The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to publish its assessments of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU conducted in the six months before the EU referendum.
Mr David Davis
The Government published its assessments of the long-term and immediate economic impact of leaving the EU in April and May this year. These can be found at the following web addresses:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the introduction of a graduated licence system for young drivers.
Andrew Jones
None. It is important that we strike the right balance between the safety and the freedom of young drivers. Many rely on their cars to get to work and education; so licensing restrictions could affect their ability to access these opportunities.
We’re focussing our efforts on encouraging learner drivers to be better prepared for the wonderful freedoms a driving licence offers, but without compromising on safety, which is at the heart of what we do.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to review the Pet Animals Act 1951.
George Eustice
Defra is reviewing the Pet Animals Act 1951 as part of a wider review of some of the animal related licensing schemes. We are looking to consult on a set of proposals shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the construction of a road tunnel to replace the A628 which connects Barnsley to Manchester.
Andrew Jones
In November, the Secretary of State received the interim report of the Strategic Study into a potential Trans-Pennine Tunnel. This early work has shown that a tunnel is technically feasible, and that there is a clear strategic case for linking Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.
However further work is needed into the costs and economic benefits of such a tunnel before any judgement can be reached about whether or not it will be value for money. The full report of the study, due in 2016, should address these issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-01-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to releasing parts of one or both of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to facilitate a political settlement on the island.
Earl Howe
The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rea on 2016-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent studies of driver impairment after drinking alcohol, and whether those studies support the current alcohol limit for drivers.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Sir Peter North’s 2010 Review of drink and drug driving made an assessment of various studies. The Coalition Government responded in March 2011 by setting out its position on maintaining the current limit. This Government agrees with that assessment and we do not believe any further studies have provided sufficient evidence to change that position. There are therefore no plans to change the current laws.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Bates on 2 March (HL Deb, col 824), what qualifications they consider to be adequate for persons conducting the substantive interviews of asylum applicants, with authority to recommend acceptance or rejection of their claims; and what assessment they have made of whether gap-year and undergraduate students, after five weeks of training, have sufficient maturity and empathy to take such decisions.
Lord Bates
Decision makers working on asylum casework are graded at Executive Officer level except in the suspended Detained Fast Track operation where the predominate grade is Higher Executive Officer due to the requirement on some decision makers to also present appeals. The general entry requirement for direct recruitment to either grade is a minimum of 2 GCE A Level passes A-C and 5 GCSE passes including Mathematics and English. We have also employed staff on temporary contracts but have required them to have a minimum 2:2 Degree, preferably in law.
We recruit high performing students from various universities as asylum decision makers on fixed term appointments and since 2009 have employed 11 law undergraduates of whom 2 are still employed. Applicants send in their CVs, and these are used to inform an initial sift of applications. Successful candidates are then invited to a competency based interview with Home Office staff which tests their maturity and suitability to carry out the role.
At the end of the 5 week training, that all decision makers receive, there is a six month period of mentoring, continued assessment and quality analysis of newly qualified decision maker’s work that identifies whether an individual is performing the role to the required quality standards. Before any individual is signed off their initial probationary period and confirmed in role they must be considered to be performing the role to the previously referenced quality standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to test the suitability of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey for operation aboard the Queen Elizabeth Class ships.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Royal Navy has previous experience operating the V-22 Osprey from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS OCEAN. It is therefore possible that the Department will engage in due course with our close Ally the United States to explore mutual opportunities to clear US Navy and US Marine Corps V-22 aircraft on Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the planned further opening of the BBC archive will be funded at the stage of (a) capture, (b) preservation, (c) cataloguing, (d) digitisation, (e) storage, (f) licensed use and (g) non-licensed use.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The BBC receives over £3.7 billion of public money each year through the licence fee. As set out in the Government’s White Paper, ‘A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction’, we encourage the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible. How the BBC uses the public money it receives to achieve this is matter for the BBC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to include a fully-resourced in-house option in value for money tests on potential outsourcing of Defence Business Services.
Mark Lancaster
In the event that the Ministry of Defence decided to outsource elements of Defence Business Services it would, in line with normal practice, ensure that a rigorous in-house benchmark was developed against which the value for money of any commercial bids could be judged.