Tag: Graham Allen

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current waiting time is for a PCV driving examination at Watnall test centre; what steps his Department is taking to reduce that waiting time; and when he expects that waiting time to be reduced.

Andrew Jones

The current waiting time for a vocational, LGV or PCV test at Watnall test centre is 11 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) is working hard to reduce waiting times. It is recruiting for driving examiners across the UK and has specifically targeted high-wait areas. Watnall was targeted in a recent recruitment campaign DVSA launched. Once new examiners are in place in Watnall, DVSA is confident waiting times will reduce. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to monitor waiting times closely, deploying examiners from low-wait centres and offering weekend testing wherever possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any of the dental practices trialling the new dental contract are located in (a) Nottingham North constituency, (b) Nottingham City or (c) local dental networks in that area.

Alistair Burt

The attached list provides details of the current 79 dental practices that have signed a prototype agreement. These practices will test a clinical care pathway focussed on preventing future dental disease which includes offering patients personalised care plans and advice on diets and good oral hygiene.

The two practices marked with an asterisk (*) are located in Nottingham.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the comments made by a spokesperson of his Department in an article published in The Herald newspaper on 10 January 2016, and pursuant to his oral contribution of 18 January 2016, Official Report, column 1118, if he will issue guidance to independent monitoring groups on how to contact his Department on, and how to submit evidence relating to, possible civilian casualties from air strikes in Syria and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

Independent monitoring groups are free to contact the Ministry of Defence through the normal means of correspondence and any credible reports of civilian casualties will be investigated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34224, when the next meeting of the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse will be; and when procurement for the Centre of Expertise on Sexual Abuse is expected to (a) start and (b) conclude.

Karen Bradley

The Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by the Home Secretary, meets every two months. The next meeting is due to take place on 17 May. We are working to commence the procurement of the centre of expertise on child sexual abuse as soon as possible. We expect the centre to be launched later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the comments made by a spokesperson of his Department made in an article published in the Herald newspaper on 10 January 2016, and pursuant to his oral contribution of 18 January 2016, Official Report, column 1118, if his Department will retrospectively re-examine reports of civilian casualties received from September 2014 to January 2016 to see whether any credible reports of potential civilian casualties from UK strikes were overlooked.

Penny Mordaunt

There has been no change in Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy with regard to considering external reports when making an assessment of possible civilian casualties resulting from air strikes.

The MOD takes allegations of civilian casualties very seriously and we do an assessment after every British strike of the damage that has been caused, and check very carefully whether there are likely to have been civilian casualties. As has always been the case, we continue to consider all available credible evidence to support such assessments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) invested in and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of acquiring unmanned underwater vehicles.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.

Specifically for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels employ a UUV for remote mine-disposal, known as the Seafox mine-disposal system. In addition, the Fleet Diving Squadron employs a small UUV for seabed searches.

It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his letter of 16 January 2016 to Chris Woods, leader of Airwars, whether British aircraft participated in any of the eight incidents cited by Mr Woods in his letter of 8 January 2016.

Michael Fallon

RAF aircraft were not involved in strikes in seven of the incidents cited by Mr Woods. The eighth incident was impossible to locate from the detail given in the letter: all information from the RAF air strike conducted on that particular day has been reviewed and there was no indication of any civilian casualties resulting from the strike.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35297, which officials from which departments attended the meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse; and whether the minutes from previous meetings of that group are made available to hon. Members.

Karen Bradley

Officials from the Home Office, Department for Education, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice, Department of Health, Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Attorney General’s Office have attended meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse. Minutes of the meetings are made available to hon. Members who sit on the Inter-Ministerial Group.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23581, who the best official is to contact with credible reports from an external organisation of civilian casualties.

Penny Mordaunt

Any credible concerns or evidence relating to the possibility of civilian casualties caused by air strikes may be submitted to the Ministry of Defence Ministerial Correspondence Unit, Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB, or by email to ParliBranch-Treat-Official@mod.uk

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in charges for NHS dentistry on people’s ability and inclination to visit a dentist regularly.

Alistair Burt

In considering the possible impact on patients of the increased charges for 2016/17 and for 2017/18, we concluded that the existing exemptions and Low Income Scheme will protect the most vulnerable, ensuring there should be no significant impact on an individual’s inclination to visit the dentist.