Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the £20 million funding for English language tuition to isolated women announced by the Prime Minister on 18 January 2016 will come from the Home Department’s counter-terrorism budget.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    No. The £20 million community-based English language training offer is new funding which will be routed through DCLG and will form part of its Integration Programme.

  • 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, pursuant to the Government’s response to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s First Special Report of Session 2015-16, published on 11 February 2016, HC816, when he expects the internal review of his Department to be completed; what the key priorities of his Department are on which that review will be focussed; and if he will publish the conclusions of that review.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The internal review is expected to be completed in the Spring. Its remit is to advise on how the FCO can be more expert, agile and focused on the Department’s key priorities. I expect the review to set out a vision of the organisation the FCO should be by 2020. The review is internal. No decision has yet been taken on publication.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

    Mr David Lidington

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d’affaires. The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.

    The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.”

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average cost to (a) the public purse and (b) industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) is the Government’s financial support scheme for merchant navy training and is available to eligible shipping companies who sponsor eligible trainees that take approved courses.

    The total amount that can be claimed per trainee is listed in the table below. SMarT funding is not available for on-board services trainees.

    Type of Trainee

    Maximum SMarT Funding Available (£)

    Officer Cadet

    18,156

    Deck and Engine Room Rating (Traditional Route)

    385

    Deck and Engine Room Rating (MNTB/MCA approved route)*

    1,032

    Catering Rating (Ship’s Cook Rating)

    385

    * MNTB – Merchant Navy Training Board; MCA – Maritime and Coastguard Agency

    The MCA does not collate information on the cost to industry of training a seafarer (i) officer cadet, (ii) deck rating, (iii) engine rating, (iv) catering rating and (v) on-board services.

    The total cost of training to each shipping company would vary depending upon a number of factors such as the type of course the trainee has taken, the nautical college attended (where applicable) and associated tuition fees, the amount of any training allowance paid, accommodation costs, travel and uniform costs.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people she expects to attend each of the National Schools Commissioner Roadshow events during June and July 2016.

    Nick Gibb

    The cost of the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016 will be met from within Schools Commissioner’s Group (SCG) allocated programme budget. The programme budget is to cover the costs related to events and other communications activities. For the 2016/17 financial year, this budget is £425k.

    It is expected that approximately 1,500 system leaders will attend the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows taking place in June and July 2016.

    There was no specific allocation made for travel and subsistence costs for officials related to the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016. These costs will be met from within SCG allocated administrative budget.

    An official in each of the RSC offices has been involved in organising the nine National Schools Commissioners roadshows, supported by a lead in SCG. We expect approximately five officials to attend each roadshow, plus the National Schools Commissioner and the relevant Regional School Commissioner (RSC).

    There has been no budget allocated to advertising the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff of his Department will be based in (a) Brussels and (b) Strasbourg; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robin Walker

    A number of staff have joined the Department from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the UK Permanent Representation to the EU (UKRep) will report through DExEU as well.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice her Department has received from experts on the reintroduction of grammar schools in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department has reviewed a wide range of external research and evidence on the impact of academic selection, including research on the impact of selection on the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

    The evidence shows that grammar schools provide a good education for those who attend them. Grammar school pupils outperform those of similar ability in comprehensive schools and they also make more progress than other pupils with similar primary school results. Nearly 78 per cent of high ability pupils achieve the English Baccalaureate at grammar school, compared to just over 52 per cent at comprehensive schools, and the attainment gap for disadvantaged students in grammar schools is practically eliminated

    This evidence is based on the existing system of grammar schools. We are proposing significant changes to the requirements placed on selective schools to ensure that they raise standards for all pupils as part of a diverse schools system.

    Our proposals will help deliver a school system that works for all children and offers parents genuine choice by increasing the number of good and outstanding school places.

  • Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Burnett on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints have been raised, and disciplinary proceedings brought, in each of the last 10 years involving the interaction between men and women serving in the Royal Navy.

    Earl Howe

    This information is not held in the format requested.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans for the consultation on the repeal of the Human Rights Act and replacement with a British Bill of Rights to (a) begin and (b) end.

    Dominic Raab

    This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. We will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation for a Bill of Rights and we will set out our proposals in due course.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 11 February 2016, Official Report, column 1763, on junior doctors’ contracts, which senior NHS leaders asked him to proceed with the introduction of a new contract for junior doctors.

    Ben Gummer

    Sir David Dalton’s letter to my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 10 February has been published. In that letter, Sir David advised the Government “to do whatever it deems necessary to end uncertainty for the service and to make sure that a new contract is in place which is as close as possible to the final position put forward to the BMA yesterday. I can confirm that this position is supported by both the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, together with support from Chief Executives across the country, and their names are supplied.”