The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19049, if he will ensure that there will be no gaps in capability between the decommissioning of HMS Ocean and its role being taken over by other ships.
Mr Philip Dunne
We will ensure that other ships are available to provide support to amphibious operations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to incentivise developers to co-fund the deployment of local fibre broadband networks to properties which are not scheduled for connection free of charge.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government’s recent announcement of a new deal bringing industry together will see fibre-based broadband offered to all new developments for free or part of a co-funded initiative. In addition, the Home Builders Federation are committed to promoting and supporting uptake of the co-funding offer among their membership.
This new offer sets a high bar for all suppliers and developers in the market, and Government will be working with industry closely to monitor success over the next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with small businesses and small business associations on the proposal to move to a quarterly digital tax reporting system by 2020.
Mr David Gauke
Both I and officials from HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have discussed the Making Tax Digital reforms with a wide range of professional bodies and advisory groups representing small businesses and the self-employed.
The Government has recently concluded an initial 4 week consultation with businesses on the Making Tax Digital reforms. Further consultations will take place with all stakeholders throughout 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the value for money of (a) community schools other than academies and (b) free schools.
Edward Timpson
Since 2010, we have opened around 400 new free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. These schools offer excellent value for money. They are being built significantly quicker and cheaper than previous school building programmes. The National Audit Office found in its report in 2013 that free schools were built 45% cheaper than other school building programmes. Almost 200,000 new places will be provided. 25% of the free schools inspected by Ofsted have been judged outstanding compared to 20% of all other schools. We plan to open at least 500 new schools during this Parliament.
We monitor the programme’s costs to ensure it continues to offer excellent value. A value for money assessment is made prior to a free school application being approved for the pre-opening stage and again before a capital budget is approved. We consider all aspects of the project, including the size of the school and the location of the site. Sites in London tend to cost more to acquire and this is taken into account when considering the value for money offered by London projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students in Lancashire studying a clinical pharmacy diploma are in receipt of a bursary.
Ben Gummer
Students undertaking clinical pharmacy diplomas are not eligible for NHS Bursary funding.
Health Education England (HEE), North West, provides a range of education support primarily focused around the required pre-registration year through the provision of salary support for hospital based trainees. HEE (North West) also supports access to funded continuing professional development for clinical pharmacists. The clinical pharmacy diploma, which is not a requirement in order to practice independently, is not funded in the North West by HEE in terms of either fees or bursaries.
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 steps he is taking to reduce the gap in apprenticeship completion rates for people who are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.
Nick Boles
We want to increase the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships, including for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Our far-reaching reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. The Institute for Apprenticeships is being created to ensure the quality of apprenticeship standards in England.
Information on apprenticeship completion rates is published in the National Achievement Rate Tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sfa-national-achievement-rates-tables-2014-to-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2016 to Question 40168, what proportion of Civil Service Fast Streamers undertook a regional placement in each fiscal year since 2009-10.
Ben Gummer
The Fast Stream Scheme uses graduate years rather than fiscal years for the Fast Stream Cycle of 1 September – 31 August. The total number of Fast Streamers per graduate year that undertook regional placements based on our Fast Stream cycle is shown below.
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* The figures are for those on the Corporate Generalist Fast Stream Programme who have undertaken posts outside of London during that particular year |
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* The data was calculated on 12/09/2016 |
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.
Andrea Leadsom
The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.
In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.
The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average patient waiting times for A&E departments at hospital sites that have introduced a (a) co-located urgent care centre and (b) model that integrates primary care staff within the A&E department in the last 12 months.
Jane Ellison
The location and structure of urgent and emergency care services is a matter for local commissioners, taking account of guidance issued by NHS England. This guidance includes Safer, faster better: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care, which was published in August 2015, to support frontline providers and commissioners in re-designing urgent and emergency care services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 27610, for what reasons the technical solution offered by VW was accepted in the EU but not in the US.
Andrew Jones
Manufacturers are required to comply with different technical standards between the EU market and the USA market. The engineering solution proposed by VW will bring its diesel cars into compliance with the EU emissions limits and testing is underway to confirm that this solution works for all model types. We do not have information regarding VW’s technical solutions in the USA.