Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with her Cabinet colleagues on the effect on tourism of an expansion of Heathrow Airport.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government has accepted the case for airport expansion in the South East and the Airports’ Commission’s shortlisted options. Transport and connectivity are key issues within the tourism sector, as highlighted in the Prime Minister’s new Tourism Action Plan. The Department will be ensuring that tourism is one of the factors considered, when a final decision is taken on a preferred scheme.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people work on High Speed 2 in (a) his Department and (b) HS2 Ltd; and what the (i) grade, (ii) salary and (iii) location is of each such person.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    With regards to part (a), (i) and (ii) of the question, the High Speed Rail headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) currently in post in the Department is shown in the attached table 1. The salaries shown are average DfT Central salaries. All staff are located in Great Minister House in London.

    With regards to part (b), (i), (ii) and (iii) of the question, the HS2 Ltd headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) currently in post is shown in the attached table 2. Table 2 also shows the split between staff based in London and in Birmingham, with salaries at each grade shown as averages.

  • Catherine West – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine West – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether apprentices are required to achieve a Level 2 Qualification including mathematics and English in order to be entered for an Advanced Level apprenticeship and for those entries to be in accordance with Trailblazer apprenticeships standards.

    Nick Boles

    In order to maximise accessibility, there are no centrally set entry requirements to start an apprenticeship. However, as apprenticeships are jobs with training, individual employers may set their own entry requirements for a specific apprenticeship.

    The government does set requirements relating to training and achievement in English and maths during apprenticeships. This is because English and maths are fundamental to career progression and access to further learning.

    All apprenticeship frameworks must comply with the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE). Under SASE, English and maths qualifications are a mandatory component of all Intermediate and Advanced apprenticeships. However, all adult apprentices are assessed for prior learning, and people who start an apprenticeship with current English and maths qualifications at the right level need not repeat these.

    We are reforming apprenticeships to ensure that they are based on standards designed by employers.The government sets minimum requirements for apprenticeship standards, though employers are able to go further in the standards they design. They are able to specify a higher level of English and/or maths achievement or to specify a particular qualification or qualifications where this is needed for a particular occupation or sector. . The minimum requirements are – passing level 1 English and maths and taking the test for level 2 before taking the end-point assessment for an intermediate apprenticeship; and passing level 2 English and maths before taking the end-point assessment for an advanced or higher apprenticeship.

  • Gary Streeter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gary Streeter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle extremism in British young people.

    Karen Bradley

    Extremism poses a serious threat to this country including our young people. The Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy aims to tackle extremism in all its forms and takes action in four areas:

    • Countering extremist ideology;

    • Building a partnership with all those opposed to extremism;

    • Disrupting extremists; and

    • Building more cohesive communities

    We have a responsibility to protect our young people from extremist views and build a safe environment priotising the safeguarding of children. That is why our local networks work with schools to help children know how to identify extremist narratives online [P.15 Strategy Q&A pack].

    We also have a responsibility to protect our young people from extremist views in school. That is why since 1 July 2015 all schools have been required to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. To widen the protection of school children further we are consulting on a new system for registering and inspecting supplementary schools, to protect children and young people from harm, including exposure to extremist views. We have also launched ‘Educate Against Hate’, a new resource to provide parents and teachers with practical advice on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were victims of online fraud in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in each year since 2010.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of victims of online frauds committed annually.

    The Office for National Statistics recently published a provisional estimate of 5.1 million fraud offences a year in England and Wales, based on trial data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. This did not include details of how many fraud offences were online or on the number of victims of online fraud.

    The ONS also published the number of frauds referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) in the year to September 2015 – 604,601. It is not possible to establish how many of these were online.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received from local authorities on tackling stone theft.

    Karen Bradley

    Stone theft has a detrimental effect on towns and communities across England and Wales. The impact of these crimes includes both the economic cost to the victim, but there are also wider costs to the community, for example where schools, churches or heritage items are targeted by criminals.

    We have received no recent representations from local authorities on this issue, nor have we had recent discussions with the police on stone theft specifically. However, the police are working with Historic England, the Crown Prosecution Service and others to share intelligence and shape good practice in tackling and preventing heritage crime, such as stone theft.

    We would encourage all victims of stone theft, whether individuals or organisations, to report instances of these crimes to their local police, so that the crimes can be properly recorded and investigated. The local response is a matter for individual chief officers of police and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local issues and demands that they face.

    We are satisfied that the existing legislation provides the police and courts with sufficient powers to respond to stone theft.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department takes to assess the risk of re-offending of offenders with learning disabilities before they are moved from in-patient care to care in the community.

    Andrew Selous

    When considering whether to discharge offenders detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 from hospital, the Secretary of State or the First-Tier Tribunal (Mental Health) must decide whether the detention criteria in the Act continue to be met. These are whether the person is suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree that warrants detention in hospital for treatment; or it is necessary for the health and safety of the patient or for the protection of others that he or she should receive such treatment; or the appropriate medical treatment is available. Decisions are based on advice provided by clinicians. The risk of re-offending by all patients, including those with learning disabilities, may inform their treatment programmes in hospital – for example, tackling drug addiction or reducing violence. The Secretary of State or the Tribunal will also take such risks into account for the purposes of determining the conditions for discharge into the community. Any learning disabilities may also be reflected in the level of care and support that offenders may be offered once they are in the community.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Nottingham Emergency Medical Services and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust will receive further funding from the Government to provide any extra services in Ashfield and Mansfield required as a result of Central Nottinghamshire Clinical Services no longer providing such services.

    Ben Gummer

    This is a matter for local National Health Service commissioners.

    NHS England advises that Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group’s contract with the caretaker providers has been established on the same basis as the previous contract with Central Nottinghamshire Clinical Services.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on supporting disabled people through (a) the work programme and (b) work choice in (i) each year since 2010 and (ii) total since the introduction of those schemes; and what the total cost of support over the lifetime of the two programmes is estimated to be.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The figures represent the annual expenditure on Work Choice provision from 2010-11 to 2015-16 and estimated spend from 2016/17 to the end of the programme, based on the existing contracts.

    It should be noted that with effect from 2015/16, Work Choice provision also includes costs for the Remploy contract. It is not possible to provide information for the amount spent on supporting disabled people through the work programme as this cannot be separately identified.

    2010-11 £32m

    2011-12 £79m

    2012-13 £83m

    2013-14 £86m

    2014-15 £88m

    2015-16 £124m

    Total to 2015/16: £492m.

    The total over the life of the Work Choice programme is currently estimated to be £645m.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the decline in defence exports.

    Dr Liam Fox

    Defence export figures fluctuate on a year to year basis given the long term nature of defence acquisition. In the context of an increasingly competitive global market, the UK’s defence exports were £7.7 billion in 2015. Based on past performance, over a five year period, the figures demonstrate that the sector’s core business is strong.