The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on the youth contract in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Esther McVey
The spend on Youth Contract since it was launched in April 2012 is as follows:
2012/13 – £85.8m
2013/14 – £210.3m
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Lloyd on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Support Agency has in place to review decisions taken to temporarily suspend action to recover child maintenance arrears and to establish whether the circumstances which led to the temporary suspension of recovery action have changed.
Steve Webb
Child Support Agency cases with suspended debt will be investigated if the Agency is made aware of any changes of circumstance that would warrant the suspended debt being collected.
Under the new Child Maintenance Service all cases will be subject to an annual review. If the paying parent is working, the case will be reassessed and, if appropriate, any suspended debt reinstated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many delegates from manufacturers based in Northern Ireland were invited to the BIS Manufacturing Summit 2014 held on 19 June 2014.
Michael Fallon
Information on the regional location of Manufacturing Summit delegates was not requested as part of the registration process. However, from the limited data available we have identified one Northern Ireland-based manufacturing company which was invited to the Manufacturing Summit. This particular company decided not to send a representative.
For future summits we will be looking at ways to create a more diverse mix of CEO-level participants from across manufacturing industry. Proactive suggestions from Hon Members would be welcome as part of this process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £1.2 billion underspend in his Department’s equipment budget in 2012-13 arose as a result of programme slippage; what programmes were behind schedule; and for what reason those programmes were behind schedule.
Mr Philip Dunne
Our analysis of the £1.2 billion underspend in 2012-13 in our equipment programme shows that it has been caused by a combination of factors, including better than expected outcomes from contract negotiations; budget being allocated for risks that did not materialise; and the impact of programme slippage against plans.
A detailed analysis of programme slippage by programme is not currently available, but further work to improve our detailed understanding of variations against planned spending patterns and the implications for project costs in future years is nearing completion.
Due to our improved financial discipline the Treasury have allowed us to carry over in-year underspends into our future year budgets. The last National Audit Office Major Projects Report showed an 88% reduction in overall project delays.
We now have the assurance of a stable and well managed budget and confidence that defence programmes are affordable and deliverable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to expand the training provided by the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project.
George Eustice
We are working with our Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to consider training needs and how these can be met, building on lessons from the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project. Announcements on this will be made in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the same standard of care across the country for those diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Jane Ellison
To help reduce regional variations, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is increasingly incorporating information from accreditation and peer review programmes into its assessments of National Health Service trusts’ services, including the National Cancer Peer Review Programme. The CQC also intends to use data from the national clinical audit which is being developed for prostate cancer. In addition, national statistics on waiting times experienced by patients with suspected and diagnosed cancers continue to be collected, monitored and published in order to improve equity of access to cancer services and to contribute to an improvement in survival rates.
The results of the latest national Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) from 2013 show that, whilst variations between trusts still exist, the overall range of variation for many indicators has narrowed. For example, in 2010 the proportion of patients saying that they had been given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranged from 92% in the highest performing trust to 59% in the poorest performing trust (33 points); by 2013 this had reduced to 97% to 76% (21 points).
NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) will be doing a suite of work across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.
NHS England is working with NHS IQ to develop better ways of using the CPES data within the NHS in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the NSPCC’s Order In Court campaign seeking change changes to the way the criminal justice system treats children.
Damian Green
The Ministry of Justice is committed to protecting and supporting child witnesses to help give their best evidence. In doing so, we have equipped the majority of Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts with facilities to enable vulnerable witnesses to give evidence by secure video link from an alternative location to the trial court. We are exploring ways to increase the use of video links, including in cases involving vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses.
We are also working with other criminal justice agencies to improve the uptake of Registered Intermediaries for child and other vulnerable witnesses. I am grateful to the NSPCC, whose campaign will assist in raising awareness.
Specialist training for judges is the responsibility of the judiciary and the Judicial College.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Arbuthnot on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s responsibility is for long range search and rescue at sea.
Stephen Hammond
The UK’s responsibilities for search and rescue are set out in Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Maritime Search and Rescue Convention. The Convention of the High Seas and the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea are also relevant. All four Conventions ask that the Department for Transport establish arrangements for search and rescue in the United Kingdom’s Search and Rescue Region and formalises international cooperation with neighbouring states by agreeing common response plans and the sharing of resources. The Conventions also compel ships’ masters to render assistance to those in distress at sea. The UK’s responsibility for search and rescue responsibilities extends out to 30º west in latitude and covers some 1 million square miles. The Department for Transport discharges this responsibility on behalf of the Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ashcroft on 2014-06-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 June (WA 146), whether they will now answer the question as originally put.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
All military and civilian gallantry awards may be awarded posthumously; honours made in the Orders of Knighthood may not be awarded posthumously.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what security standards his Department mandates with Level 2 Building Information Modelling.
Mr Francis Maude
Building Information Modelling Level 2 operates alongside well-established industry standards such as ISO27001. Departments may specify additional security requirements as appropriate.
Industry has responded positively to the introduction of Building Information Modelling Level 2, which represents the construction sector response to the Government’s “Digital by Default” initiative.
BIM does not mandate the use of any specific software or hardware and supports innovation through its use of open standards. For SMEs BIM levels the playing field, allowing them to make their products immediately accessible to a global market, using freely-available tools.
BIM represents an opportunity for UK industry to increase efficiency, its know-how and exports, thereby continuing its significant global presence in construction design and delivery.