland soon and go to Ardglass.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the occurrence of ash dieback disease.
Rory Stewart
Our long-term national strategy to manage Ash Dieback is based on science, international best practice and the advice of the UK Chief Plant Health Officer.
We are protecting non-infected areas and have invested over £21 million in tree health research. Restrictions on the movement of ash, both inland and from other countries, are currently in place.
The Government-funded screening trial of 155,000 ash saplings is unprecedented in its scope and the UK is leading the way on the work to identify resistant strains. Collectively, our research is aimed at identifying the genetic basis for natural tolerance and screening our native ash trees for genetic markers. Work is also underway to further our understanding of the pathogen, how it spreads and local management approaches to protect individual, high value trees.
Our surveillance programme involving Government, industry, conservation groups and the public enables us to monitor the disease and to target resources effectively.