The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedure was followed before the authorisation of the use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.
Michael Fallon
I confirmed in a statement on 19 February 2016 that I had authorised the request. Permission was granted once I was satisfied with the legality of the operation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on consumers of a merger between BT and EE; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Edward Vaizey
It is for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the potential impacts of company mergers in the UK. Its role is to protect competition for the benefit of consumers, not the commercial interests of competitors.
In the case of the takeover of EE by BT, the CMA considered the merger and all representations made to it and published its final decision in January, which can be found here [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-clears-btee-merger]
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of age discrimination legislation in respect of people seeking employment.
Caroline Dinenage
Age is a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. Where differential treatment because of age cannot be objectively justified, this will constitute unlawful age discrimination both in employment and in the provision of goods and services. Enforcement of the Act’s employment provisions is undertaken by Employment Tribunals, to which a person must make a claim if they feel that they have been discriminated against because of age.
Prior to an Employment Tribunal claim, conciliation services are provided by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services (Acas). According to the Employment tribunal statistics, 1,087 age discrimination claims were made to Employment Tribunals in 2014/15. 70% (761) of these claims were either withdrawn or successfully conciliated by Acas without the need for a full hearing. The Acas process is intended to enable employers and employees to resolve disputes without the need for a full Employment Tribunal hearing.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s enforcement powers under the Equality Act 2006 apply to age discrimination as they do to other protected characteristics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release, A new pay model for the Armed Forces, published on 7 January 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the reformed pay structure on the number of complaints about terms and conditions received through the service complaints process.
Mark Lancaster
The changes associated with the new Armed Forces pay model have been extensively communicated, both prior to and since their announcement in January. These communications are expected to address a significant proportion of the questions and concerns that might otherwise have been raised as service complaints. Whilst it is impossible to predict how many service complaints might be raised, planning is in place for a means of dealing with them if they do arise in volume in a way that is fair, effective and efficient and does not overwhelm the system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to increase the number of teachers in training.
Nick Gibb
The Government is investing heavily in the future of our teaching profession. Between now and 2020, we have committed to spending more than £1.3bn on initiatives aimed at attracting more people into the profession.
Teaching remains a profession that is attracting the brightest and best new graduates as well as career changers. We achieved 94% of our postgraduate ITT target for 2015/16, of which 7% was additional recruitment beyond the target in primary, English, history and PE. Although we recognise that teacher recruitment remains challenging, particularly in some priority subjects and in certain areas of the country, we are nevertheless confident that overall recruitment to ITT remains strong.
We have already put in place a number of measures aimed at attracting more top graduates into teaching, particularly in the core academic subjects that help children reach their full potential. We are continuing to offer generous financial incentives, including prestigious scholarships, worth up to £30,000 tax-free for trainees with top degrees in priority subjects.
In March 2015, the Prime Minister announced a package of up to £67m to recruit an additional 2,500 maths and physics teachers and to train 15,000 existing non-specialist teachers in those subjects over the term of this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons restrictions on advertising and promotional deals on unhealthy foods were not included in the Government’s childhood obesity plan.
Nicola Blackwood
In developing the plan we have been very open about the fact we considered a number of different policies and have focused on the ones that are likely to have the biggest impact on childhood obesity.
The policies in the plan are informed by the latest research and evidence, including from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Carbohydrates and Health, Public Health England’s evidence package Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, other government departments, debates in this House and various reports from key stakeholders including the Health Select Committee.
Evidence shows that current restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink in the United Kingdom are amongst the toughest in the world.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2016-10-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to seek to remain a member of Europol following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Prime Minister has made clear that law enforcement cooperation with our European partners will continue after the UK leaves the EU we will do what is necessary to keep our people safe.
We value the role of Europol in helping law enforcement agencies coordinate investigations in cross border organised crime. We are exploring options for our relationship with Europol once the UK has left the EU but it is too early to speculate at this stage what future arrangments may look like.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-11-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what operational assessment has been undertaken of proposals to use the upgraded TPS-77 radar systems at RRH Benbecula and RRH Buchan as mitigation for planned wind turbine developments.
Mr Philip Dunne
In respect of the upgrade of the Air Defence radar at Remote Radar Head (RRH) Buchan, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is in contact with the developers who proposed the upgrade as mitigation for their wind farm proposal.
At RRH Benbecula, the MOD is in contact with the Western Isles Council and developers via the Council’s Working Group. In addition, the MOD provided an Air Defence update at the Aviation Management Board meeting on 5 November 2015 at which Scottish Government, the wind industry and RenewableUK representatives were present.
The MOD continues to undertake full technical and operational assessments of all site specific Air Defence radar mitigation proposals, including those to the upgraded TPS-77 radar systems at RRH Benbecula and RRH Buchan. It remains the responsibility of developers to submit site specific mitigation proposals. The MOD will determine whether the impact upon the radar is of a permissible level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the collection of data on the effect of sexual and gender-based violence on women in later life in developing countries.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Supporting robust data collection on violence against women and girls and its effects is critical. However, international systems do not yet fully capture sufficient data for those over the age of 49. At UNGA the Secretary of State announced DFID’s role as an anchor partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. We are working with international bodies to support the development of rigorous, national data on violence against women and girls of all ages and its effect. One area we are looking at is whether the internationally recognised Demographic and Health Surveys can be expanded to women in later life.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22945, what steps he plans to take to tackle the increase in the number of people under 18 who have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm since 2010.
Alistair Burt
The Government is committed to delivering the transformation of children and young people’s mental health as outlined in Future in Mind. Local Transformation Plans, which NHS England has now assured, and the £30 million that was released in December 2015 for clinical commissioning groups to deliver their improved local offer, which must cover the whole spectrum of services for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, including prevention, early intervention and access as well as support for those who self-harm.
In the Autumn Statement 2014 increased funding of £150 million over the course of this Parliament was announced to improve eating disorder services for children and young people with mental health problems in England, and any capacity freed up through this investment is to be redeployed to improve services for both crisis and people who self-harm.
In relation to the increase of young people who have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm it is important to note that revised guidance was issued by the Health and Social Care Information Centre to National Health Service trusts to clarify the use of reporting codes from 1 April 2013, which may account for some of the increase in figures from that point onwards.