Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service; and if she will make a statement.

    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 was the average number of people who visited a hospital Accident and Emergency department in the UK on (1) a weekday, or (2) a Saturday or Sunday, in 2015.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In 2014-15, there were an average of 52,883 attendances at accident and emergency per day on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and of 52,426 attendances per day at the weekend (Saturdays and Sundays).

  • 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, in which secondary school subjects her Department has been unable to recruit enough trainee teachers to fill the number of training places allocated in each of the last five years for which data is available.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department’s teacher recruitment targets for each academic year are calculated on an annual basis and take into account changes in the overall workforce from the previous year and wider economic changes that impact on retention and recruitment. Therefore the absolute targets change each year.

    The statistics at the following link show new entrants to initial teacher training (ITT) as a proportion of the targets, for each subject, for academic years 2011/12 to 2015/16. Proportions above 100 per cent represent an over recruitment and proportions below 100 per cent represent a shortfall in recruitment against the target in the year in question.

    The relevant statistics are available in Table 1c of the ‘Initial Teacher Training: trainee number census 2015 to 2016’, available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2015-to-2016

    Equivalent statistics for academic year 2016/17 are due to be published in November.

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  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding Sport England provided for the development of shooting huts within the North York Moors National Park Authority in each year since 2010-11.

    Tracey Crouch

    Sport England has provided no funding for the development of shooting huts within the North York Moors National Park Authority.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what budget was allocated to the Flexible Support Fund in the most recent financial year for which data is available; and how much of that budget remained unspent.

    Priti Patel

    The budget allocated for Flexible Support Fund in 14/15 was £136m [excluding the support contract which was a further £20m]. Spend was £72m, leaving an underspend of £64m

  • Charles Walker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Charles Walker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Environment Agency (EA) the proposal by angling bodies of marking the centenary of the birth of the angler Richard Walker with a portrait of Clarissa the Carp on the 2018 EA fishing licence; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Defra has discussed the marking of the centenary of the birth of the angler Richard Walker with a portrait of Clarissa the Carp on the 2018 rod fishing licence with the EA. The EA is happy to consider this option, along with other design proposals. They will be pleased to support celebrations of Richard Walker’s achievements, where they can. I have asked the EA to keep me updated.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions were held during the recent visit to the UK by the Indian Prime Minister on Kashmir.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the hon. member to my answer of 23 November 2015 (PQ No 16855).

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support an independent inquiry into alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the UN Human Rights Council.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. It is for the Government of Yemen to decide how its domestic human rights monitoring mechanism should work and the UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights.

    The UK has also encouraged members of the Saudi-led coalition to investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

    Nick Gibb

    All of the special advisers support the Secretary of State and Ministerial team across the full range of departmental business, reflecting the role description set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/code_of_conduct_for_special_advisers_-_15_october_2015_final.pdf

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  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they received on the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises’ productivity levels following the withdrawal of HM Revenue and Custom’s valuation check service.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    No impact on the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises is anticipated. HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation service for those share schemes most relevant to these enterprises.

    These include:

    • Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI),

    • Company Share Option Plans (CSOP),

    • Save As You Earn share option schemes (SAYE),

    • Share Incentive Plans (SIP) and

    • Employee Shareholder Status (ESS).

      HMRC has however announced a review of the valuation services for those schemes and is consulting interested parties.

      HMRC has withdrawn valuation checks for income tax and PAYE that are not part of these recognised employee ownership schemes. Most people submitted acceptable valuations and therefore the valuation service offered was not seen as needed.