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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Turkish government on the arrest of academics (a) in general and (b) at the Kocaeli University in north-western Turkey.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    I was concerned to hear reports of academics being arrested for expressing their views on the conflict in southeast Turkey. This included 15 academics from Kocaeli University who have subsequently been released. Our Ambassador in Turkey released a public statement on the issue, expressing concern. We regularly underline the importance of Fundamental Freedoms, including freedom of expression as part of our dialogue with the Turkish government. Freedom of expression and public debate must be respected without fear of intimidation.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department and non-departmental public bodies receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

    Mark Lancaster

    Information on non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to provide the following information for core Ministry of Defence Civil Servants.

    Home to work travel allowance has been interpreted as Excess Fares Allowance. This is paid to staff who move from one establishment to another on the Department’s instruction. It is normally paid for a maximum period of four years and compensates the officer for additional travel costs they have incurred as a result of the move. The number in receipt of regular Excess Fares Allowance is 1,390.

    Car allowance and subsidised health insurance are not routinely paid. There are, however, four officers in receipt of car allowance and 14 officers in receipt of subsidised health insurance as they retained their terms and conditions following an inward transfer from the private sector under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of her Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

    Andrea Leadsom

    a) 99% of DECC’s Senior Civil Servants are based in London.

    b) 99% of DECC’s core policy civil servants are based in London.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the publication of the Home Office Guidance on the use of Human Materials in Animals Advice Note 01/16, what the process will be for receiving comments from the public on applications to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a licence to carry out research using human admixed embryos before a decision on awarding such licences is made.

    Jane Ellison

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Home Office guidance on the use of Human Materials in Animals was published in January 2016. The guidance provides information on the steps necessary to obtain a research licence from the HFEA. There is no requirement in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, for the HFEA to seek the views of the public when considering applications for a research licence. Currently, the HFEA does not invite comments from the public on applications for a research licence. This will be reviewed in the 2016/17 business year.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what impact assessment was conducted to identify the consequences of not including arts in the English Baccalaureate.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government’s ambition is that at least 90% of pupils in mainstream secondary schools will enter GCSEs in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects of English, maths, science, history or geography, and a language.

    The EBacc has been designed to be limited in size to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for other subjects. On average, pupils in state-funded schools enter nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than ten for more able pupils.[1] For many pupils, taking the EBacc will mean taking seven GCSEs; and for those taking triple science, it will mean taking eight. This means that there will continue to be room to study other subjects, including arts subjects. A good foundation in the EBacc subjects helps to keep options open for work and further study.

    Since the EBacc was first introduced the proportion of pupils in state-funded schools taking at least one GCSE in an arts subject has increased, rising from 46 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2015.

    On 3 November 2015 the Secretary of State for Education launched a public consultation seeking views on the government’s proposals for the implementation of the English Baccalaureate.[2] The consultation closed on 29 January 2016 and the government’s response will be published in due course.

    [1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&geographic=all&region=0&phase=secondary&for=Key%20stage%204%20performance&basedon=Exam%20entries&show=All%20pupils&&schoolTypeFilter=allSchools

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-english-baccalaureate

    “

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times staff of his Department and Transport for London met to further their joint work on better integrating the specification of rail passenger services across London and the South East since those proposals were announced on 21 January 2016.

    Claire Perry

    Staff of my department have been meeting with TfL staff several times a month to discuss the next steps on the Prospectus following its publication on 21st January. Most of this was to follow-up aspects of the Prospectus, including the stakeholder briefing for local authorities that the Department and TfL jointly organised in March, but some of these meetings have been about to consider options for the transfer of inner suburban services at franchise end dates.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the practice of breast ironing.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    This Government is clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering so-called ‘honour-based’ violence (HBV) in all its forms, including ‘breast ironing’. No one should suffer because of who they are or which community they are born into.

    As set out in the Government’s new Violence against Women and Girls Strategy, we will continue to challenge the cultural attitudes that may underpin harmful practices, and ensure that professionals have the confidence to confront these issues to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

    Figures on ‘breast ironing’ are not collated centrally. Where ‘breast ironing’ is practised on girls it is child abuse and a crime, and should be treated as such by all frontline professionals. Statutory guidance for local authorities and others on how to safeguard children can be found in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/419595/Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children.pdf

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons do not accommodate workshops.

    Andrew Selous

    We want to see more prisoners working productively for longer numbers of hours. We also want to attract more employers who offer both work in prison but also guaranteed interviews and employment opportunities on release. That is why we want to reform the prison estate, building nine new prisons with better facilities for training and rehabilitation.

    All prisons provide opportunities for offenders to work and learn new skills which can help them find a job on release and support their rehabilitation. We work continuously with employers nationally and locally to create new opportunities in line with our code of practice.

    NOMS uses a specific definition of ‘workshop’ which is only used for commercial and industrial scale work and specific work activities. [1] Currently, there are 10 prisons which are not planning to offer this type of work this year [2], however other learning, vocational training and work opportunities will still be available in these establishments.

    Work in prisons continues to grow steadily, up from 10.6 million working hours in 10/11 to 14.9 million working hours in the year 14/15.

    [1] Including Enterprise/Contract Services, Engineering, Aluminium, Laundry, Newgate Furniture, Concrete, Plastics, Textiles, Woodwork, Food Packing, Commercial Land Based Activities, Braille, Charity, Printing, Data Entry, Signs, Desk Top Publishing, Retail, External Recycling and other workshops.

    [2] Excludes four establishments the Youth Justice Board (YJB) commission from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS)

  • Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the pay bands are for special advisers; and how many there are in each band, in each Department.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information about the number, pay bands, and cost of special advisers will be published shortly in the normal way.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the announcement of 19 January 2016 of the launch of the £10 million Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, how much of the additional funding in that area will come from the budget of (a) his Department and (b) the Department for International Development.

    Mr David Lidington

    All funding for the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy will come from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s budget.