The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jenny Chapman on 2014-02-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many places are available in mother and baby units in the custodial estate in England and Wales.
Simon Hughes
There is currently space for 64 mothers and 70 babies in mother and baby units in the custodial estate within England and Wales, which allows for multiple births.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on interpreters in 2011, 2012 and 2013; how much was spent on interpreting each language in those years; and how much was paid by defendants towards these costs.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that the Honourable Member has requested. Although we can not provide all the data on spend for the periods requested we can provide the annual spend for interpreters sourced through the Capita-TI Contract for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service as below:
|
Calendar Year |
2012 |
2013 |
|
Total |
£7,940,128.79 |
£15,537,821.29 |
Off Contract bookings made by HMCTS are outside of these spend figures. The number of bookings made off contract has substantially decreased since the start of 2012 with those bookings moving onto the Capita TI contract. This move from off contract to Capita TI is reflected in the changing year on year contract spend.
Spend for 2012 is based on an 11 month period as the contract did not go live until 30th January 2012. Expenditure has also increased in the second year of contract due to changes made to the contract in May 2013 and an estimated 20% increase on volume. £15m was saved in year one of the contract.
In this instance to provide the requested information on total annual spend and spend by language, would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £850.00 or 4 ½ working days.
In order to provide the information we would be required toobtain a number of large reports from electronic databases. The relevant data must then be manually extracted and collated. It would also require comparison against additional financial data before analysis. We estimate that this process for the spend data would take approximately 6 working days given the volume of data involved.
Defendants in criminal cases do not contribute towards the costs of interpreters that are provided by HMCTS. Charges for HMCTS provided interpreters in civil, family and tribunal cases are not passed directly to parties, although the costs may be recovered from court and tribunal fees in the jurisdictions where they apply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2013-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.
Brandon Lewis
Role of the Department
Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities across England, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country.
Improved procurement has reduced our average domestic hotel rate in the UK by 8% between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Moreover, domestic flights for longer journeys can avoid the need for paying for staff to stay in a hotel overnight.
Since 2011-12, the Department accepted responsibility for some new functions outside of London, including residual functions following the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions and then oversight of the European Regional Development Fund following the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. As these business functions relate to work in areas outside of London and to the European Commission, this has therefore increased our travel spend compared to the base of 2010-11. However, this is far more than offset by the very significant savings to taxpayers of the abolition of these regional bodies.
Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.
In addition to this, I note that the Regional Development Agencies were spending in the region of £246 million a year on administration (as cited in 11 March 2009, Official Report, Column 592W).
Spending data
The tables below list spending on travel by financial year. Figures for 2009-10 are from July 2009, as this is when the department’s current approved travel agent contract commenced; those figures are therefore only for three-quarters of the financial year, and the full year is likely to be proportionately higher.
|
Overseas Travel |
Overseas Accommodation |
Overseas Subsistence |
Total |
|
|
July 2009 – March 10 |
£408,621 |
£19,847 |
£79,574 |
£508,042 (part-year) |
|
2010-11 |
£56,304 |
£21,759 |
£27,798 |
£105,861 |
|
2011-12 |
£69,463 |
£21,204 |
£19,946 |
£110,613 |
|
2012-13 |
£78,474 |
£29,224 |
£21,911 |
£129,609 |
|
UK Travel |
UK Accommodation |
UK Subsistence |
Total |
|
|
July 2009 – March 10 |
£621,028 |
£309,260 |
£174,888 |
£1,105,176 (part-year) |
|
2010-11 |
£434,467 |
£199,563 |
£81,315 |
£715,345 |
|
2011-12 |
£980,307 |
£162,544 |
£71,913 |
£1,214,764 |
|
2012-13 |
£1,030,710 |
£166,149 |
£74,424 |
£1,271,283 |
Explanatory notes:
– Overseas subsistence costs can include accommodation, meals and travel tickets purchased locally.
– The costs of internal travel abroad are not routinely recorded in the form requested and this information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
– Data on cost per trip is not centrally held in the form requested.
– For car hire, the data from our finance systems do not separate out expenditure for domestic and international car hire and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
– For helicopter hire, our records show that the Department has incurred no expenditure on this since 2010-11.
– Figures contained in this answer may differ from previous answers to Parliamentary Questions, as the data extracts have been re-run and reflect ongoing accruals and data. Delays in billing or crediting transactions can sometimes have an effect on the spend data between the financial years.
Taken in the whole, we have reduced overall travel spending compared to the last Administration, and delivered substantive savings for taxpayers’ from the abolition of regional government in England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the skills gap in Cumbria.
Nick Boles
It is not for central government to assess local skills needs. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are working in collaboration with local authorities, colleges and providers in the area to jointly agree key local skill needs and develop a local skills offer that is responsive to local labour market conditions and contributes to improving our productivity.
Cumbria LEP and the Cumbria Employment and Skills Commission are currently refreshing the area skills strategy and this will be finalised in December 2015. It will include a review of the skills needs of the four key sectors denoted in the Cumbria Strategic Economic Plan: Nuclear and Energy; Advanced Manufacturing; Rural and Visitor Economy; and, Infrastructure Improvements. The Skills Commission has noted that the future skills needs of the nuclear sector and BAE Systems Submarine will create significant pressure for skilled labour, particularly in advanced manufacturing and engineering. This will create displacement challenges in other manufacturing businesses in the area.
In September the government announced a programme of area reviews, which will be locally led and will involve key stakeholders. They will be based on the best available evidence of skills requirements and establish a local post-16 education and training offer which is high quality and responsive to employer need. The reviews will support local involvement in the ongoing commissioning of provision, putting responsibility in the hands of people who are best placed to tailor provision to local economic needs. Cumbria will be included in the area review process, due to be completed by March 2017 and an announcement on the date for the review will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish the socio-economic status of entrants to the Senior Civil Service, Fast Stream and Fast Track Apprentice Scheme.
Matthew Hancock
To govern modern Britain, the Civil Service needs to look and sound likemodern Britain. We need access to the broadest possible pool of talent, drawing on peoplefrom all backgrounds and all parts of the country.
The Civil Service is implementing a number of initiatives to recruit individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds onto the Fast Stream and Fast Track Apprenticeship schemes, including internship programmes, schools and colleges mentoring and discovery days, work experience programmes and engagement with universities with a high representation of lower socio-economic students.
Information on the socio-economic status of recent appointees to the SCS was published in 2014,and the socio-economic status of Fast-Stream applicants has been published since 2011.
In 2015 16.8% of new joiners to the Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme were from lower socio-economic backgrounds, up from 8.5% in 2013/14. From 2015 this data will be published as part of the Fast Stream applicants publication.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Housing Bill on the supply of affordable housing for rent in each of the next five years; and if he will publish the data on which that assessment is based.
Brandon Lewis
The Government will continue to assess the impacts of the Housing and Planning Bill as it progresses through Parliament. We will publish our assessments on Parliament’s website at:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/housingandplanning/documents.html.
These will be updated as further assessments are undertaken.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what instructions have been issued to medical or other staff in any of the armed forces regarding the consumption of alcohol while Mefloquine is being taken as medication.
Mark Lancaster
Neither the Patient Information Leaflet for mefloquine issued by the manufacturer, nor the British National Formulary (which provides information on all medicines generally prescribed in the UK), mention alcohol consumption when using mefloquine for the chemoprophylaxis of malaria. Guidance is, however, provided for patients with severe liver problems and other medical conditions that would preclude the use of the drug, and would be part of the clinical risk assessment prior to prescription.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many In Home Displays have been installed in households to date; and how many such displays are still in operation 12 months after installation.
Andrea Leadsom
It is not possible to give an accurate figure on the number of In Home Displays (IHDs) installed as while energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic consumers an IHD where they install a smart metering system, domestic consumers can choose not to accept one.
Data from the Early Learning Project1 (ELP) which covered the very early part of the rollout at time when energy suppliers were trialling and testing approaches to consumer engagement, found that six in ten (61%) smart meter customers who had received an In Home Display (IHD) reported that they still had their IHD plugged in. These consumers had had their smart meters over a period of between six months and two and half years. The research also found that smart meter customers who had received their installation more recently were no more likely than those who did so around two years ago to still have their IHD plugged in.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation; which non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and agencies overseen by her Department will be affected by that regulation; and what estimate she has made of the potential liability of her Department, its agencies and NDPBs in connection with that proposed regulation.
George Eustice
Negotiations on the proposed General Data Protection Regulation are still continuing, led by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Defra is working closely with DCMS on this issue.
A high level assessment of the current draft proposals has been completed but we have not looked specifically at which bodies will be affected or the potential liabilities.
Once the outcome of trilogue negotiations between the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Commission are complete, and the Regulation has been adopted, the impact and liabilities will be assessed for Defra and its NDPBs and agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11184, on China: nuclear power, what guarantees are in place to ensure that details of the operation of nuclear power stations that represent a potential threat in the hands of a foreign power do not reach the Chinese government; what access the Chinese government will have to the details of (a) operational information and (b) security regulations relating to those UK nuclear power stations with Chinese (i) investment and (ii) involvement in construction; whether input will be sought from Chinese (A) investors and (B) government officials for reviews of the regulatory framework for security in the civil nuclear industry; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (as amended) require those holding Sensitive Nuclear Information to have in place robust security measures approved by the Office for Nuclear Regulation in order to protect this information. The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations are in the public domain.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation conducts inspections to ensure compliance with security requirements and has powers of enforcement in the event of a breach.
All employees and contractors in the civil nuclear industry are subject to robust personnel security and vetting arrangements in line with policies set out by Government in the annual Security Policy Framework.
The Department keeps the regulatory framework for civil nuclear security under review. It may from time to time consult on possible changes to the regulatory framework. It maintains a dialogue with investors on issues relating to nuclear new build, but has no plans at present to consult investors in new nuclear build specifically on any changes to the regulatory framework.