The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is the policy of the Forestry Commission to sell the Cannon Hill plantation in Ferndown, Dorset for development.
Rory Stewart
We are committed to keeping the public forest estate in England, including Cannon Hill plantation, in trust for the nation and for it to continue to be sustainably managed by the Forestry Commission.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to encourage a de-escalation of violence in Kashmir in response to the recent unrest in that region.
Alok Sharma
I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department has used benefit off-flow data in the last three years to calculate remuneration for jobcentre (a) managers and (b) advisers.
Priti Patel
Benefit off-flow data is not used to calculate increases to consolidated pay.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress his Department has made in helping improve digital skills in the workforce.
Mr Edward Vaizey
This Government is committed to improving digital skills in the workforce and creating a strong digital skills talent pool. Recent schemes include working with the Open University to create a free online course ‘Introduction to Cyber Security’, taken up by 70,000 learners, and reformed apprenticeships to provide employers with the digital skills they need in the workforce. From September 2015, 300 degree level digital apprenticesstartedtheir programmes – double what wasoriginallyannounced -providing the digital and professional skills that employers needand value.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties of the Watchkeeper UAV have been flown from RAF Ascension in each month since January 2015.
Mr Philip Dunne
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library a copy of the application made by Twynham Learning Federation to establish a new primary academy in West Christchurch which is proposed to open from September 2016 and a copy of her response.
Edward Timpson
The Secretary of State is happy to make available the proposal by Twynham Learning Federation and also a copy of the decision letter signed by Sir David Carter, the former Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West. These documents will be published on the department’s website in May, along with other successful central free school applications.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost to HM Revenue and Customs is of administering probate.
Caroline Dinenage
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for administering probate.
The amount of fee income accrued to the public purse in probate fee charges (after remission) increased from £19m in 2013/14 to £41.5m in 2014/15 following fee increases introduced in April 2014.
The annual cost to the Ministry of Justice of administering probate in 2014/15 was £42.5m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Equality (Language Analysis – Palestinian, Syrian and Kuwaiti Testing) Authorisation (No. 2) 2013, whether the Government plans to revise the existing three exceptions.
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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure emergency education, in particular for displaced children, is prioritised as part of the emergency response in Yemen; and whether education will be prioritised in her Department’s support for the recovery and reconstruction of Yemen.
Mr Desmond Swayne
UK aid to Yemen is currently focused on the most urgent life-saving needs, in particular food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict.
DFID has supported education in Yemen through the Social Fund for Development (SFD). Since 2010, more than 240,000 children have attended schools supported by SFD. DFID is also supporting the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to rehabilitate schools which is helping 3,500 refugee children and Yemeni children from their host communities, to resume education.
The UK is working closely with the Government of Yemen, Gulf countries, the World Bank, UN and other donors on planning for stabilisation and post-conflict recovery. Any future support will be based upon a comprehensive assessment of needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) support the provision of and (b) increase the uptake of weight-loss surgery.
George Freeman
It is for clinicians to decide when bariatric surgery is appropriate based on the need of the patient and in line with appropriate guidance, including that issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.