The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.
Mr Robert Goodwill
I have had no discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord St John of Bletso on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, in conjunction with the UN, to assist in rebuilding infrastructure in South Sudan.
Baroness Verma
South Sudan is in the midst of a protracted humanitarian crisis affecting millions, and the UK is prioritising support which saves lives and protects the most vulnerable. The UK works with the UN and others on small infrastructure projects that support humanitarian efforts, such as the building/maintenance of roads, airstrips and camps; and projects that are driven by local communities, such as building of water points, dykes, bridges and schools. Peace and security, including the overdue formation of the transitional government of national unity, are essential for progress on the development of South Sudan. The UK is playing an active role in encouraging the full implementation of the peace agreement, and continues to call for the immediate return of Opposition leader Riek Machar to Juba in order to facilitate this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-04-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many needs enhanced enquiries HM Revenue and Customs received in the last year.
Mr David Gauke
The Needs Enhanced Support Unit handles enquiries from vulnerable customers via telephone calls, face to face appointments and letter. In the last year it dealt with 100,166 telephone enquiries and 22,222 face to face visits to either customer’s homes, commercial venues or Job Centres. In addition it has dealt with 17,252 pieces of post.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the expected take-up of postgraduate loans by (a) UK and (b) EU students in (i) 2017-18 and (ii) 2018-19; and if he will make a statement.
Joseph Johnson
The Department’s current central estimate is that around 60,000 students will take out the new postgraduate master’s loan in Academic Year 2016/17. We estimate that a similar number of students will take out the loan in each of the Academic Years 2017/18 and 2018/19. These estimates will be reviewed in light of the student applications received in the first year of the loan’s operation. The new master’s loan will be available to eligible students including those UK students ordinarily resident in England or EU nationals resident elsewhere in the EU who meet the loan’s eligibility criteria. As this is a new loan product this year, it is too early to give an accurate estimate of the domicile of borrowers in 2017/18 or 2018/19.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department’s staff are in receipt of support for private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.
Mark Lancaster
Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) was reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. Since then, our reforms have reduced costs by around £30 million per annum along with an associated reduction in claimants. Work continues to further reduce the cost of the allowance, whilst ensuring funding goes to those who really need it, with the latest governance changes taking effect on 1 September 2016.
The requested information is provided in the following table.
Continuity of Education Allowance, Number of Claimants and Cost (UK and Overseas) by Financial Year (FY)
|
FY 2015-16 |
|
|
UK Claimants |
3,040 |
|
Overseas Claimants |
630 |
|
Total Claimants |
3,670 |
|
UK Cost (£ million) |
67 |
|
Overseas Cost (£ million) |
13.8 |
|
Total Cost (£ million) |
80.8 |
Note: all numbers are rounded
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of the pre-16 and post-16 attainment of pupils attending (a) high performing non-selective and (b) grammar schools; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
The Department produces data on the performance of both pre-16 and post-16 schools by their admissions arrangements at year 7. Pre-16 performance information is published in the “GCSE and equivalent results: 2015 to 2016 (provisional)”[1], statistical first release (SFR). Post-16 performance information is published in the “A level and other 16 to 18 results: 2015 to 2016 (provisional)”[2] SFR.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (Table 6b)
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-level-3-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (Table 1b)
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they still intend to publish their Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in summer 2016.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department for Transport is in the early stages of developing its first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) with the intention to publish by summer 2016 following a public consultation on the draft in spring 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the report, The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy, published in March 2015.
David Mundell
The Government will be responding to the recommendations in the report in due course, and discussions between Professor Sawers and the UK Government are continuing on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on its officials engaging in secondary employment.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Staff are permitted to take up secondary employment providing it does not affect or impinge upon their work for the FCO. They are required to obtain prior written approval before accepting secondary employment and may also be required to sign an agreement to opt out of working time limits in their second job if it would mean they exceed the maximum number of weekly average hours under the Working Time Regulations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all patients who are subject to the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 have all their rights discussed or explained to them before any treatment is carried out, as recommended by the Care Quality Commission’s sixth annual report, HC483, published on 14 October 2015.
Alistair Burt
The Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice, which came into force in April 2015, provides statutory guidance on how functions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) should be carried out. All providers of mental health services under the Act have a duty to abide by both the provisions of the Act and the detailed guidance on how implement those provisions contained in the Code of Practice. That includes the duty of all such mental health providers to ensure their staff know and understand their responsibilities under the Act.
Empowerment and the involvement of patients are key principles underpinning the Act, and the Code of Practice is clear that detained patients must be informed of their rights; that it is the responsibility of those treating them to ensure that patients understand their rights; and that patients are aware that they are entitled to ask for the assistance of an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) to help them understand this information.
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual report Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2014/15 indicates that CQC have already taken action where providers are failing to effectively monitor the Act, train staff and support patients and recommends that services use the findings of that report to make sure staff have the right skills and knowledge and decide what action needs to be taken to improve the care and support available for patients.