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Tag: 2016

  • Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support the Government is providing to remote rural communities on obtaining reliable access to broadband.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Public investment in improving broadband is nearly £1.7 billion, including £790 million of UK government funding, to bring superfast broadband to areas of the UK where it would not otherwise be available. Superfast broadband is now available to 90 per cent of UK premises and this will reach 95 per cent by December 2017.

    The Government has also implemented a basic broadband scheme to enable all premises to gain access to speeds of at least 2Mbps. This allows residents to gain access to every government service available online.

    Furthermore, in November 2015 the Prime Minister announced the Government’s intention to introduce a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) with the aim to provide a safety net for those homes and business in the hardest to reach parts of the UK without access to superfast broadband.

  • 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 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the DVLA on waiting times for HGV driving licence renewal; what the (a) rate of renewals, (b) number of new applications, (c) total number of renewals outstanding, (d) average waiting time from application to renewal and (e) number of staff processing renewals was for HGV driving licence renewals; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The table below shows the average waiting time for straightforward vocational licence renewals and the time taken to process the transaction from the day it is received at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The figures are the latest available and are for the period September 2015 to August 2016 and include applications and renewals of HGV and PSV (bus driving) entitlements.

    a) Rate of renewals:

    11,675 on average per month

    b) Number of new applications:

    5,126 on average per month

    c) Total number of renewal outstanding:

    Approximately 8,000 on 5 September 2016

    d) Average waiting time from application to renewal:

    The average waiting time from application to renewal is 1.5 working days. September 2015 – August 2016, 99% of straightforward applications were processed within three days of receipt. Applications that are more complex or where there is a medical condition involved take longer to investigate before a licensing decision can be made.

    e) Number of staff processing HGV driving licence renewals:

    120 staff members work on all types of vocational transactions. This includes both HGV and bus driving licence renewals.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    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.

  • Peter Dowd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Dowd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    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.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    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.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    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.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    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.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    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.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    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.

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    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.