The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Beckett on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the number of care proceedings involving children and families from countries in Eastern Europe in the latest period for which figures are available.
Caroline Dinenage
Information is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice about the nationality (or ethnicity) of the children and families involved in family court proceedings in England and Wales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to the public purse was of a work capability assessment case that ended in appeal from the beginning of the assessment process to the outcome and implementation of the appeal in each of the last three years.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department provided in bus subsidies to each local authority in England in each year since 2010.
Andrew Jones
The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, since 2014, my Department has also provided around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities each year to help deliver bus services.
Details of BSOG grant allocations for previous years are published in tables on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Bus+Service+Operators+Grant
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-05-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what enforcement action local weights and measures authorities in Great Britain have undertaken under Chapter 15 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 since it came into force on 27 May 2015.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This information is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-07-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what impact the fixed one per cent pay increase has had on (1) retention, and (2) recruitment, in the (a) Army, (b) Navy, and (c) Royal Air Force.
Earl Howe
The Government greatly values the important work of the Armed Forces. The independent Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) annually reviews Armed Forces’ pay to ensure that it remains comparable and adequate to recruit, retain and motivate personnel. Having considered all the evidence presented to them during the last pay round, the AFPRB recommended that a one per cent increase in base pay across the board was appropriate; a recommendation which the Government accepted in full. In addition to the one per cent pay rise, Service personnel have benefited from the introduction of a new pay structure in April 2016. As well as retaining incremental pay scales, ‘Pay 16’ seeks to rebalance pay to better reward our most highly skilled personnel while addressing many of the concerns Service personnel had raised regarding the previous pay structure.
Pay restraint was one of the many difficult decisions the Government had to make to put the UK’s public finances back on track. However, the overall remuneration package remains competitive with a non-contributory pension scheme, subsidised accommodation and access to free medical and dental care.
Research suggests that individuals joining the Armed Forces rate factors such as training, qualifications and promotion more highly than pay. For example, the 2014-15 Recruit Trainee Survey reports that the top four most important factors influencing recruits’ decisions to join the Armed Forces were: challenge and adventure (93 per cent); keeping fit (93 per cent); gaining skills and qualifications and the appeal of the lifestyle. Similar findings are found in research regarding Service personnel’s intentions to stay in the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey 2016 reports that the top five factors increasing Service personnel’s intention to stay in the Armed Forces are: job security; dental and healthcare provision; pension; and mental health provision.
The Services closely monitor recruitment and outflow. They have introduced a wide range of initiatives to increase recruitment numbers, which include targeted marketing, specific recruitment events, and improvements in the recruitment process. Instances of high outflow are mitigated through a variety of management actions which include extensions of Service, financial retention initiatives and inter-Service transfers. However, it should be recognised that some churn in strength, particularly in the lower ranks, is welcome and helps to refresh the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to make extension of the 1966 UK-US Agreement on the British Indian Ocean Territory conditional on a commitment by both parties to support and facilitate resettlement of the Chagossians.
Sir Alan Duncan
The US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until end December 2036. The Government welcomes the US presence on Diego Garcia and we continue to discuss with the US Government their continued presence beyond 2016. We have consulted a range of stakeholders, including the US, as we work towards a decision on resettlement of BIOT. The Government is examining its policy closely and will announce developments to Parliament and the public in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy the NHS has about protecting the mental health of its workforce.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England’s recent announcement "A healthy NHS workforce", aims to raise staff awareness and understanding of mental health issues and ensure staff have access to help, support and treatment when they need it.
“A healthy NHS workforce” includes, for example, line manager training and, providing NHS staff rapid access to talking therapies. This is currently being tested as part of the Healthy Workforce programme led by NHS England.
NHS Employers is working with NHS England and Public Health England on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing. They offer extensive information and tools for managers to support their employees who are demonstrating signs of mental health problems, or returning to work following periods of sickness absence.
These resources, which are only available online, can be found at the following link:
www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problems
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support he has made available to enable people with learning disabilities to serve on juries in the last five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Jury service is one of the most important civic duties that anyone can be asked to perform. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is committed to ensuring that the public are provided with the necessary support to fulfil this duty where possible.
Jurors are asked in advance to let HMCTS know if they have any special requirements as a result of disability or other special needs. Where courts are informed about a potential juror’s particular needs, HMCTS will make adjustments that can reasonably be made to enable them to carry out their jury service.
HMCTS does not retain records of such requests and is unable to provide data of such instances in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will assess the potential merits of enabling or compelling local authorities to use housing and council tax benefit data to (a) identify children who are eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium and (b) enable parents and guardians of those children to claim free school meals for their children.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We want to ensure that as many children as possible who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) receive them. We have made it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to check eligibility. We are aware that a number of local authorities have been successful in using housing benefit and council tax support claim data to identify children who may be eligible for, but are not currently claiming, FSM.
We are looking in more detail at the approaches that schools and local authorities have taken so far and we will set out the Government’s position on this issue shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time of cases in employment tribunals was in each of the last five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The average length of time of cases in the Employment Tribunal can be located at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.
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