The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.291 of Budget 2016, when his Department plans to begin the consultation process on proposals to increase transparency in the land market.
Brandon Lewis
Government will be consulting on improving the visibility of information relating to options to purchase or lease land during the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010 and 11 April 2016 to Question 32109, when he plans to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership documents.
Anna Soubry
The next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will take place in July. The UK reading room will be open in time to access documents related to this round.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to establish a non-departmental public body as part of the process of placing the National Citizen Service on a permanent statutory footing.
Mr Rob Wilson
The National Citizen Service (NCS) Bill will place NCS on a statutory footing and describe its means of delivery. Classification is a subject for the Office for National Statistics in the first stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that people who lose their driving licence on the grounds of poor vision and subsequently receive a letter from their optometrist confirming that their vision meets the required standards can have their driving licence reinstated quickly.
Andrew Jones
Drivers in Great Britain whose licence has been revoked for failure to meet the required eyesight standards may submit further evidence to support their case. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will consider that evidence within three working days. Further medical enquiries may be required.
Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and is a matter for the Department for Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Executive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many files held at Swadlincote his Department has made available to the (a) Historical Enquiries Team and (b) Da Silva Review.
Penny Mordaunt
The Historical Enquiries Team and the De Silva Review were able to access any Ministry of Defence file at Swadlincote or elsewhere which was relevant to their functions, but the Department does not record the number of files which were actually inspected or copied over time by members of these teams.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefit of agricultural technologies to farmers.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We considered the evidence on the benefits of agricultural technologies to farmers when we developed our Agri-Tech Strategy in 2013. This included OECD evidence that growth in agricultural productivity depends on three factors: (i) technological change (innovation); (ii) technical efficiency (the ability of farmers to access the best technologies); and (iii) economies of scale.
The Agri-Tech Strategy recognised that we had not been as successful in recent decades as some of our competitors in getting new agricultural technologies from research to the farm. This is why we are investing £160 million through the Strategy to help rebuild the pipeline of innovation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Ministers and staff of her Department will be attending the Hanoi Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in November 2016; and what the projected cost of that attendance will be in (a) staff salaries, (b) travel and (c) other costs.
Rory Stewart
The UK remains committed to its global leadership role in helping to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. During his visit to Vietnam in July 2015, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK would provide £200,000 to support Vietnam in hosting a third high level international conference on the illegal wildlife trade. The Conference, to be held on 24-25 November 2016, will build on the successful London and Kasane Conferences of 2014 and 2015. Decisions about who will represent the UK at the Vietnam Conference have not yet been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Addington on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the most commonly occurring learning difficulties with which a teacher is expected to deal in the classroom.
Lord Nash
The Department uses the School Census to assess the prevalence and type of special educational need (SEN) in schools. In January 2015, moderate learning difficulty was the most common type of SEN recorded by schools. Autistic spectrum disorder was the most common need for those with a statement or Education Health and Care (EHC) plan.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-03-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the BBC’s Royal Charter should be for at least 10 years.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when a Wire Strike Protection system will be fitted to the Puma helicopter; and when (a) Initial Gate and (b) Final Gate approval was granted for that project.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Helicopter Safety Enhancements Programme has been coordinating provision of Wire Strike Protection Systems (WSPS) across the UK military helicopter fleet. Initial Gate approval was granted in August 2012 and Final Gate approval was granted in March 2013. The Puma Mk2 WSPS entered service in June 2015; fleet embodiment of WSPS continues and is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2017.