The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what future foreign visits the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities has planned in relation to her departmental duties; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs Helen Grant
A number of visits have been proposed by other government departments but I currently have no plans for any further foreign visits at this time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will review whether the recent guidance, keeping children safe in education, distinguishes between legislation which applies to further education colleges as opposed to sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Edward Timpson
The Department for Education’s ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance is clear that it applies to children under the age of 18 in both further education and sixth-form colleges.
We are currently considering requests for clarification to the guidance as part of our implementation review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 20W, on bovine tuberculosis, whether his Department has since commissioned any research about the safety, humaneness and effectiveness of gassing badgers.
George Eustice
In August 2013, we commissioned new research into alternative methods of culling badgers.
The first step involved reviewing and updating the ‘Review of effectiveness, environmental impact, humaneness and feasibility of lethal methods for badger control’ published in 2005. The review was completed in September 2013.
Following research carried out as a result of Lord Zuckerman’s review in the 1980s, we would not support the use of hydrogen cyanide gas due to humaneness concerns. However, we are considering potential humane alternatives.
In October and November 2013 we carried out initial trials of nitrogen-filled foam to analyse its dispersal in an artificial sett-like environment. These trials did not involve the use of active setts or tests on live animals.
Further research is now planned into the use of carbon monoxide as a potential sett-based means of humane culling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was of NHS knee replacement operations and subsequent revisions in England in the last three years.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is not held centrally.
Such information as is available is from reference costs, which are the average cost to National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients. Reference costs for acute care are collected by Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments that consume common levels of healthcare resource. The HRGs in the attached table therefore include the costs of other knee procedures in addition to knee replacements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on reaching a settlement with Raytheon Systems Ltd on the e-Borders programme; and when the arbitration progress is scheduled to be completed.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office would like the dispute with Raytheon to be concluded as swiftly
as possible. It is not unusual that an international arbitration of this
complexity should take a considerable time to resolve. The Home Office has
done everything possible to progress the Arbitration as quickly as possible.
The evidential hearings concluded in April 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Denham on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy in funding overseas organisations that restict their employment to members of particular faiths.
Lynne Featherstone
DFID works to ensure that organisations supported do not discriminate. All DFID funding is subject to pre funding Due Diligence, which includes an analysis of the robustness of the organisation’s operational and commercial systems, processes and procedures, including compliance with relevant policies, legislation and regulations on discrimination.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates in prison in England and Wales was, by prison establishment, in each of the last five years.
Andrew Selous
Staffing levels are being reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmarking has been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely. Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing roles.
The information requested has been placed in the library and extends the table provided to the honourable member for Tooting on 4 Mar 2014, Official Report, 805W. The tables include both public and private sector establishments. Figures are not however comparable across public and private sector establishments. There is no comparison within Private Sector Prisons for Prison Officer Specialists. Functions carried out by badged officers vary, particularly across private prisons, relating to whether functions are civilianised, contracted out, or performed by badged officers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-26.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of local authorities who conducted a dry run in data matching and did not repeat this to the Electoral Commission.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not made any estimate of the number of electoral registration officers (EROs) who did not undertake local data matching trials following the dry run of confirmation in 2013. 139 EROs reported results to the Commission but there are likely to have been other EROs who carried out some activities but did not report it to the Commission.
The Commission further informs me that it did ask EROs, on a separate survey, whether local data matching would be important during the live run of confirmation and 91% said that it would.
The Commission therefore expects more EROs to conduct local data matching for the live run of confirmation than reported on results following the dry run.
The Commission, working with Cabinet Office, will be collecting data from all EROs after the live run of the confirmation process which will demonstrate levels of usage of local data in practice. This data will be published on the Commission’s website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 536W, on shipping: exhaust emissions, what discussions his officials have had with the European Commission on securing EU finance to assist shipowners and ports to comply with the new sulphur regulation limits.
Stephen Hammond
The Department has not had discussions with the trade unions specifically on the implementation of the sulphur rules. However, the trade unions have had the opportunity to contribute their views during the eight-week public consultation on the draft UK Regulations and the associated Impact Assessment which commenced on 29 April 2014.
The maturity and efficacy of ship-board exhaust gas cleaning system technology was one of the key subjects under consideration when I chaired the ‘round table’ meetings of industry stakeholders in October 2012 and March 2013 to which I referred in my Answer of 17 June 2014. At those meetings, first-hand information was forthcoming from both the shipping industry and the exhaust gas cleaning system technology industry.
The Department has engaged the European Commission about the potential impacts of the new regulations and the scope for financial support from EU sources, including finance from the European Investment Bank. The Commission has reaffirmed the possibility of support for the maritime sector through the new Connecting Europe Facility or the Trans-European Network (TEN-T) programme.
The Department is investigating impacts on prices as part of its assessment of the impact of the draft UK Regulations.
The Department will conduct the review at an appropriate time and not later than the timetable specified in the Regulations themselves, in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles of better regulation. It would be premature to make a commitment now concerning the precise timing of the review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance, how many claimants in the WRAG with a prognosis of two years or more who made (a) a new claim – initial assessment and (b) a new claim – repeat assessment were judged that return to work was unlikely in the longer term.
Mike Penning
The figures requested are the same as those referred to in the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance. A prognosis of two years or more is defined as unlikely in the longer term.
The prognoses available to the healthcare professional are:
– 3 months
– 6 months
– 12 months
– 18 months
– Within 2 years
– In the longer term