The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of his Department’s budget in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.
Joseph Johnson
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility on 18 July 2016, UIN 43020.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU for the Government’s policies on equality.
Caroline Dinenage
The UK has some of the strongest equality legislation and policies in the world. This will continue to be the case after we leave the EU. The Government Equalities Office will continue to follow an ambitious programme of work to ensure that everyone has a fair chance and that no one is discriminated against because of their background.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 November (HL2946), what advice they have given to the government of India about tackling the rise of attacks on religious minorities by Hindu nationalists in India.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are concerned by recent attacks on religious minorities by Hindu nationalists in India. The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly discusses the treatment of religious minorities with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with state governments across India. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also personally discussed the issue of religious minorities with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, General V K Singh on 5 November.
India has a strong democratic framework, which guarantees human rights, including minority rights, within its constitution. However, it also faces numerous challenges relating to its size, social and economic development. We welcome Prime Minister Modi’s reaffirmation that he governs for all Indians and his commitment to inclusive development. We will continue to work collaboratively with his government on a range of important issues, including the promotion and protection of minority rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of apprentices received (a) formal and (b) informal training in each year since 2007.
Nick Boles
In 2013/14, 79% of Apprentices received formal training. In 2011/12 and 2012/13 the figures were 76% and 77% respectively. Information on formal training was not collected prior to 2011/12.
In 2013/14, 80% of Apprentices received informal training, while in 2012/13, 85% of apprentices received informal training. . Information on informal training was not collected prior to 2012/13.
Information on types of training can be found in the Apprenticeships Evaluation: Learners survey report online.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that were initially refused by her Department were subsequently granted in each year since 2010.
Nick Gibb
Quarterly and annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests received by a number of central government monitored bodies (including all departments of state), including the number and outcomes of internal reviews of FOI responses, are published by the Cabinet Office at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if the Government will provide additional funding for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deal with legacy issues.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Matters relating to policing and justice are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. As a consequence, responsibility for funding policing and justice in Northern Ireland (including for Troubles-related issues) rests with the Northern Ireland Executive.
The budget for the Northern Ireland Executive includes funding from Her Majesty’s Treasury in accordance with its funding policy. The funding the Executive receives per capita from the UK Government is more than any other region or country in the UK – 25% above the UK average. All devolved allocation and spending decisions are a matter for the Executive.
Through the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements, the UK Government has undertaken to provide financial packages giving the Executive up to £2.5 billion of additional spending power. This includes an additional £150 million to support the proposed new institutions to deal with the past.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of state (a) primary and (b) secondary students who are learning a musical instrument; and how many such students are learning that musical instrument for free.
Nick Gibb
Music is compulsory for all children in key stages 1-3 in maintained schools. One of the requirements of the National Curriculum is that pupils are taught to play musical instruments. Schools are not permitted to charge for teaching that is required by the National Curriculum.
The Government is investing £75m in 2015-16 in a network of music education hubs. Music education hubs have four core roles, one of which is to ensure that every child aged 5-18 learns to play a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. Data published by Arts Council England in March 2015 showed that 596,820 pupils in the academic year 2013/14 learned to play an instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. This teaching is provided free for pupils.
The data is available here: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/Music_Education_Hubs_2014_Report_final_March_2015.pdf.
Arts Council England will publish data for the 2014-15 academic year in due course. This will include more extensive data on the number of pupils who have singing or instrumental lessons.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of injured children trying to leave Syria being turned away at the Jordanian border.
Mr Philip Hammond
We are aware that there are large numbers of refugees being denied access to Jordan at the Jordan/Syria border. Whilst recognising their legitimate security concerns and the need for proper vetting, we have discussed with the Government of Jordan the necessity of prioritising admittance for the sick and injured, including children. Jordan has shown remarkable generosity as host to over 630,000 registered refugees from the Syria conflict. The UK is firmly committed to supporting Jordan. We have contributed over £330 million to help Jordan since the start of the Syria crisis. As co-hosts of the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference held in London this year we helped secure over $12 billion of commitments of further support for those inside Syria and Syria’s neighbours Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey which are bearing the humanitarian weight of the crisis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 13 April 2016, Official Report, column 374, on tax avoidance and evasion, whether (a) the Guardian, (b) the BBC, (c) the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and (d) the Süddeutsche Zeitung have agreed to provide the data they received.
Greg Hands
HM Revenue & Customs has asked the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the BBC and The Guardian to share their data. The BBC and The Guardian have confirmed that they do not hold the data. The ICIJ have refused to share their data with us, stating that their policy is not to hand over such material. While we welcome the steps they have taken in exposing this issue, their decision not to release the full set of information to us is disappointing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NICE has to consult on its methodology for carrying out evidence reviews and impact analyses to support NHS England’s specialised commissioning process.
George Freeman
As yet, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not have any plans to consult on changes to its methods and processes to support NHS England’s specialised commissioning process, but will carry out a full consultation if any such changes are considered necessary.
Following NHS England’s review of its specialised commissioning processes and the publication in the summer of the final report from the Accelerated Access Review, we anticipate NICE will want to look at its processes and methods for the assessment of drugs and treatments used in specialised commissioning.