Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the deaths of or injuries to Palestinians caused by Israeli forces, and the demolition of Palestinian houses in each month this year; and what assessment they have made of whether the representations they have made to Israel and Palestine are having any effect.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, 8 Palestinians were killed and 758 injured in January, 18 were killed and 491 injured in February, and 20 were killed and 335 injured in March. Some of these deaths and injuries have occurred following attacks on Israeli civilians or security personnel. The British Government remains deeply concerned at the continuation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We urge all sides to de-escalate the tensions and avoid actions that threaten to exacerbate the situation. The Government is also extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the OPTs since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the OPTs, 85 structures were demolished in January, 237 in February, and 176 in March. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities. The effect of these representations has not been assessed.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the potential role of the UK in developing usable carbon capture and storage technology.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. However, CCS is currently too expensive and costs must come down. This is why we are committed to working with industry to help develop the technology and reduce its costs, including by investing over £130 million in CCS Research and Development since 2011.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the proposals contained in the Bus Services Bill will improve the ability of people with visual or hearing impairments to make use of public transport.

    Andrew Jones

    We are committed to building transport networks which work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport as other members of society.

    The Bus Services Bill will enable the development of bus services which reflect better the communities they serve, giving authorities the tools to ensure that local transport truly works for everyone.

    Where the local authority feels it is appropriate, the provision of accessible information can be made mandatory in franchising contracts. This could also be achieved through enhanced partnership schemes if there is agreement from the majority of bus operators.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the flexibility of the scheme of the CBI’s proposal to delay implementation of the apprenticeship levy.

    Robert Halfon

    We understand that some organisations want to delay or scrap the levy, but any delay would mean holding back opportunities for people and businesses to gain the skills they need. We are working with the CBI, employers and training providers to make sure the new system works for them. In August we published proposals for how apprenticeships will be paid for in England in the future and invited feedback on these. Following thorough analysis we will publish final details at the end of October.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will promulgate official advice to pregnant women not to drink alcohol.

    Jane Ellison

    The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is overseeing a United Kingdom-wide review of all alcohol guidelines so that people can make informed choices about their drinking at all stages of their lives.

    The Guidelines Development Group, a group of independent experts, was tasked with developing lower-risk drinking guidelines for the UK CMOs to consider, including UK wide guidance for alcohol and pregnancy. We will be consulting on these shortly.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will confirm that stocks of air-launched weapons such as Brimstone used in Syria and Iraq will be maintained at planned levels at no cost to the agreed defence budget.

    Earl Howe

    I am withholding details of stock levels of air-launched weapons as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces and allies. However, the cost of replenishing weapons used for air strikes in Syria and Iraq will be met from the HM Treasury Special Reserve.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of qualified teachers.

    Nick Gibb

    Teaching continues to be a hugely popular career. The number of teachers returning to the classroom continues to rise and in 2015/16 we recruited more trainee primary school teachers than our target. We recognise the challenge school leaders face in some parts of the country, and are working to address this with action.

    We are committed to attracting more top graduates into teaching, and have already announced increased bursaries and other financial incentives in those core academic subjects that help children achieve their potential; including tax free bursaries of up to £30,000.

    We have significantly expanded the School Direct teacher training route which gives schools more opportunity to recruit and train their own high-quality teachers and future leaders. This year over 10,000 trainees are starting School Direct courses, up from 9,000 last year.

    We have funded the expansion of Teach First into every region of England. Teach First will have the scope to reach 90 per cent of eligible schools by 2016, boosting our commitment to recruit more top teachers in rural, coastal and disadvantaged areas.

    In addition, the Department recently announced the ‘Supporting Returning Teachers’ pilot, to support secondary schools to improve teacher recruitment in priority subjects by removing the barriers that prevent inactive but qualified teachers from returning to the classroom. As part of this pilot, we are helping schools to provide a tailored package of support for those wishing to return to the profession and offering grant funding of up to £1,900 per teacher recruited.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to identify the best ways to tackle cultural heritage destruction overseas.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government is committed to the protection of cultural heritage from destruction overseas. That is why we secured £30m of Overseas Development Assistance from 2016 to 2020 for our newly-established Cultural Protection Fund – to create opportunities for economic development through building capacity to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage.

    The British Museum’s Iraqi Heritage Emergency Management Programme (announced on the 28th October at the Cultural Protection Summit) is the Fund’s first programme. A period of consultation is now underway with expert stakeholders working in the arts, heritage, museums and development sectors, to help determine its exact scope and identify best practice.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the relative performance at GCSE of (a) pupils who are home schooled and (b) other pupils.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not hold information for pupils taking GCSEs who are home schooled. The latest information for other pupils is available from the “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015” statistical first release available on GOV.UK at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015.

    “

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to apply the agent of change principle to pubs which play live music.

    Brandon Lewis

    Elements of the agent of change principle already exist within planning policies and guidance. The planning guidance supporting the Framework is clear that the potential effect of a new residential development being located close to an existing business giving rise to noise should be carefully considered. The guidance underlines planning’s contribution to avoiding future complaints and risks to local business like live music venues from resulting enforcement action. To help avoid such situations, local councils are encouraged to consider appropriate mitigation including designing the new development to reduce the impact of noise from the local environment and optimising the sound insulation provided by the building envelope.