The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to update the List of Ministerial Responsibilities.
Ben Gummer
An updated version of the list of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-10-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding the licensing of arms, including British-made military aeroplanes, to the Saudi Arabian-led coalition which is conducting airstrikes in Yemen.
Lord Maude of Horsham
All licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so would be a breach of the Criteria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of how long it would take on average for a nurse to pay off a student loan.
Ben Gummer
No estimate has been made as this will vary between individuals and is dependent upon a number of factors. Currently student loans are paid back over a maximum 30 year period and repayment is contingent on earnings. Graduates do not begin to pay back their loans until the April after they graduate, and then only 9% of their earnings over £21,000 per year.
If their income drops below £21,000 for any reason (part-time working, career break) their repayments cease.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to develop protocols with (a) the Department for Work and Pensions, (b) the Home Office and (c) other government departments and agencies to improve the quality of decision making to reduce the number of assessments overturned on appeal.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Following a successful pilot, the practice in the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal has been for judges to provide a brief summary of reasons for their decision. This is helping the Department for Work and Pensions with decision making. In the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, and in other tribunals, judges routinely give full written reasons for their decisions and Ministry of Justice officials regularly meet with colleagues from the Home Office and other government departments to discuss any underlying reasons that may be contributing to high overturn rates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of blood donation.
Jane Ellison
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) provide blood donation services to the National Health Service, supplying a reliable, efficient supply of blood in England and North Wales. To secure a consistent donor base, NHSBT runs donor recruitment campaigns throughout the year to attract new donors, for example last year’s Missing Types Programme which featured the removal of the letters of A O B from famous locations and high street brands. NHSBT also ran the #BleedForEngland campaign around the World Cup using rugby celebrities which led to 100,000 new donor registrations. The recently completed New Year 2016 recruitment campaign also saw more than 30,000 people register to give blood.
On 1 February 2016 NHSBT confirmed that more than one million people are now registered to book blood donation appointments online.
NHSBT is also taking specific action to increase the number of blood donors from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community, particularly from Black African, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian communities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the terms of reference for the blood donations review will be approved by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.
Jane Ellison
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is carrying out a review of blood donor selection criteria. Currently a working group is being formed. The process will fully involve stakeholders, similar to the previous 2011 SaBTO review, and contacting stakeholders inviting their contribution to the review will begin imminently. The terms of reference will include input from stakeholders and be published once approved by SaBTO which will be at their next meeting. The review will be holistic and evidence relating to the risks of blood-borne infections in people who have previously injected drugs or received money or drugs for sex will be included. The review will be incremental, with published progress reports and any intermediate advice.
It is anticipated that the group will publish its final report in 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his policy to prevent companies using local numbers from which calls are forwarded abroad for the purposes of marketing and other nuisance calls.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Based on an analysis of reported concerns, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has previously estimated that approximately 12% of nuisance calls carry ‘spoofed’ Calling Line Identification (CLI), but this does not mean that all the calls have originated from overseas. The Government has recently consulted on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to provide valid CLI. The Government plans to bring this measure into force in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers she has to improve governance and scrutiny of leadership and management at the Audenshaw School Academy Trust; and if she will make a statement.
Edward Timpson
The Education and Adoption Act 2016 has introduced consistent powers to tackle inadequate and coasting academies. These allow the Secretary of State to terminate the funding agreement of an academy which has been rated as inadequate by Ofsted or is identified as coasting, and if necessary move the school to a new trust with a sponsor who has a proven track record and who will ensure the leadership and management of the school has the skills needed for the future.
Vicky Beer, the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, has been working closely with Audenshaw School Academy Trust to ensure that sufficient action is being taken to ensure the school improves.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to make advance passenger information available to Border Force general maritime officers; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
The security of our border remains a absolute priority. Border Force works closely with domestic and international partners on an intelligence-led approach to identify unlawful maritime activity including facilitation and illegal entry.
Information on vessels travelling to and from the UK is collected from a range of sources and analysed at the National Maritime Information Centre. The Government keeps all options relating to advance notification requirements under review and will continue to ensure proportionate measures are in place to secure our border.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the recent fatalities at the Boulby Potash mine; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the need to take any such action in respect of those fatalities.
Penny Mordaunt
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has received one representation on recent incidents, from the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. HSE has carried out a variety of interventions with the operators of Boulby mine, ranging from the serving of Prohibition Notices to a detailed assessment of their safety and competency management systems. HSE is reviewing the circumstances of a number of recent incidents with a view to taking further enforcement action if appropriate.