The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-12-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual value of tourism to the UK economy.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Office for National Statistics has estimated that tourism was worth £59.6 billion Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure greater collaboration between businesses and education to promote skills for potential future careers.
Nick Boles
We are strengthening business influence in schools, further education, the skills system, higher education and in giving young people a broad experience of the careers options open to them. Our education reforms are ensuring that young people leave school or college with everything they need to get on and succeed in life. The new Careers and Enterprise Company aims to help schools and colleges in England to prepare young people aged 12 to 18 for the world of work, and increase the level of employer engagement in schools and colleges across England.
In further education we have given employer-led Local Enterprise Partnerships significant local influence over the skills system. National Colleges are being established by employer-led partnerships to design and deliver specific higher level training, and we are working in direct partnership with employers in reforming technical and professional education to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century economy. In trailblazer apprenticeships, employers develop the standards themselves.
In higher education, the government fully supports and actively encourages collaboration between universities and business. Partnership is needed to ensure graduate skills and employability meet the needs of business, to maximise the university sector’s capabilities in business-led research and innovation, and to realise the benefits of a strong role for Higher Education Institutions in the development of their local economies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of eyewitness accounts of starvation from across Syria; what action they have taken following that assessment; and in particular whether they will discuss with the government of Russia the provision of supplies by land and by air.
Baroness Verma
No one who has seen the images coming out of Madaya and other besieged towns can say this situation is anything other than utterly appalling. Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. It is unacceptable and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war. We are deeply concerned about the 4.6 million people who live in hard to reach areas, including almost 486,700 who live under siege conditions.
We have given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. On 11 January, the UN, Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed aid convoys had arrived in the hard to reach towns of Madaya, Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys have since arrived. These convoys are expected to enable 40,000 people inside Madaya, and 20,000 people inside Foah and Kefraya, to survive. UK funding to UN agencies directly supported these convoys with food parcels and medicine.
However, humanitarian access to those in need continues to shrink. In the past year, only 10% of all requests submitted by the UN to the regime to access besieged and hard-to-reach areas have been approved and delivered. That’s why it is vital we keep up the pressure on the regime and other conflict parties to let aid convoys in and to provide sustained, permanent and safe humanitarian access. Russia, in particular, has a special obligation to confront and condemn the atrocities being carried out against Syrian civilians.
When it comes to helping Syrians in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, we do not rule anything out but, right now, air drops are not a viable way of getting help to those in need. Use of air drops to deliver aid is high risk and should only be considered as a last resort when all other means have failed, and it is an effective way of getting humanitarian supplies to people. Critically, the UN is not currently calling for their use.
We are aware of reports of Russian airdrops into Deir Ez Zour. We are working to verify these claims and understand the nature and impact of any such airdrops, including the extent to which they may be effectively addressing needs. Unlike Madaya, Deir Ez Zour city is under regime control and is surrounded by Daesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Clifton on 2016-02-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the average speeds of traffic flows recorded in central London for the years 2008 to 2015 inclusive.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The average speeds are as set out in the table below. This information is based on material published on the Transport for London website.
Average traffic speeds (miles per hour) by functional sector of London. Working weekdays, by time period. TfL’s ‘network of interest’.
|
Area and time period |
2007 speed (mph) |
2008 speed (mph) |
2009 speed (mph) |
2010 speed (mph) |
2011 speed (mph) |
2012 speed (mph) |
2013 speed (mph) |
2014 speed (mph) |
2015 speed (mph) first 6 months only |
|
Central am peak |
9.4 |
9.1 |
9.4 |
9.4 |
9.3 |
9.3 |
9.4 |
8.9 |
8.3 |
|
Central inter-peak |
8.5 |
8.3 |
8.8 |
8.7 |
8.5 |
8.5 |
8.5 |
8.1 |
7.3 |
|
Central pm peak |
9 |
8.9 |
8.9 |
8.7 |
8.6 |
8.8 |
8.6 |
8.3 |
7.8 |
|
Inner am peak |
12.6 |
12.4 |
12.9 |
12.7 |
12.7 |
12.6 |
12.4 |
11.9 |
11.1 |
|
Inner inter-peak |
13.1 |
13 |
13.3 |
13.4 |
13.3 |
13.2 |
13.2 |
12.8 |
12.2 |
|
Inner PM peak |
11.4 |
11.4 |
11.2 |
11.5 |
11.4 |
11.4 |
11.2 |
10.6 |
10.3 |
|
Outer am peak |
19.3 |
19.6 |
20.1 |
20 |
20.1 |
19.9 |
19.5 |
18.6 |
17.7 |
|
Outer inter-peak |
21.3 |
21.4 |
21.4 |
21.6 |
21.6 |
21.7 |
21.8 |
21.1 |
21 |
|
Outer pm peak |
18.3 |
18.6 |
18.3 |
18.5 |
18.5 |
18.5 |
18.1 |
17.1 |
16.9 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability living allowance claimants he expects to transfer to personal independence payment in each year to 2020.
Justin Tomlinson
We are rolling out Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to existing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants in a controlled way. We will continue to monitor performance and will carefully control the number of people we choose to invite to claim PIP each month.
The forecast estimates for the numbers of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance we currently expect to be awarded PIP, in each year to 2020, are in the table below and may be subject to change:
|
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
|
450,000 |
550,000 |
350,000 |
50,000 |
Notes:
Data rounded to the nearest 50,000
Includes both adults and children reaching age 16
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will continue to pay for training to enable apprentices to achieve Level 2 or GCSEs in English and mathematics, as required, once the Apprenticeship Levy has been introduced.
Nick Boles
Apprentices have to meet a minimum standard in both English and maths up to Level 2. There are specific qualifications they must achieve. If an apprentice does not already have these, they may need to do an English or maths course. We will pay providers directly, for the Level 1 and 2 English and maths training they provide to apprentices.
Further information on the amount that will be paid for English and maths training for apprentices who require it, will be published provisionally in June 2016 and confirmed in October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has demonstrated the capability of Certified Predator B for the duration of the Protector programme.
Mr Philip Dunne
Following an extensive Assessment Phase, the Department has concluded that the GA-ASI Certified Predator B is the only platform capable of meeting the Protector Programme’s Key User Requirements. Certified Predator B is a modification of the highly successful Predator B platform which incorporates a number of safety and capability enhancements.
The Demonstration Phase of the Programme, which will follow approval of the Programme’s Main Gate Business Case, will subject Certified Predator B to a comprehensive Test and Evaluation Plan to demonstrate the system’s ability to meet the Department’s requirements for the capability through its expected in-service life.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on advertising the attendance allowance scheme in 2015-16.
Penny Mordaunt
2015/16 advertising costs for the Attendance Allowance scheme are not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to take advantage of new technologies such as activity and exercise tracking to improve childrens’ fitness and physical literacy in schools.
Edward Timpson
We want all pupils to be healthy and active, and have given schools the freedom to deliver a diverse and challenging PE curriculum that best suits the needs of their pupils.
PE is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The programme of study sets the expectation that schools should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way that supports their health and fitness. Through the primary PE and sport premium, primary schools have already received over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. In an independent evaluation, 84% of schools reported an increase in pupil engagement in PE during curricular time and in the levels of participation in extra-curricular activities.
Schools can decide how best to use this funding, and may elect to bring in additional resources and technologies if they feel this would provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. The Government has committed to doubling the funding to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy.
In the new Sport Strategy, the Government has committed to support children and young people to develop the confidence and skills to take part and to be positive about sport and activity. As part of this work, we will be exploring how to further increase physical literacy standards in primary schools and considering how we can track levels of physical activity to help support children to have healthy and active lives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of primary schools signed up to (a) Centre for Education and Monitoring, Durham University, (b) Early Excellence, (c) GL Assessment, (d) Hodder Education, (e) National Foundation for Educational Research and (f) Speech Link as baseline assessment providers by 30 April 2015; and which schemes were subsequently approved by her Department.
Nick Gibb
A full break down of suppliers which were removed from the approved list has not been provided because of potential commercial sensitivities for the suppliers.