Tag: Dan Jarvis

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army excluding Gurkhas and (c) Royal Air Force personnel are from an ethnic minority background.

Penny Mordaunt

The Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving a more diverse workforce and is developing plans to meet the Government’s commitment to increase the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) recruits into the Armed Forces to 10% by 2020 and have allocated resources for this purpose.

Planning is ongoing to ensure that new activity is evidence-based and resources are allocated in the best way to deliver the step change that is required.

Whilst this plan is being finalised, examples of steps already taken include increased engagement with ethnic minority communities, using communications to improve understanding on careers in the Armed Forces and offering support throughout the application process where it is needed.

The Armed Forces recently won two awards in October 2015 at the Race for Opportunity Awards. The Armed Forces Muslim Association won the Public Sector Employee Network Award and the Royal Air Force won the Future Workforce Award for their Employability Skills Programme. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force have also been recognised as two of the Top 10 public sector organisations for race diversity and inclusion by Race for Opportunity.

Statistics on the diversity declaration and representation of minority groups of
Service Personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence are published biannually. The most recent data can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the UK’s influence in the world of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Philip Hammond

The Government believes that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. That way, the UK can play a leading role in one of the world’s largest organisations. Membership of the EU, like our membership of NATO and the UN, amplifies, not diminishes, the UK’s influence in the world.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to ensure that environmental standards currently enforced by the EU are written into UK law.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 21 July 2016 to PQ UIN 43235.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of early years intervention on the educational effect of child poverty.

Caroline Dinenage

Tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, is a priority for this Government. This Government is committed to ensuring that all children are able to fulfil their potential.

There is a strong evidence base from the UK and around the world that shows high-quality early education has long lasting benefits for children. Analysis of the evidence from Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project has shown that pre-school is of particular importance to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also know that attending high-quality pre-school from age two has a positive impact on cognitive attainment.

The Department has commissioned a major piece of longitudinal research– the Study of Early Education and Development – to understand more about how high-quality early education affects attainment and social and behavioural development up to age seven. Findings are forthcoming and will be published and available at: http://www.seed.natcen.ac.uk/reports.aspx

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to provide additional support for ex-servicemen and women and their families.

Mark Lancaster

The Career Transition Partership (CTP) contract for Service personnel was re-let on 1 October 2015; for the first time, CTP pulls all elements of transition support under one mechanism so that every Service leaver, regardless of time-served or reason for departure, has access to transition support. In addition, using the CTP contract mechanism, Joint Forces Command and the Royal Air Force are running an initial two year Spouse Employment Support trial offering a limited number of places for eligible Service spouses to access tailored employment support at selected locations.

Spousal support is mirrored in wider initiatives, such as the Wolverhampton University business startup course. Originally funded for a two year period by the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) funding, HSBC have provided additional funding to extend the project. It is a 10 month business start-up and mentoring programme designed specifically for Armed Forces families. Current funding will provide 540 places between now and 2020.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD)has announced the development of a Families Strategy, in coordination with families and the 3rd Sector, during its annual Welfare Conference on 9 November 2015. At the same event, the Secretary of State welcomed Barclay’s Veterans Employment Transition Support (VETS) programme, which was launched on 19 November 2015 following an initial trial period; this is due to provide mentoring, training and advice to veterans. A partnership of leading companies and charities, it will support the MOD and CTP with additional avenues of support to help veterans and Service leavers.

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Covenant Reference Group (CRG) chaired by the Cabinet Office includes representatives from all of the main Government Departments. The CRG meets regularly to guide and direct work on the Armed Forces Covenant, including support for the veteran community. Other members of the CRG include the three Service Families Federations, the Confederation of Service Charities and other Armed Forces charities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about providing more comprehensive support for ex-servicemen and women and their families.

Mark Lancaster

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 November 2015 to Questions 15830 and 15831.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what outcomes her Department is aiming to achieve at the Supporting Syria and the Refugee Conference in February 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 29 January to Question number 23764.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the government of Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK strongly supports the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) signed at Skhirat on 17 December by the majority of the Libyan delegates to the UN facilitated political dialogue, and by a wide range of representatives of Libyan society, municipal leaders and political parties. The Agreement paves the way for a Government of National Accord (GNA) and was unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2259. Only a unified national government can begin the difficult work of establishing effective, legitimate governance, restoring stability and tackling the threat posed by Daesh. That is why we have been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for the GNA.

The UK hosted a meeting with the UN and international donors and agencies in October to discuss plans for coordinated support from the international community to the GNA. This has been followed up through UN-hosted coordination meetings in Tunis. Two UK-funded advisors are already working closely with Libyan PM designate Fayez Serraj’s Presidency Council, and we stand ready to work with the international community to deliver a significant package of support to help a Government of National Accord to deliver a stable and prosperous future for all Libyan citizens. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I both spoke recently with PM designate Serraj and also with UN Special Representative Kobler to underline the UK’s continued support for the GNA process and UN efforts in this area. The Secretary of State plans to meet PM designate Serraj and House of Representatives President Agileh shortly to discuss what further support Britain can provide.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the Afghan Minerals Law includes the strongest possible measures to strengthen transparency and reduce the risk of corruption in the Afghan extractive sector.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK proposed changes to the Minerals Law as part of a review commissioned by the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in 2015; and supported the incorporation of recommendations from donors and transparency organisations into amendments. The Mining Advisory Council is reviewing the amendments before submission to the Ministry of Justice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce annual early-intervention top-ups for local authorities after the revenue support grant has been phased out.

Mr Marcus Jones

My rt. hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (George Osborne) announced that by the end of this Parliament, local government will retain 100% of its business rates. As part of this, existing central government grants to local government, such as Revenue Support Grant, will be phased out and councils will be given new responsibilities and greater powers to shape their local areas.

We have lots of work to do over the coming months to work out the details on this new system, including how to manage the risk to local authorities of changes in their local tax income. We will, therefore, be consulting widely with colleagues and with local government on this as we move towards implementation.