Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives of video and computer games creators on possible amendments to the meaning of the term supply in the Video Recordings Act 1984 to include adults providing children with access to recordings categorised as containing age-inappropriate content.

    Matt Hancock

    Following public consultations involving representations from classification bodies, child welfare groups, local authorities, content producers and many others, since 2010 we have legislated twice to strengthen the protections provided by the Act. This has ensured that retailers now cannot sell or rent any age-inappropriate DVDs or video games discs or cartridges to children. It also ensures these products are all labelled with relevant British Board of Film Classification (DVDs) and PEGI (video games) age ratings and content advice. This means adults have better information to help them make responsible decisions about the material children can access.

    We will continue to work with industry and the age ratings bodies to encourage further promotion of the BBFC and PEGI age ratings to consumers including through initiatives such as BBFCInsight and AskAboutGames.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proposals he has to enhance and extend neighbourhood plans.

    Gavin Barwell

    The Government is fully committed to neighbourhood planning and recently introduced regulations that implement powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to speed up and simplify the neighbourhood planning process. To support the Government’s approach, the Neighbourhood Planning Bill, which went through Second Reading in Parliament on 10 October, contains measures to further strengthen neighbourhood planning.

    We are also supporting neighbourhood planning through a £22.5 million support programme which has made over 1,500 payments to groups since April 2015. All groups can apply for a grant of up to £9,000. Additional grant and technical support is available to priority groups, including those in urban and more deprived areas. Groups can also access a range of tools and templates, and a dedicated advice service, to help them prepare their plans.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with his counterparts in (a) China, (b) Vietnam and (c) South Korea about the dog meat trade in those countries.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Government is committed to raising the standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. Whilst there are no international norms, laws or agreements governing the trade and consumption of dog meat, we believe it is necessary to work with governments to gain agreement on animal welfare standards and phase out cruel and inhuman farming practices.

    I raised the importance of animal welfare with the Vietnamese government during my visit in February. Our Ambassador in Seoul has raised the issue of cruelty related to the dog meat trade with the South Korean authorities, explaining that UK Parliamentarians and the public would like to see regulation that would bring this to an end. Ministers have also raised the issue with Chinese counterparts, and we continue to work alongside the authorities there to help protect the welfare of stray animals.

    I will be writing to all relevant Ambassadors about this issue in due course and the Government will consider a review of how we interact with various international organisations on dog meat consumption, specifically on the issue of health.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ronnie Cowan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many shipbuilding jobs will be supported by the construction of each of the (a) eight Type 26 anti-submarine frigates that are scheduled to be ordered and (b) proposed five new frigates to be developed under the new light frigate programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    We have begun the detailed work to take forward the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and the new general purpose frigate programmes outlined in the White Paper ‘National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cmd 9161)’. It is too early to say how many jobs will be sustained by these programmes.

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what help and advice is available to Muslim students who wish to progress to higher education but for whom an interest-bearing student loan would be a violation of their religious principles, and where that help and advice can be accessed.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Government is aware that some students, whose religious beliefs may prevent the taking out of a loan that bears interest, may feel unable to take advantage of student loans. In April 2014 BIS conducted a consultation on an alternative finance product for undergraduate students. Upon review of consultation responses, the Government supported the introduction of a Takaful Alternative Finance product available to everyone. This work is ongoing and subject to Parliamentary approval, the Government hopes to introduce the system through new legislation.

    All students can access advice and guidance on the financial support available to them from Student Finance England on the link below:

    https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england

    “

  • Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings took place between May 2015 and January 2016 inclusive, in which ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport discussed the future of Channel 4.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Details of Ministerial meetings, and Permanent Secretary meetings, with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website.

    Historic records of internal government meetings are not kept.

  • Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Wolf of Dulwich on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the London cycle superhighways (1) under construction, and (2) proposed and out for consultation, are being built on red routes.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The London cycle superhighways are a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). TfL have provided the following information:

    Cycle superhighway Route

    Status

    Total Length

    Length on Transport for London

    % on Transport for London

    (miles)

    Road Network (“red routes”) (miles)

    Road Network (“red routes”)

    CS5i

    Complete

    0.87

    0.87

    100%

    CS1

    Under Construction

    6.84

    0.50

    7%

    CS2U

    Under Construction

    2.86

    2.86

    100%

    CSNS Phase 1

    Under Construction

    1.62

    1.49

    92%

    CSEW Phase 1

    Under Construction

    7.02

    2.55

    36%

    CSNS Phase 2

    Consultation

    1.68

    0.56

    33%

    CSEW Phase 2

    Consultation

    4.53

    4.04

    89%

    CS11 Phase 1

    Consultation

    4.47

    0.37

    8%

    Total

    N/A

    29.89

    13.24

    44%
  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

    Karen Bradley

    Performance data for the Disclosure and Barring Service for March 2016 indicates that average processing time for DBS applications was 14.8 days. Certificates dispatched to applicants by the DBS in March 2016 involving (a) Cleveland Police and (b) the Metropolitan Police Service took an average of (a) 24 days and (b) 122 days.

    Protecting the public is a priority for this Government and it is important that checks undertaken are thorough; a proportion of the applications received by the DBS must be referred to one or more police forces as part of the enhanced disclosure process. In the vast majority of cases these checks are completed within target. The DBS is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of visits to hospital Accident and Emergency departments during 2015 resulted in admission to hospital.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In 2015 there were 22,434,007 attendances at accident and emergency departments in England. For 18.2% of these attendances, the patient was admitted as an emergency.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to introduce a government-run website for the purpose of advertising teacher vacancies so as to reduce the cost for schools of advertising such vacancies.

    Nick Gibb

    In the March 2016 white paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, the Department announced the following intention: “To reduce costs of recruitment for schools in a more challenging labour market, we will create simple web tools to enable schools to advertise vacancies more easily and a new, free national teacher vacancy website so that aspiring and current teachers can find posts quickly and easily – transforming the current system and reducing the burden on schools when budgets are tight”.

    Following the white paper publication, the Department has begun to deliver this in the way that meets the needs of schools and teachers and offers best value for money for the taxpayer.