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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what infrastructure preparations have been made for the integration of female soldiers into close combat units in the Army; and what is their estimate of the cost of any such preparations to date.

    Earl Howe

    Women are currently excluded from serving in ground close combat roles in the Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps, the Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force Regiment. The Prime Minister stated on 20 December 2015 that he would like to see all roles in the Armed Forces opened up to women in 2016. Further physiological research currently under way will inform a final decision in mid-2016.

    The review "Women in Ground Close Combat" has identified the principle of full integration as a vital element in generating cohesion in combat troops. The subsequent infrastructure work required is being considered as part of ongoing implementation planning, in the event that the exclusion is lifted. Early estimates from the 2014 research paper suggest that a fully integrated solution at the Army’s Infantry Training Centre at Catterick could cost up to £1.6 million. Once a final decision is taken, the Department will be able to identify and cost a fully integrated long-term solution as required.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 March (HL6235), what assessment they have made of whether a procurement process where there are only two genuine bidders complies with the EU rules and procedures for public contracts, which state that a minimum of three bids are required, and whether they have sought from the EU a derogation from that rule.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Rail franchising competitions are governed by Regulation 1370/2007 and not the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Therefore, although the Department fully applies the EU treaty principles of transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination, it is not obliged to follow the processes and procedures set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

    Where a competition is to be held, Regulation 1370/2007 requires a fair competitive procedure, but does not stipulate the minimum number of bidders that is required to evidence this.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of language analysis testing of asylum applicants; and if she will carry out a review of her Department’s policy on such testing.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government has no current plans to revise the existing Equality Act exemptions relating to language analysis testing.

    No further nationalities have been added to the Equality Act exemption authorisation since it was introduced in 2013.

    A review on language analysis use was undertaken in 2011 and published in 2012.

    (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/257177/language-analysis.pdf).

    No further such review is presently planned. However, we do monitor the use of language analysis regularly to ensure it is used as effectively as possible and to identify new trends in nationality swapping.

  • Keir Starmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keir Starmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) single adult men, (b) single adult women, (c) families and (d) single-parent families were in receipt of support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 at the end of 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office publishes statistics on those supported under section 95, as at the end of each quarter, in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.

    Of the 34,363 main applicants that were supported under section 95 as at the end of December 2015, 12,561 were single adults. Where the gender of the main applicant is recorded, 9,987 were males and 2,135 were females.

    There were 6,456 families supported under section 95 as at the end of December 2015. It is not possible to identify single parent families from the published statistics.

    The figures provided are published in table as_17_q, in volume 4 of the Immigration Statistics asylum data tables. The data provided by gender are a subset of published figures. The latest release, Immigration Statistics September to December 2015, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to hire and train trade negotiators.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer my honourable friend to my answer of 30 June given in response to PQ 41301.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the UK-supplied weapons are which are known to have been used in Yemen since January 2015.

    Sir Michael Fallon

    As at 12 October 2016 the following UK-supplied precision-guided weapons have been used in Yemen: Paveway, PGM500 (also known as the Hakim 2), Dual Mode Brimstone and Storm Shadow, along with ALARM (anti-radiation missiles).

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on cleaning rivers and waterways in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the level of such funding in each of the next five years.

    Rory Stewart

    Over the past five years, Defra has made significant investment to protect and improve the water environment through a number of different mechanisms. These include funds for local improvement projects, Countryside Stewardship, Catchment Sensitive Farming, Grant-in-Aid to the Environment Agency (EA), and funding for flood risk alleviation schemes which have wider co-benefits for the water environment.

    Defra’s funding is just one contribution. The EA estimates that around £5 billion per year is invested across the public, private and voluntary sectors just to protect our waters from deterioration in the face of challenges of population growth and climate change.

    Funding in future years is subject to the Government’s Spending Review.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to collect data on the needs of (a) looked after children, (b) children in need, (c) victims of abuse and (d) children living in poverty in the prevalence survey on children and young people’s mental health.

    Alistair Burt

    The aim of the survey is to estimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in the general population aged two to 19 years. The survey will use a similar methodology to the last survey from 2004 to ensure comparability. A representative sample will be drawn from households in England (and Scotland). None of the specific groups listed in the question have been excluded from the survey.

    The number of looked after children and children in need in the general population are relatively low. This may limit the amount of data the survey can collect on these groups.

    We anticipate the final report of the survey will include some analysis of mental health disorders by characteristics including socio-economic factors. The contractor has also been asked to consider how to improve questions around the impact of abuse on children and young people’s mental health.

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kilclooney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    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 abandoning 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.

  • Lord Rea – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Rea – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rea on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to advise drivers of the risks involved in driving after drinking alcohol.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government advise drivers of the risks involved in driving after drinking alcohol in a number of ways.

    The Department for Transport’s THINK! drink drive campaign raises awareness of the risks and consequences of drink driving. The campaign aims to reinforce the social unacceptability of drink driving and achieve positive behaviour change amongst drivers.

    In December 2015, THINK! ran a £2.9 million drink drive campaign. This campaign targeted males aged 17-34, who are disproportionately represented in drink drive killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualty statistics. We advertised this campaign on TV, online video and radio, and supported this with wider PR and social media activity.

    In addition we work with partners including Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Johnnie Walker to provide incentives to drivers (such as buy one get one free soft drinks) to avoid drink driving.

    THINK! also provide materials to road safety professionals to run campaigns and provide information on the risks of drink driving to drivers locally.

    The driving theory test addresses the subject of drink driving and the topic is covered extensively in driving learning materials.

    The Government also works with organisations to provide Drink Drive Rehabilitation Schemes (DDRS) for first time offenders. The courses aim to allow reflection of behaviour and achieve behaviour change.