Tag: Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of new entrants to nursing over the next five years.

Ben Gummer

Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for workforce planning in the National Health Service and their recently published HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts an additional supply of 40,000 nurses by 2020. Moving new nursing students on to the student loans system in August 2017 will allow universities to offer up to a further 10,000 nursing, midwifery and allied health degree places by 2020/21.

The HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts demands for additional nurses and midwives in the health and care sector in the next five years will rise by around 16,800.

The Department does not collect data on the numbers of applicants who were not successful in gaining a nurse training place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the UK’s commitment is to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces for 2016-17.

Mr Julian Brazier

We have increased our commitment to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces this year.

HMS IRON DUKE (a Type 23 frigate) is deployed on a six month assignment with the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1, the Task Group focussed towards the North Atlantic and Baltic. A Type 45 destroyer will join this Group for a further two months later in the year. Since March, we have also provided a Royal Fleet Auxiliary unit to SNMG2 to support the NATO monitoring and surveillance task in the Aegean.

The Royal Navy (RN) will maintain a continuous presence in the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group (SNMCMG) 1, the mine clearance vessels which operate in the North Atlantic and Baltic, with a minehunter assigned throughout. This deployment is conducted by three minehunters in rotation for four months each: currently, HMS PEMBROKE is on task.

In addition, this year the RN is providing the Commander UK Maritime Forces as the NATO Response Force 2 star Maritime Component Commander, with his flagship HMS OCEAN. The RN also contributes personnel to the multinational staffs of the Standing Naval Forces on a rotational basis.

In 2017 the RN will assume command of two of the Standing Groups; providing the Commander and flagship for both SNMG2 and SNMCMG2 prioritised to the Mediterranean. The Command rotation will commence in July 2017 and run until June 2018. Additionally, the RN plans to provide a minehunter to SNMCMG1 throughout 2017, thereby providing UK presence in three of the four NATO Task Groups at some point during the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had about the future of the Knightsbridge Barracks.

Mark Lancaster

The Secretary of State for Defence holds regular reviews of the Ministry of Defence estate, including the wider London Estate, in the context of the emerging Estate Optimisation work.

There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about moving Hyde Park Barracks (located in Knightsbridge) to an alternative location in the Royal Parks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he has issued to NHS Property Services on charging clinical commissioning groups for void space in any NHS Property Services’ properties.

George Freeman

Since NHS Property Services (NHS PS) was set up in April 2013, the full cost of running the Company’s properties and the services it provides has been recovered from the tenants, or in the case of any space that is unoccupied, the relevant commissioner for the property, either the local clinical commissioning group (CCG ) or NHS England.

Alongside the introduction of more rational charging arrangements in April 2016, NHS PS are implementing a new approach to charges levied for vacant space, moving the risk of vacant space from sitting solely with commissioners to being shared between commissioners and NHS PS. This is to align the incentives for resolving issues of vacant space with those best able to take action.

Under this policy, agreed with the Department and NHS England, charges to commissioners for “realisable” vacant space will come in the form of a fixed “vacating” fee, and will be paid when the tenant leaves. Following the payment of the vacating charge, all costs will revert to NHS PS. This will incentivise the Company to dispose of the property or sublet a lease as quickly as possible in order to minimise any costs not covered by the fixed fee.

To facilitate this policy it is essential that CCGs have a clear, shared understanding of vacant and realisable space between themselves and local NHS PS representatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to expand the Royal Naval Reserve.

Mark Lancaster

The plan to expand the Maritime Reserve is set down in Future Reserves 2020, published on the Government website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210470/Cm8655-web_FINAL.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected maintenance period is for HMS Defender.

Harriett Baldwin

The maintenance period of HMS Defender is planned to start before the end of 2016 and complete in late 2017. Precise details and its duration are currently the subject of ongoing negotiations with industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the likely level of earnings from UK overseas assets over the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The latest forecasts by the Office of Budget Responsibility show that the UK’s net investment income is expected to move to a surplus of £0.5bn in 2018, rising to £4.9bn by 2020.

Further information can be found in the OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries’ citizens (a) may and (b) may not enter the UK without a visa.

James Brokenshire

Appendix 2 to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules – sets out those countries or territorial entities whose nationals or citizens need a visa in advance of travel to the UK for any purpose. Nationals or citizens of countries or territories that are not included in paragraph 1(a) of Appendix 2 do not need a visa in advance of travel to the UK as a visitor or for any other purpose for less than six months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent from the public purse on the payment of social security benefits to non-UK citizens in each non-European Economic Area country for each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

Priti Patel

The full information requested is not held centrally.

The Department for Work and Pensions checks the nationality and immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud. While this information is used, it is not recorded as part of the benefit payment administrative systems.

Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables are published on Gov.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/474453/expenditure-by-country-and-region-2014-15.xlsx

Please note that these figures include a breakdown for UK regions and a combined figure for expenditure abroad or where the region is unknown. Expenditure is not broken down by nationality.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) volume and (b) value of (i) raw milk, (ii) butter, (iii) cheese, (iv) cream and (v) condensed milk was imported in each year from 1995-96 to 2014-15.

George Eustice

The information requested is set out in the tables attached.