Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 599W, on apprenticeships; what steps he has taken to introduce grading into new apprenticeships; and whether such grading will be mandatory.

    Matthew Hancock

    Grading is being introduced into new Apprenticeships through the Trailblazer process. Groups of employers are coming together to design Apprenticeship standards and assessments. All new Apprenticeships must be graded, and we have made grading of the end-point assessment a minimum requirement of the new Apprenticeship programme.

    Having had their standards approved and published in March, the first phase of Trailblazer projects are now working on their assessment plans, including implementation of the grading requirement.

    Grading is important to ensure qualifications are aspirational for all – including those on track to pass who could benefit from being challenged to aim higher.

  • Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of cigarettes, (b) volume of roll-your own tobacco and (c) value of the (i) cigarettes and (ii) tobacco smuggled into the UK in each of the last five years.

    Nicky Morgan

    Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13′. The figures are available in tables 4.1 and 4.5.

    These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.

    The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013′.

    Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance he has given on the role of employers in supporting the uptake and delivery of employer-supported childcare.

    Nicky Morgan

    HM Revenue & Customs has published extensive guidance to help employers run successful childcare schemes, including the Employer Helpbook E18 ‘How you can help your employees with childcare’.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s total budget for assisted voluntary returns projects is for the current financial year, and what has been the total budget for such projects in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is shown below.

    Financial Year

    Total spending on Assisted Voluntary Returns Programmes (£ million)

    2009-10

    20.5

    2010-11

    17.4

    2011-12

    7.5

    2012-13

    8.9

    2013-14

    8.6

    2014-15

    10.8

    The figures quoted relate to the UK Assisted Voluntary Return Programme, and the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programmes operated in Greece and Turkey.

    The figures for years 2009/2010 to 2013/2014 relate to actual spend and the figures for 2014/2015 are projected spend.

    The Home Office also receives funding from the European Union for the UK Assisted Voluntary Return programme. Due to a change in financial reporting the amounts for 2011/2012 onwards are shown net of the amounts received or expected from this source, whilst the amounts for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 are shown gross although the yearly total budget allocation remains broadly the same.

    The Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programmes in Greece and Turkey also receive funding from the British Government’s Return and Reintegration Fund. The figures quoted incorporate this funding stream.
    The figures provided are sourced from a Home Office management information system and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and is subject to change due to internal data quality checking. Figures provided from this source do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.

  • Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lyn Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many non-fire incidents with casualties were attended by the Fire and Rescue Service in Great Britain in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

    Brandon Lewis

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer of today, Official Report, PQs 200566, 200567 & 200568.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to introduce training for magistrates and legal advisers following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda in England and Wales.

    Jeremy Wright

    Responsibility for judicial training lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary, and is exercised through the Judicial College, an independent body. The Ministry of Justice is keeping the Judicial College informed of implementation plans for the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 and wider Transforming Rehabilitation reforms to enable the College to deliver training as it sees fit.

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to increase social mobility in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what measures his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of the Government’s social mobility strategy.

    Mr Nick Clegg

    The Government is committed to improving social mobility, as set out in our social mobility strategy, ‘Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers’, published in 2011. The strategy sets out a plan for improving social mobility across the whole country, incorporating polices such as early education for two year olds from lower income families, the Pupil Premium and the Youth Contract.

    To assess the progress of this strategy, the Government has committed to reporting regularly on a set of key indicators to track closely whether we are moving in the right direction on social mobility; I chair a group of key Ministers to oversee delivery of the strategy, and the Government has created a new Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

    These indicators were last updated in November last year, and will be updated again shortly.

  • Sir Peter Bottomley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sir Peter Bottomley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Peter Bottomley on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Benjamin Mire was shown the report of the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office into his conduct.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The investigation into Mr Mire’s conduct was conducted in accordance with the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations (2006) (as amended). The Regulations require a draft of a review body report to be disclosed to the subject of the disciplinary process. The regulations were followed accordingly in this case.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in England have a (a) science subject leader and (b) subject leader who has a science degree.

    Mr David Laws

    The information requested is not collected centrally.

  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many law firms were permitted to resubmit their tenders to the then Legal Services Commission bid for a contract to provide publicly funded immigration services in the 2010 tender round after the deadline set out in the tender rules.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    These questions relate to ongoing litigation against the Lord Chancellor and in the circumstances it would be inappropriate to respond at the current time.