The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what happens to horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 2015.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Under the Control of Horse Act 2015, if a horse that has been detained for a minimum 96 hours has not been claimed by the owner it may be sold, rehomed with charities or, where other options are not available, euthanised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information she has been provided by the Office for Nuclear Regulation to demonstrate the safety of Sizewell B nuclear plant restarting after in-service inspection of the reactor pressure vessel undertaken by EDF; and what assessment she has made of the implications for that process of hydrogen flaking present in the RPV Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors in Belgium.
Andrea Leadsom
During Sizewell B’s periodic shutdown, inspectors from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) examined the Licensee’s arrangements for maintenance activities, reviewed test and inspection records and inspected the plant and equipment. A thorough examination (or in-service inspection) of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) was completed by EDF to confirm that it remains in good condition. An ONR team of technical specialists examined the results of the in-service inspections and they are satisfied that they demonstrate the continued integrity of the RPV and that the hydrogen flaking present in the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors in Belgium is not evident at Sizewell B.
ONR inspectors did not identify any issues that would affect the safety case for the restart of the Sizewell B reactor and its safe operation up to the next planned statutory periodic shutdown in 2017, and issued clearance for it to restart on 31 May 2016. ONR expects to publish its Project Assessment Report, detailing this decision, on its website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 18 July 2016 on Machinery of Government Changes, HCWS94, if he will publish data setting out all costs associated with the changes outlined in that statement.
Ben Gummer
Information on budgets for new departments, including budgets allocated for the creation of the department, will be held by the departments in question. Budgets for new departments will be voted on by Parliament at the Supplementary Estimate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Clifton on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that deafblind people and those with complex needs are not prevented from securing meaningful employment due to low expectations of the professionals who are charged with supporting them into work.
Lord Freud
In the last three years, the number of disabled people in work has increased by almost half a million. But we recognise that the gap between the employment rates of disabled people and non-disabled people remains too large. That is why we are committed to halving it.
We will soon publish a Green Paper on work and health.
All Stakeholders have an important part to play in making the transformative changes required so that everyone has the chance to go as far as their talents will take them, including people who are deafblind and those with complex needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Autumn Statement and Summer Budget 2015, paragraph 2.172, what the (a) annual income and (b) running costs of the Government Property Unit is.
Matthew Hancock
The Government Property Unit was established in 2010 to work with central government departments to drive savings across the central civil mandated estate. Since May 2010, we have reduced our Estate by 2 million square metres, saving over £750 million in running costs and generating nearly £1.8 billion in capital receipts.
Funding was agreed at Spending Review for the work which the Government Property Unit is taking forward. This includes our Government Office Hubs Programme, which is driving a radical reshaping of the Civil Service office estate, the One Public Estate Programme which works with local authorities to deliver better services, achieve savings and deliver local growth including releasing land for new homes and jobs.
We are also taking a more commercial approach to property through the creation of a New Property Model which will help drive better strategic oversight and management of the estate, and provide greater incentives for departments to rationalise the space they occupy.
The Government Property Unit’s administrative running costs for the FY 2015/16 is forecast as £7.4m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23481, which commercial third party suppliers were responsible for the 57 breaches in handling secure materials there identified.
Mr David Lidington
The third party suppliers responsible were BAE Systems, Daisy, Computacenter, Vodafone and Capgemini.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Cryer on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2016 to Question 26010, when the Departmental Reading Room for access to consolidated texts related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will be opened.
Anna Soubry
The reading room for classified documents, including consolidated texts, relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25276, on unmanned air vehicles: safety, when he expects his Department to complete the detailed analysis of risks posed by drones.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The outcome of this risk assessment will be used to inform further research into and development of appropriate risk mitigation measures.
As stated in my previous answer this work is ongoing and is kept under constant review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on adult education courses in each of the last three years.
Nick Boles
Information on the number of adult learners participating in government-funded further education, and specifically English and maths, in each of the last three years is published as part of a Statistical First Release.
Information on Skills Funding Agency spending on the Adult Skills Budget is outlined in their Annual Report and Accounts which can be found at the following links:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to develop a long-term strategy for Ascension Island.
James Duddridge
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently working with the Ascension Island Government to identify the island’s infrastructure needs. This is the first step in identifying long-term requirements for Ascension.