The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of Hamas fighters joining ISIS in Syria.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have not received any reports of Hamas fighters joining Daesh in Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to increase participation in cycling by women.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government remains committed to its manifesto target to double the number of journeys made by bicycle. In order to achieve this, all potential cyclists’ needs must be considered.
The Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking, with SR2015 announcing funding support of over £300m. In addition, Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
The draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which is currently being consulted on and is due to be published in summer 2016, fully explains the Government’s ambitions for increasing cycling activity and sets out the funding resources available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the NHS England Five Year Forward View on Mental Health, published in February 2016, what progress has been made on Recommendation 34 on incentive payments.
Alistair Burt
The Government is working with delivery partners to carefully consider the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s recommendations and aims to publish a strategic implementation plan in the autumn that will set out how Government and partners will deliver the recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had at the UN on implementation of Security Council Resolution 47 on Kashmir.
Alok Sharma
The United Kingdom does not intend to support an international conference or a plebiscite on Kashmir in line with UN Security Council Resolution 47. I have not had any discussions at the UN on this issue. The longstanding position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s proposed deadline is for closing the 1993 and 2003 Child Support Agency IT system.
Caroline Nokes
The closure of existing child maintenance cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes is proceeding as planned. The timetable for the closure of the underlying 1993 and 2003 child support IT systems is currently under consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support calls for the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
These and other disturbing reports from Rakhine State make clear that the Rohingya are being persecuted and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of a highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November Statement on Burma’s elections.
However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which we assess there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. Most recently, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), did so with the Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in September in New York.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the effect of the decision to discontinue GCSE and A-level qualifications in information communication technology on future levels of IT literacy skills for the workplace; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
The rigorous new Computer Science GCSE and A level qualifications, backed by industry experts, will enable pupils to progress to further study and employment. The inclusion of Computer Science in the EBacc reflects its rigorous academic standards. The decision has therefore been made not to redevelop further IT qualifications in a related area of study.
Through computer science, students will develop their computational thinking skills, learn to code and understand information technology topics such as cyber security, networking and data storage. There are also a number of vocational options for students at Key Stage 4 and opportunities for further specialism at Key Stage 5. For 14-16 year olds, technical awards have a focus on practical and technical subjects and offer an opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in areas such as digital literacy and web design. For 16-19 year olds, high quality vocational qualifications provide progression to higher education and employment and prepare students well for that purpose.
This builds on our changes to the national curriculum where we have replaced the outdated ICT programme of study with a new computing programme of study. The new computing curriculum has been designed to facilitate innovation and creativity from both teachers and pupils and emphasise the importance of learning about the fundamentals of computer science.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times in the last year the Access to Work scheme has contributed to funding (1) the installation of a disabled toilet in a workplace, and (2) the adaptation of an existing workplace toilet into one suitable for disabled people.
Baroness Altmann
This information is not readily available.
In all cases where adaptations to premises are required, advisers will look to see what reasonable adjustment has first been made in accordance with employers obligations under the Equality Act.
Dependent on the size of the business, an employer contribution may also be sought.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-02-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) primary and (b) secondary policy purposes are of inheritance tax relief for estates left on death.
Mr David Gauke
There are several inheritance tax (IHT) reliefs and these have different policy purposes. Transfers between spouses, including civil partners, are exempt from IHT. Taken together with the IHT nil-rate band, these exemptions are designed to allow most estates to be passed on to beneficiaries without an inheritance tax liability. More targeted exemptions and reliefs have different purposes including encouraging charitable giving, ensuring that businesses and farms do not have to be broken up to pay the liability and ensuring estates of those in the armed services and our emergency services who die in active service are exempt from inheritance tax.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will direct local planning authorities to reassess planning permissions granted to developments on floodplains that have been affected by recent flooding events.
Brandon Lewis
I am writing to local authorities affected by the recent floods to remind them of the options available where a development site with an unimplemented planning permission has flooded. Local planning authorities, in consultation with developers, are best-placed to consider whether reviewing a planning permission is appropriate, and what subsequent action may be required to ensure developments will be safe and resilient to flooding, in line with national planning policy.