Tag: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of driverless car technology.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government recognises the transformative potential that Connected and Automated Vehicles technologies have for mobility and our transport system, and the significant opportunities that exist for UK industry in their development and commercialisation. The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles was established in July 2015 between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Transport, to lead on this agenda.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of GCSE and A-level exams that were changed after challenges this summer.

Lord Nash

This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the noble Baroness. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Lords Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the Department for International Development aid budget will be spent by other departments.

Baroness Verma

As part of the 2015/16 Main Estimate process the Department for International Development transferred £258m of its International Aid budget to other Government Departments.

This figure excludes the Conflict Security and Stability Fund, which is a £1.033bn cross departmental fund, £883m of which sits on the Department for International Developments baseline. £823m of this was then transferred to other government departments as directed by the National Security Council.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that apprenticeships deliver the skills that are needed in the current world of work.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

We are committed to delivering employer-led apprenticeship reforms, which continue to improve the ability of apprenticeships to provide the skills that employers need.

Employers are designing high quality apprenticeships – including Degree Apprenticeships -that are more responsive to the needs of business. They are deciding the skills, knowledge and behaviour required in each apprenticeship and how those skills should be assessed at the end of the programme. Through this process employers can be confident that completing an apprenticeship signals a genuine ability to do the job.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans for the Department for International Development to invest in addressing Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria globally from 2016 onwards.

Baroness Verma

The UK government is committed to remaining a world leader in tackling global diseases and ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030. We are already working towards this goal through our substantial investment to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria which has saved 17 million lives.

We are currently undertaking a number of internal reviews to ensure we are in the right place to deliver our objectives and maximise our value for money and impact. Our future contributions to the Global Fund and country programmes are being considered as part of this. We will lay out further investment plans in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students completed apprenticeships in each year from 2010 to the last year for which records are available.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The table shows the number of learners that achieved apprenticeships from 2010:

All Age Apprenticeship Framework Achievements (2009/10 to 2014/15)

	2009/10 Full Year	2010/11 Full Year	2011/12 Full Year	2012/13 Full Year	2013/14 Full Year	2014/15 Full Year
Total	171,500	200,300	258,400	252,900	255,800	260,900

This data is published as part of a Statistical First Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of powdered or vaporised alcohol and its availability.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is taking action to ensure that alcohol in a powdered or vapourised form is subject to controls under the Licensing Act 2003 through a clause in the Policing and Crime Bill currently before Parliament.

This amends the definition of alcohol to cover its form in any state. We are not aware of powdered alcohol being sold in the UK. Vaporised alcohol is sold as a novelty item and its sale has not been widespread across the UK. Licensing authorities treat it in the same way as liquid alcohol for licensing purposes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the aviation industry in the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

As announced in the Autumn Statement 2015, the Government is providing £7 million through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to support new air routes promoting domestic and international connectivity and stimulating jobs and growth. We are also already providing over £5 million in support for two air routes to London via Public Service Obligations.

In addition we are working with partners in aviation and aerospace sectors to develop both the skills and the modern infrastructure they need,

Aviation employers, including British Airways, all the UK’s major airports and the Royal Air Force have formed a Trailblazer group to develop new apprenticeship standards for the sector. Standards currently under development are aviation operations manager level 4, aviation ground specialist level 3, airside operator level 2 and aviation ground operative level 2. These apprenticeships will provide new training routes for the sector, which will attract government funding.

New Anglia LEP is also supporting the development of an Aviation Skills Academy at Norwich Airport through a £3m growth deal.

The Regional Growth Fund has supported the project to divert the A45 in Solihull which has facilitated the extension of the runway at Birmingham Airport to enable direct flights to the west coast of the USA and China. The fund has also provided two awards to GE Aviation to research novel and new technologies to increase aircraft operation and emissions efficiencies, and the development of new manufacturing processes for the aviation industry.

Finally, Gloucestershire LEP is putting in place key infrastructure at Staverton Airport to enable the private sector to develop more aircraft hangars in order to secure the long-term viability of the airport and maximise its contribution to the local economy. The project is seeking to attract aviation-related businesses including aircraft maintenance, flight training and corporate jet management companies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licensed firearms there are in the UK broken down by police force area.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The table provided contains statistics on the number of licensed firearms and shotguns, by police force area, in England and Wales as at 31 March 2015.

At this time there was a total of 1.34 million licensed shotguns and 0.53 million licensed firearms.The Home Office does not centrally hold any estimates for unlicensed firearms.

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current account deficit in trade.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The current account deficit was 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2014. The trade balance has been broadly stable, while the UK’s net investment income has fallen, as weakness in the euro area has depressed the returns on the UK’s holding of foreign direct investment. Figures for Q2 2015 show that the deficit has narrowed, driven by an improvement in the trade and investment income balances. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts a narrowing of the current account deficit over the forecast period.