Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in HM Treasury on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding UK universities have been allocated under (a) the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, (b) Horizon 2020 and (c) the Erasmus programme; and what estimate of the future level of EU funding to UK universities his Department has made.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK received around €7 billion under the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) and was the second highest recipient amongst Member States. Of this, €4.97 billion was awarded to UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments. The UK had the top four Secondary and Higher Education Establishments in terms of FP7 funding received between 2007-2013 (Cambridge, Oxford, University College London and Imperial).

    Under the current Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020), UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments have been awarded €0.89 billion up to the October 2015 release of grant data.

    Under the current Erasmus+ programme, provisional figures indicate that UK Higher Education Institutions received a total of €114 million in 2014 and 2015. Approximately 220,000 students have benefitted from the Erasmus Programme since it began.

    The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills does not make estimates of future funding to UK participants in these programmes.

  • Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to require cyclists using the public highway to carry photo identification.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We have no plans to make cyclists carry photographic or other forms of identification. The police already have sufficient powers if they are unsure of a person’s identity. There are other users of the highway, for instance pedestrians and horse riders who are also not required to carry personal identification, or have other forms of identification, e.g. registration numbers displayed.

    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 sets out the general powers available to the police, including in circumstances when an individual’s identity needs to be established, or when false identity information has been provided. Similarly, powers exist under Section 168 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, where the person is suspected of having committed an offence under Sections 28 (Dangerous Cycling) and 29 (Careless Cycling) of the same Act. The application of any such powers is an operational matter for the police.

  • Lyn Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lyn Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the £2 million allocated by NHS England over the next two years to make pre-exposure prophylaxis available at early implementer test sites will be in addition to funding from the specialised commissioning budget.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is in the process of re-considering its decision to remove pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from the specialised commissioning annual prioritisation process. As such, no final decisions have yet been taken by NHS England as to whether or not they will routinely commission PrEP. This process, which is being overseen by NHS England’s Specialised Services Commissioning Committee, is expected to complete by the end of May 2016. Until the outcome of this process is known, NHS England will continue to work with Public Health England and the Department on planning for the proposed £2 million investment in an early implementer test site programme for PrEP. As part of this, NHS England will be exploring how, and where appropriate, a period of further support might be offered to the participants enrolled on the PROUD study. All the PROUD trial participants signed an explicit consent form that made clear that there was no long term commitment to continue providing PrEP beyond the trial.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department’s purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual contribution in Official Development Assistance provided by the UK to India in the last year for which figures are available.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Total UK Official Development Assistance to India appears in the official statistics on International Development. The latest available figures are for 2014 when the total UK ODA Bilateral spent in India was £279,060,026. Official ODA statistics for 2015 will be available in November.

    DFID financial aid to India ceased in December 2015. As of 2016 DFID has committed to spend £30 million through technical assistance and £40 million through returnable capital investment.

  • 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 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the implications for his policies of the Oxford Research Group’s recent report entitled, The Hostile use of Drones by Non-State Actors against British Targets; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    A cross government working group is maintaining a detailed analysis of the security threats posed by drones. This work includes an assessment of the risks of the use of drones for terrorism and criminal purposes. Further work is now proceeding to capture and evaluate potential mitigation measures and strategies. Initial guidance on tackling the risks has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

    The findings of the report align well with the ongoing work of this group. While the government recognises that this emerging technology creates exciting opportunities for the UK economy, the risks for security and safety and its response to them will be kept under constant review.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, how much transitional funding has been allocated to meet costs deemed essential to the successful implementation of his Department’s area reviews but which cannot be met locally.

    Nick Boles

    Further details of the purpose and availability of the transitional funding facility will be available in due course.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people of each (a) ethnicity, (b) religion and (c) occupation have received an honorary knighthood in each of the last 10 years.

    James Duddridge

    The following table provides the available information on all recipients of an honorary knighthood in each of the last ten years, including the range of their occupations and their nationalities.

    Nominators are given the opportunity to provide information on ethnicity of the person they are nominating, but rarely do. Information on the religion of honours nominees or recipients is not collected.

    [See attachment]

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they will provide for 16 to 18 year olds who are not in higher education or apprenticeships to ensure they have an effective and successful transition from school into the workplace.

    Lord Nash

    Support is available for all 16 to 18-year olds whether they are making a transition into employment, ongoing education, or a combination. Local authorities are required to track and support young people, and in doing so they work closely with education and training providers, employers, the Voluntary and Community Sector, and other agencies.

    Schools and colleges have a duty to secure independent careers guidance to young people. The Careers & Enterprise Company has been established to help ensure young people get the inspiration and guidance they need to leave school or college ready to succeed in working life.

    Specialist support is provided to vulnerable young people such as Care Leavers and those who are under the supervision of a Youth Offending Team, and any 16 to 18-year olds who claim benefits are supported into employment or education by staff at Job Centre Plus offices. The government has also allocated £30m for the Youth Engagement Fund and Fair Chance Fund Social Impact Bond (SIB) schemes which provide support to vulnerable young people.

    We are looking to improve the quality of the destinations data by linking it to employment and benefits data. This data will enable us to improve the robustness and coverage of NEET destination data and monitor the impact of our policies.