The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Defence Equipment and Support employees are over the age of 45.
Harriett Baldwin
Defence Equipment and Support currently employs 5,497 civilian staff and 604 military personnel over the age of 45.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to improve employment support for people who are classed as economically inactive due to long term sickness or disability.
Priti Patel
In the Autumn Statement on Wednesday 25 November, the Chancellor announced a real terms increase in funding to help people with health conditions and disabilities including those in receipt of the support component of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), return to, and remain in, work.
Government will be launching a new ‘Work and Health Programme’ – restructuring our current provision so that it provides the best possible support for people with health conditions or disabilities, including those classed as economically inactive due to long term sickness or disability.
At least £115m of funding will go to the Work and Health Unit, including a work and health innovation fund to test new ways to join up health and employment to help people with disabilities and health conditions to return to and stay in work.
Government will publish a White Paper in the New Year that will set out further reforms to improve support for people with health conditions and disabilities and further reduce the disability employment gap.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on (a) travel, (b) first or business class flights for officials, (c) first or business class flights for Ministers, (c) first class train travel for officials and (d) first class train travel for Ministers in 2014-15.
Mr David Lidington
The FCO ensures value for money in all its expenditure to help reduce the overall costs of Government. Staff are expected to find alternatives to overseas travel where possible, including by making use of video conferencing facilities.
Where travel is necessary, FCO policy is that staff should ensure maximum efficiency, remembering that it is public money being spent. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, FCO officials may fly business class only if the flying time is ten hours or longer.
All FCO staff are directed to use standard class for rail travel unless there are exceptional circumstances e.g. illness, disability or where first class facilities are essential for working while travelling. In these exceptional circumstances, prior line management approval must be given.
In 2014-15 the FCO’s spend on air and train travel originating in the UK and booked through the Government’s nominated travel agency in the UK totalled £10,879,831 and £365,145 respectively.
For comparison, in 2009-10 the equivalent figures were £14,503,576 and £328,184 respectively. This represents a 25% reduction in expenditure on air travel and a 11.3% increase on train travel since 2009-10.
In 2014-15 the figures break down to £6,838 on first class flights (exceptions were made to ensure attendance at the funeral for a Head of State and for officials to attend crucial talks on Libya), £4,501,110 on business class flights, £6,371,883 on economy and premium economy flights, £3,057 on first class rail travel and £362,088 on standard rail travel.
For comparison, in 2009-10 the figures break down to £11,852 on first class flights, £11,307,923 on business class flights, £3,183,801 on economy and premium economy flights, £195,447 on first class rail travel and £132,737 on standard rail travel.
It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of expenditure on either air or rail travel by Ministers and by officials: disaggregating the class of travel from all the individual journeys taken by ministers and officials could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the RAB charge for students entering higher education in England in 2016-17 who take up a full maintenance loan and tuition fees when finishing a three-year course; and if he will make a statement.
Joseph Johnson
The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge is calculated for the total full time student population, rather than separately for students on courses of different lengths or on the basis of the size of the loans taken out. We estimate that the RAB charge for full-time tuition fee and maintenance loans, and part time fee loans, is between 20% and 25%.
These estimates take into account the changes to student finance and the new HM Treasury discount rate used to value the student loan book announced at the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. We will update our estimates in summer 2016 and publish these at the same time as BIS accounts, alongside an updated version of the simplified loan repayments model.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to renegotiate tax treaties with developing countries.
Mr David Gauke
Tax treaties are negotiated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials, reporting to Treasury Ministers.
The UK has a large number of tax treaties which includes treaties with developing countries. Some of those treaties require updating and HMRC officials actively seek engagement with developing countries to that end. For example, there are ongoing negotiations with Ghana, prospective negotiations with Nepal and negotiations with Lesotho and Malawi are close to conclusion.
HMRC publishes the programme of tax treaty negotiations and news of signed treaties at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/double-taxation-agreements-developments-and-planned-negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will call for an end to impunity for rape and other forms of sexual violence in Burma.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have repeatedly called for an end to impunity for rape and other forms of sexual violence in Burma. We are focused on practical action to tackle these issues and are persistent in applying pressure to the Burmese government to live up to the commitments it made when it endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict at the London Global Summit in June 2014. We will maintain that approach and raise this issue with the new Burmese government at the earliest opportunity.
During his visit to Burma in July 2015, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), pressed the Burmese government at Senior Ministerial level on the issue. He also launched the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence. We continue to raise the issue in international fora, including through UN resolutions on Burma at the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council which we co-sponsor.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the levels of pollution in (1) drinking water, (2) river water, and (3) coastal waters, caused by chemicals used in medications which are resistant to present purification techniques
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) published research in 2012 to assess the levels of pollution caused by a range of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs found in source waters, such as rivers, abstracted for drinking water and the comparative levels after water treatment. Over a year, substances were measured at four sites. Results agreed with similar studies and concentrations in English surface waters are generally low and below 1 microgramme per litre (1 μg/L). Levels of pharmaceuticals and drugs in drinking waters after treatment were generally significantly lower than those found in surface waters. This indicates that the drinking water treatment systems used in England and Wales are effective at removing these contaminants. The study concluded that the presence of low levels of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in drinking waters in England and Wales do not pose an appreciable risk to human health.
There is evidence that widely used pharmaceuticals are detected at low concentrations in sewage effluent and receiving surface waters. Due to a lack of good quality toxicity data for many of these substances to assess reliably risks to aquatic wildlife that may be exposed to them, research is underway in the UK, at European level and by the pharmaceutical industry to characterise the risks better. This includes a Chemical Investigations Programme, undertaken by England’s water companies, where significant investment is being made to investigate around 20 substances from 2015-2017. Reported data will improve our understanding of the contamination of surface waters due to these chemicals and information will contribute to assessment of the risk posed to, or via the aquatic environment.
In addition, the UK is participating in a European monitoring network of surface water sites on a ‘watch list’ of contaminants and pharmaceuticals, including the active ingredient of the contraceptive pill, EE2. The Devolved Administrations are doing something similar. Data will inform the Commission’s selection of future priority substances requiring control, and the chemical status of the EU’s surface waters with respect to these chemicals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt telematics car insurance policies from insurance premium tax or reduce that tax for those policies.
Harriett Baldwin
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurance companies and it is up to them how they choose to pass it on to their customers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women died as a result of breast cancer in England in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the appointment of a representative from Northern Ireland to the Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group.
Mark Lancaster
The Armed Forces Covenant is making a real difference in Northern Ireland, where it is enshrined in law. Funding bids have been more successful there than in any other part of the UK – grants include £450,000 to Combat Stress to provide mental health support to veterans.
There is an open invitation to the Northern Ireland Executive to join the Covenant Reference Group (CRG). The Government wishes them to take a full and active part in the group, alongside the other Devolved Administrations. Whilst the Northern Ireland Executive has not yet put forward a representative for the CRG, much useful and effective engagement takes place at Executive departmental level.