The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on bringing forward proposals for a modern public services ombudsman in the last three months.
John Penrose
The Government is making good progress and will publish draft legislation in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her plans are to tackle trends in stress-related illnesses among police officers in Lancashire.
Brandon Lewis
The Government recognises that policing can be a challenging job and it is the responsibility of chief officers – supported by the College of Policing – to ensure the welfare of all officers and staff. We welcome the work in forces, led nationally by Lancashire’s Deputy Chief Constable – to promote officer health and wellbeing. It is encouraging to see that all forces have signed up to the Workplace Wellbeing Charter.
As part of a commitment to police welfare in October 2014 the Government allocated £10m to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support for those who need it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in regard to those Clinical Commissioning Groups which plan to cut the proportion of their budget spent on mental health services for 2016–17.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England has set a clear requirement of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that spending on mental health should increase year-on-year by an amount at least as great as the growth in their baseline allocations. CCGs are required through the NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2017-2019 to increase their baseline spend on mental health. A copy of this guidance is attached. From this year, NHS England’s budget and financial reporting will be aligned to specific mental health priorities, increasing transparency and allowing additional resources to be tracked at CCG level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to (a) support the Safe Schools Declaration which arose from the Oslo conference on safe schools in May 2015 and (b) implement the Guidelines on Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
Mr Philip Hammond
The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during Armed Conflict. While we support the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with other countries such as Australia, Canada and France, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles to help the UK meet the 2050 carbon budget.
Andrew Jones
This Government is committed to the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles, recognizing the economic and environmental benefits this will bring. We believe that both hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles together with battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will play an important part in the ongoing decarbonisation of our road transport.
The Government’s vision, as set out in the Carbon Plan is that by 2050 almost every car and van on the road will be an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV). We announced at the Spending Review that we will spend more than £600 million between 2015-16 and 2020-21 to support uptake and manufacturing of ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK, maintaining the global leadership that has seen 1 in 4 of all European electric vehicles built here and keep the UK on track for all new cars to be effectively zero emission by 2040. This investment will save 65million tonnes of carbon and help deliver the long term answer on urban air quality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons.
Mike Penning
There is an urgent need to step up efforts to stop guns getting into the hands of criminals and extremists. The Government works closely with other EU Member States and the Commission in taking forward this important work. Discussion on the EU Firearms Directive (which sets tighter controls on owning and trading firearms) which would prohibit the private ownership of high-powered semi automatic weapons, is underway.
At the recent G6 meeting, the Home Secretary welcomed the action of her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons and agreement on improved deactivation standards. She also raised the need for more to be done particularly on the threat from Acoustic Expansion Weapons (AEWs) and trafficking routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers who were trained through the Troops to Teachers scheme are employed in state-funded schools.
Nick Gibb
As the Troops to Teachers programme is an employment-based Initial Teacher Training route, all trainees are employed in state-funded schools throughout their training. The first cohort of trainees completed the training programme in December 2015. 28 of the 29 trainees who completed the programme achieved Qualified Teacher Status with the remaining individual working towards it. A further two trainees plan to re-join their training in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.
Karen Bradley
The Home Department procures consultancy as a service against deliverables and outputs and not in terms of individuals. The Home Department has not terminated any consultancy service engagements early in any of the last six years and therefore has not incurred any such costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to promote cycling to work.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We support the Cycle to Work scheme which allows employers to loan bicycle and bicycle safety equipment to employees free of any income tax liability. The Department has produced guidelines to encourage employers to take advantage of this exemption so that employees can loan affordable equipment enabling them to cycle to work.
The Department also helps people to cycle to work, for instance, by providing funding to local authorities through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and Cycle Ambition Cities fund which can be used to improve local cycling provisions, provide safer cycle routes and increase cycle parking facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-06-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has visited Scotland in an official capacity since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings were held on each such visit.
Harriett Baldwin
Treasury Ministers regularly visit all parts of the United Kingdom as part of their official duties.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
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