The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19489, when the Buses Bill will be introduced into Parliament.
Andrew Jones
The Buses Bill is currently being drafted. The precise time of its introduction will be dependent on Parliamentary business.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take to extend the levels of support being given to the aluminium industry to the same level as that given to the steel industry.
Anna Soubry
The actions taken by the Government to support the steel sector, for example in respect of support for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) with their energy costs, will also benefit the UK aluminium industry. We have paid nearly £2.8 million compensation to date to companies producing aluminium since the EU Emissions Trading System and Carbon Price Support schemes began.
We look forward to the Aluminium Federation’s constructive involvement in establishing the Metals Council, which will work with Government to address opportunities and challenges facing the UK metals sectors. The Metals Council is an outcome from the Metals Strategy, to which both the Aluminium and Steel sectors provided key contributions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the European Commission about introduction of the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base.
Mr David Gauke
Tax policy is a matter for national governments and direct tax files are subject to a unanimous vote in the Council. The Government has made it very clear to the European Commission that the UK will not sign up to the CCCTB, or any other measure that would undermine our tax sovereignty or risk harming the competitiveness and growth prospects of the Single Market.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants and diplomats form part of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU; how many such officials there were in each pay band in each of the last five years; and what the total staffing cost of UKREP was in 2015-16.
Mr David Lidington
UKRep includes staff from a number of different Government Departments. The number of staff employed by UKRep varies throughout the year, depending on changing requirements at the Representation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has 122 full time posts at UKRep, both UK based and Locally Engaged. Details of the current senior team at UKRep can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-representation-to-the-eu/about/our-governance .
A breakdown of officials by pay band for the last five years could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost; however FCO’s annual report and accounts for each financial year, including an overview of salary costs, can be found on GOV.UK .
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to support the establishment of independent international monitoring mechanisms in Yemen to investigate human rights violations on all sides of the conflict.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights. It is important to continue to support this process until the Commission has reported back to the Human Rights Council in September 2016 where the discussions about the need for any alternative measures can be properly informed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprentices who are of an ethnic minority.
Robert Halfon
In 2014/15, 10.6% of those starting an apprenticeship had a BAME background.
The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of apprentices from a BAME background by 20% by 2020.
We want to increase the quality and quantity of all apprenticeships, including for those from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background.
We have taken action through our current marketing campaign, ‘Get in Go Far’ to ensure that there is clear representation from BAME apprentices. Research undertaken prior to the campaign ensured that it could reach a diverse audience. In addition, we have established a network of employer Diversity Champions, who are committed to sharing good practice and raising awareness of apprenticeships amongst employers.
Research has been commissioned to explore potential barriers that BAME applicants for apprenticeships face so that we can provide support to improve the rates of success for this group. We have started detailed analysis of apprenticeship data to identify areas of under-representation and areas of potential for growth. We are currently developing options to take forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.
James Brokenshire
My Department does not directly employ any cleaning staff within the Westminster estate, we utilise contracted services provided by HM Treasury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 10 of NHS England’s board paper, Allocation of resources to NHS England and the commissioning sector for 2016/17 to 2020/21, reference PB.17.12.15/04, if he will quantify the legally binding funding pressures regarding the introduction of treatments for (a) hepatitis C and (b) cystic fibrosis in 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
NHS England has estimated a range for the impact of implementing planned and published National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidance relating to treatments for hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis. Due to the commercial in confidence agreements in place a specific figure cannot be provided at this time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants made redundant have been hired back in each year from 2011.
Matthew Hancock
Data is not held centrally on the number of individuals who have been made redundant from the Civil Service and then rehired, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Since 2010 we have introduced into the Civil Service Compensation arrangements new provisions to prevent windfall benefits to anyone made redundant and then hired back into the Civil Service. These did not previously exist.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what formula was used to calculate the Government’s proposed living wage.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government has asked the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage to 60% of median earnings by 2020. This is a level consistent with the recommendations of leading experts in the Bain Report. Our target is for the National Living Wage to reach £9 by 2020.
On this basis, we have set the initial rate at £7.20 from April 2016. This marks the first step towards our target and represents a £900 a year increase in earnings for a full-time worker on the National Minimum Wage.