The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people in (i) Leeds North West constituency, (ii) the Leeds City Region, (iii) West Yorkshire and (iv) Yorkshire are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s living wage.
Chris Skidmore
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 Louise Haigh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contractual agreement between her Department and G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Limited at HM Prison (a) Birmingham and (b) Oakwood, how many performance points have been incurred and for what reason those performance points have been incurred in each year from 2012-13 to date.
Mr Sam Gyimah
Well-run prisons are fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system, and a vital part of our reform plans. Private providers play an important role in the prison estate. Performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.
Prison Contracts set out a strict performance framework, consisting of prescriptive performance targets. Failure by the provider to meet performance targets results in performance points being applied.
Performance points are awarded according to the severity of failure. If the total number of points exceeds the agreed baseline for the performance quarter or year, financial remedies are applied against the Contractor in accordance with the Contract. In certain circumstances financial remedies can also be applied directly, without performance points being accrued. The amount of points awarded therefore cannot always be linked to the value of remedies imposed.
The number of performance points incurred at HMP Birmingham and HMP Oakwood for the reporting years 2012-2013 through to 2015-2016 are as follows.
Data for reporting year 2016-2017 is not yet available as it has not been finalised.
|
2012-2013 |
2013-2014 |
2014-2015 |
2015-2016 |
||
|
Points |
Points |
Points |
Points |
||
|
Birmingham |
Failure to comply with procedures |
0 |
248.9 |
25 |
103 |
|
Incidents |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Failure to comply with prison regime |
135 |
45.71 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Oakwood |
Failure to comply with procedures |
7 |
1.5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Incidents |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Failure to comply with prison regime |
90 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work his Department has commissioned to identify the profile of customers with exchange-only lines on the telecom network that are incompatible with fibre to the cabinet broadband technology.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The vast majority of phone lines across the UK connect to the nearest telephone exchange via a street cabinet, which can be upgraded to deliver fibre broadband. Estimates are not available of the number of premises served by exchange only lines which connect directly to the local exchange rather than via one of BT’s street cabinets. There are a variety of reasons why exchange only lines are created. For example, for rural exchanges serving few premises where there was no need for cabinets, or for urban exchanges where it may have been a more cost-effective. Exchange only lines present a greater engineering challenge to deliver fibre broadband than those connected via street cabinets but technical solutions are available. One solution is to rearrange the existing network, lay new cables to reroute lines to new cabinets. This technique was developed as part of the BDUK Superfast Broadband Programme, and the number of exchange only lines is reducing all the time as roll out under the programme continues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to ensure that a proper distinction is made between the role of the contractor appointed by the local authority to enable local healthwatches to be established and run, and that of the local healthwatch organisation itself.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department currently has no plans to undertake an investigation in to the performance of local Healthwatch organisations. In March 2015 the Department published a report commissioned from the King’s Fund – Local Healthwatch: Progress and promise – which set out the progress that local Healthwatch have made since being established in 2013. Transparency about the performance of local Healthwatch organisations is provided through the annual reports which they are required to publish. Reports on how the local Healthwatch network as a whole is operating and the nature of the support needed to deliver their activities effectively are discussed at quarterly public meetings of the Healthwatch England Committee.
Arrangements for ensuring local Healthwatch statutory activities are delivered in each area are a matter for local authorities. The Local Government Association has published guidance to support local Healthwatch and local commissioners in putting in place good governance arrangements, which includes clarity about the roles of all parties involved.
Neither the Department nor Healthwatch England are aware of local Healthwatch contractors refusing to engage with the public in their area. Where Healthwatch England is made aware of concerns in relation to local Healthwatch around governance or local relationships with specific individuals or organisations, it seeks to provide support to resolve these where appropriate. Members of the public are able to raise concerns though the complaints process of the local Healthwatch or the commissioning local authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the security of data transmission between the F35B Lightning II fighter and remote monitoring and control stations.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Autonomous Logistics Information System is part of the ground based information system and is not fitted on board the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft. Both the Autonomous Logistics Information System and the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft have been subject to a comprehensive independent programme of penetration testing.
Risk assessments of the Autonomous Logistics Information System and its interfaces with the F-35B Lightning II fighter are conducted continuously throughout the test programme. All classified data transmissions to and from the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft are fully encrypted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions have been made under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 in each month since May 2013.
Andrew Selous
The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences under Section 127 of the Communication Act 2003, in England and Wales, in each month since May 2013 to December 2014 (the latest available) can be viewed in the attached table.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department’s policy of providing information on failed asylum claims to the government of their country of origin on the safety of those claimants on their return to that country.
James Brokenshire
We carefully consider all asylum claims on their individual merits and provide protection for those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This includes an assessment about whether a person who has spoken out against their government is likely to be at risk of persecution or serious harm on return.
We do not provide any information relating to an asylum claim to the government of a claimant’s country of origin. No one who is at risk of serious harm in their country is expected to return there, but we do expect those who do not need our protection to return home voluntarily.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to increase the level of voter registration in schools, colleges and universities.
John Penrose
The Government has made it easier and quicker to register to vote than ever before through online registration. Since June 2014, 3.6 million people aged 16-24 have applied to register to vote, with 2.7 million of these applications made online. The Government has also worked with various youth organisations such as NUS and Sixth Form Colleges Association, to encourage voter registration among students.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion in the report from Sense, entitled Making the case for play, published in February 2016, that a misguided interpretation and approach to health and safety is creating a barrier to accessing play settings and activities for children with multiple needs.
Mr Sam Gyimah
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 11 April to PQ 32244, which I have also set out below:
The government recognises that play is essential for children’s development and this is covered in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework. Play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning, and the EYFS is clear that “practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care… to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.” Health and safety should not create a barrier to accessing play activities for children with multiple needs.
The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Ofsted conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards and assesses the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have SEND.
As you may be aware, the Childcare Act 2016 expands the free childcare entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents. As part of the Early Implementer Package announced on Tuesday 2 February, local authorities involved will be using the opportunity to test and showcase how childcare can be delivered in a way that improves access for children with SEND. The department also launched a consultation on 3 April seeking views on key elements of the operation and delivery of the 30 hours and we specifically welcome views on provision for children with SEND. The consultation is available at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/30-hour-free-childcare-entitlement.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support Turkey joining the EU, and what pre-conditions they believe should attach to such admission.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government supports the process of Turkey’s EU accession, which remains the most effective means of encouraging reform, stability and democracy in Turkey. But as the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made it clear that the question of Turkey actually joining the EU is ‘not remotely on the cards’, indeed that he does not believe it will happen ‘for decades’. Every Member State has a veto, at every stage of the process.
Turkey would need to undergo substantial reform before we could consider Turkish accession to the EU, particularly in terms of rule of law, freedom of speech, and socio-economic convergence with EU standards. Furthermore, the Government will not agree to any further EU enlargement without new arrangements for transitional controls on freedom of movement. We do not want to take the risk, as we did in 2004, of very large movements of people after a new accession. Under the European Union Act 2011, any new Accession Treaty would require parliamentary approval by primary legislation before it could be ratified.