Tag: Justin Tomlinson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to support the library service in England.

Mr Rob Wilson

I am responding as Minister with responsibility for Libraries policy.

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires the Secretary of State to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England, and to secure the proper discharge by local authorities of the functions in relation to libraries as conferred on them as library authorities.

The Government invested £2.6m in 2015/16 to install and upgrade WiFi in over 1,000 libraries in England. This means that WiFi is now available in over 99% of public libraries in England.

In addition, the Government and the Local Government Association established the Libraries Taskforce in 2015. The Taskforce has already published Toolkits and case studies to assist local authorities and consulted on “Ambition”, a draft vision for public libraries. This will provide a range of practical and innovative options local authorities can deploy to maintain and transform our library services. I expect to see local authorities working with Government and their local communities to consider these options, and to ensure library services are sustainable for the long term.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to incentivise universities to attract more students to take courses in areas which are identified as having a skills shortage.

Joseph Johnson

We want everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education to be able to do so. We will provide student finance for those studying part-time for a second degree in any Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject. We also announced in the Autumn Statement of 2015 that we are introducing new part-time maintenance loans from the academic year 2018/19, in order to support the cost of living while studying on part-time courses.

To promote retraining and prepare people for the future labour market, we are also reviewing any further gaps in support for lifetime learning, including for flexible and part-time study. We are also supporting growth in degree apprenticeships and have made a £10m Development Fund available to help universities and partners, including further education colleges, to help higher education providers to meet employer demand.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing police and crime commissioners to commission witness and victim support services.

Dr Phillip Lee

The majority of support services for victims and witnesses of crime have, since April 2015, been commissioned and funded locally by Police and Crime Commissioners, who are generally best placed to provide services to victims of crime in their areas.

Some support services for victims and witnesses currently remain nationally commissioned, including support for families bereaved by murder and manslaughter and by road crime, female and male victims of rape, victims of terrorism and victims and witnesses at criminal courts.

My officials are currently taking the views of Police and Crime Commissioners and other stakeholders and will provide advice to me in due course for consideration of any potential for further devolution in this area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if his Department will look at examples of best practice in attracting foreign direct investment (a) in Swindon and (b) across the UK.

Greg Hands

The Department is continuously seeking to identify and share best practice from across the UK.

The Department works in partnership with Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Swindon Borough Council to deliver foreign direct investment to Swindon. My officials will continue to work with them to look at further examples of best practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of crime in (a) North Swindon, (b) Wiltshire and (c) England in each of the last six years.

Brandon Lewis

According to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales, crime has fallen by 6% nationally in the last year and by well over a quarter since June 2010. Families, communities and property across the country are safer as a result.

The numbers of crimes recorded by the police in the Swindon Community Safety Partnership area (which includes the constituency of North Swindon), in Wiltshire and in England have all risen in the last year. The Office for National Statistics has been clear that recent rises in police recorded crime reflect both improvements in crime recording practice and a greater willingness of victims to come forward, particularly to report domestic abuse and sexual offences.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries were open in England in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson

I am responding as Minister with responsibility for Libraries policy.

Data relating to public libraries is collected and published annually in December by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The following table indicates the number of library service points within the statutory public library services of local authorities that are open ten or more hours per week, as at 31 March for each year.

The Libraries Taskforce recently commissioned from local authorities in England basic data regarding the numbers and types of public libraries available within each local authority. The data will assist the library sector and users to monitor the delivery of library services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of how many people are employed in the hospice care sector.

David Mowat

Data on the number of people employed in the hospice care sector is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with which other government departments and executive agencies her Department works to provide support for victims of terrorism; and what steps her Department is taking to improve co-ordination between those bodies and her Department.

Dr Phillip Lee

This Government is committed to ensuring that victims of terrorism can access effective and timely support to help them cope, and as far as possible, recover from the trauma they have experienced.

The Ministry of Justice works with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, which administers both the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and Victim of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme, which provides compensation to victims of terrorist attacks in the UK and of designated terrorist attacks overseas respectively.

The Ministry of Justice continues to work pan Government to understand current support provision for victims of terrorism, to ensure that victims and their families are aware of the sources of MoJ funded support available in England and Wales and to identify potential gaps in support including guidance on gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what savings the Efficiency and Reform Group has identified in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer

Since 2010, the government has announced the following efficiency savings and benefits calculated against a 2009/10 baseline:

• For 2010/11 the Government reported savings of £3.75billion.

• In 2011/12 the Government reported operational savings of £4.8 billion, and prevention of wasteful spend by major projects and construction of £758million, totalling £5.5billion.

• In 2012/13 the Government reported operational savings totalling £8billion, and prevention of wasteful spend by major projects and construction of £2billion, totalling £10billion.

• In 2013/14 reported savings of £14.3billion. This consisted of operational savings of £10.6billion, reduction in low value spend by major projects, reduced revenue requirements and construction savings of £3.5billion and receipts from asset sales and new commercial models of £0.1billion.

• In 2014/15 reported savings of £18.6billion. This consists of operational savings of £12.4billion, reduction in low value spend by major projects, reduced revenue requirements and constructions savings of £5.1billion, receipts from asset sales and new commercial models of £0.4billion and benefits from tackling fraud, error and debt of £0.7billion.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the rehabilitation of offenders with Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences since 2012.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Offenders serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) continue to be detained beyond their tariff where the independent Parole Board determines that the level of risk of harm and re-offending which they pose is too great to be safely managed in the community.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) continues to prioritise IPP offenders for courses and provides other interventions to help them reduce their risk.