Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    “

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many area reviews of further education there are which (a) have been completed, (b) are scheduled but have not yet begun, (c) are currently underway and (d) are currently underway and have met at least four times.

    Nick Boles

    The first wave of area reviews began between September and November 2015.

    No area reviews have yet been completed. Each review will take approximately three to four months to complete, taking local needs into account. We expect all reviews to be completed by March 2017.

    The second wave of area reviews is due to begin in 2016. We have recently published details of the second wave, along with indicative information on later stages. Reviews covering Greater London are yet to be confirmed and will be announced shortly. We expect there to be around 40 reviews in total.

    There are seven first wave area reviews currently underway. These are in Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, Sussex, Solent, and West Yorkshire. None of the first seven area reviews have met four times.

  • Robert Jenrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Robert Jenrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of changes in the cash level of per pupil funding for secondary schools in the county of Nottinghamshire in each of the next five years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have announced the per pupil funding rates for 2016-17. Nottinghamshire will receive £4,355 per pupil in 2016-17. We have protected these rates against 2015-16 levels, so that Nottinghamshire will continue to receive the additional £860,000 it received in 2015-16. Whilst the Department sets the level of funding received by each local authority, it is for local authorities, in consultation with their schools forum, to set their own funding formulae to decide how to distribute funding for pupils aged 5 to 16 in their areas, including the funding allocated to secondary schools.

    Beyond 2016-17, the Government is committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to make school funding fairer. We intend to introduce a National Funding Formula for schools, high needs and early years. We will set out, and consult on, our detailed plans for a National Funding Formula later in the year.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employees are employed at the Sheffield office of the (a) Skills Funding Agency and (b) the Insolvency Service.

    Joseph Johnson

    As at 31st January 2016, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills have a) 13 employees in the Skills Funding Agency and b) Nil employees in the Insolvency Service based in its office in Sheffield.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS shares premises with other Government Departments – HMRC and DfE – that are responsible for the employment and payment of cleaning staff.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of age discrimination legislation in respect of people seeking employment.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Age is a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. Where differential treatment because of age cannot be objectively justified, this will constitute unlawful age discrimination both in employment and in the provision of goods and services. Enforcement of the Act’s employment provisions is undertaken by Employment Tribunals, to which a person must make a claim if they feel that they have been discriminated against because of age.

    Prior to an Employment Tribunal claim, conciliation services are provided by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services (Acas). According to the Employment tribunal statistics, 1,087 age discrimination claims were made to Employment Tribunals in 2014/15. 70% (761) of these claims were either withdrawn or successfully conciliated by Acas without the need for a full hearing. The Acas process is intended to enable employers and employees to resolve disputes without the need for a full Employment Tribunal hearing.

    The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s enforcement powers under the Equality Act 2006 apply to age discrimination as they do to other protected characteristics.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question 32664 and the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 33678, and with reference to paragraph 2.113 of the report, The best of both worlds: the UK’s special status in a reformed EU, published in February 2016, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of child benefit payments paid to non-UK citizens in each financial year since 2010-11.

    Damian Hinds

    Around 7m people are receiving Child Benefit. To extract and collate the value of all payments made to EU migrants for children living outside the UK in the format requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has considered purchasing the AeroVironment Blackwing miniature tube-launched drone.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Representatives of the Department meet AeroVironment representatives on a regular basis to discuss current and potential future capabilities, and the Department is aware of the capabilities of the Blackwing Reconnaissance System. However, the Department has no capability requirement to procure an underwater launched Unmanned Aerial System at this stage, and, as such, there have not been any formal discussions with AeroVironment on a possible procurement of Blackwing.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will recommend mechanical thrombectomy for topic selection into the NICE technology appraisal programme.

    Nicola Blackwood

    There are no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop technology appraisal guidance on mechanical thrombectomy.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of funding for decentralised renewable energy to improve access to electricity for the world’s poorest people.

    James Wharton

    The UK Government is already playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries through decentralised renewable energy. DFID’s energy work is aligned with the new Global Goals, particularly Goal 7, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. DFID’s priorities for how we will achieve this include through flexible technical assistance, catalytic investments and engagement with international partners. DFID’s assistance looks across the energy spectrum and covers both on-grid as well as decentralised off-grid renewable energy.