The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which areas of the Spratly Islands archipelago the Government recognises as part of the territory of (a) the Philippines, (b) Vietnam, (c) Malaysia and (d) Brunei.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK takes no position on the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands or other disputed features in the South China Sea.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measurements he has made of the UK armed forces’ carbon emissions for (a) 2015 and (b) any previous years for which data is held; and what plans the Government has to reduce UK military carbon emissions in response to the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Mark Lancaster
Information on the UK Armed Forces’ carbon emissions from 2009-10 to 2014-15 can be found in pages 11 and 12 of the Sustainable Ministry of Defence (MOD) Annual Report, using the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447951/20150723-Sustainable_MOD_Annual_Report-internet-ver.pdf
The MOD continues to reduce carbon emissions as part of the Government’s Greening Government commitments and the new targets are being developed for 2016-2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the European Regional Development Fund on economic growth.
James Wharton
My Department has not carried out a recent estimate of the effect of the European Regional Development Fund on economic growth.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 33 of the Budget 2016, how much of the £520 million estimated to be raised by the new sugar levy she expects to be allocated to sporting initiatives through her Department’s budget or arms length bodies in each of the next four years.
Edward Timpson
As announced in Budget 2016, a new soft drinks industry levy is expected to raise £520 million in the first year.
In England, revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the Physical Education (PE) and sport premium for primary schools from £160 million a year to £320 million from September 2017. Primary schools will be able to make further improvements to the quality and breadth of PE and sport they offer, including introducing new activities, after school clubs and hiring specialist coaches to work alongside teachers.
Revenue generated from the levy will also be used to provide up to £285 million a year to give 25% of secondary schools increased opportunity to extend their school day to offer a wider range of activities for pupils. This can include sports clubs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they accept the recommendation of the report of the equality analysis undertaken under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 that a number of steps be taken to amend the draft new contract for doctors in training to address the position of part-time doctors in order to advance equality of opportunity between men and women doctors.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The contract published on 31 March is a huge step forward for achieving fairness for all trainee doctors. For the first time junior doctors will be paid and rewarded solely on the basis of their own hard work and achievement and pay progression will be linked to level of training rather than arbitrarily to time served.
All junior doctors should have the same terms and conditions – a level playing field – which is ultimately what employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) want and everyone deserves.
When the Secretary of State published the Equality Analysis on the new contract for doctors and dentists in training in the NHS (“Doctors”) on the 31 March 2016 on the GOV.UK website he made it clear that, as a result of considering the Equality Analysis, in accordance with his duties and obligations, he had asked for a number of changes to the draft contract to address specific issues for certain groups with protected characteristics. This has been done and the contract has been duly amended. These changes included changes that benefited staff who work part time. The new contract is not discriminatory it ensures that all junior doctors receive equal pay for work of equal value. The BMA’s own lawyers have advised that nothing in the new contract is discriminatory. Nevertheless the equality duty is an ongoing duty and it is intended that monitoring will continue after the introduction of the new contract in accordance with the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010.
A copy of the Equality Analysis is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the regulation of drones to protect the public from their misuse.
Mr Robert Goodwill
I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 9 May 2016 UIN 36085 regarding the regulations addressing the criminal use of drones, and to my answer given on 9 May 2016 UIN 36086 regarding privacy.
The Government is planning to consult on a range of measures on drones over the summer, and will then seek any further appropriate legislative measures through the Modern Transport Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if Sport England will take steps to ensure that children’s fitness and activity levels do not decline from their term-time levels in the summer holidays.
Tracey Crouch
We want to ensure that all children, regardless of background, ability or where they live, are able to engage in sport and physical activity in a way that interests and benefits them. Through the Government’s sports strategy Sporting Future, published in December 2015, Sport England will now invest in sporting provision for children aged five and over – previously the starting age was 14 years old.
In addition, Sport England’s new strategy, Towards an Active Nation, published in May 2016, sets out their plans to make a major new investment of £40 million into projects which offer new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together. Sport England will continue to work with organisations across the sport sector as it implements its strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much heroin has been given to heroin addicts in line with his Department’s policy set out on page 31 of the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published by his predecessor in March 2016.
Nicola Blackwood
As outlined in the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, the use of injectable diamorphine as part of treatment for a small cohort of entrenched, long-term opiate users can be effective.
On behalf of the Department, Public Health England managed a pilot programme of supervised injectable diamorphine prescribing at a cost of £2 million per annum. The pilot ran from 2012 to 2015 at: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in Southwark, London; Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Brighton; and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust in Easington, County Durham.
Information about expenditure on diamorphine prescribing for the treatment of dependence, sites where it is available outside this pilot, and how much diamorphine has been prescribed to heroin addicts is not collected centrally. The decision to commission and fund the local provision of diamorphine prescribing is for local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people referred to Help to Work since April 2014 have left the scheme after opening a claim for working tax credit.
Priti Patel
The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The information that is available on Help to Work, on the number of programme referrals and Community Work Placement starts can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics
The latest published information on Help to Work covers the period from April 2014 to June 2015 inclusive.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the long-term viability of the care home sector; and if he will reassess the contribution that could be made to that viability of the care practitioner role.
Alistair Burt
Through November’s comprehensive Spending Review, the Government announced that it was giving local authorities access to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20.
Councils will be able to introduce a new Social Care Precept, allowing them to increase council tax by 2% above the existing threshold. This could raise nearly £2 billion a year for social care by 2019/20.
From April 2017, the Spending Review makes available social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019/20, to be included in the Better Care Fund.
Taken together, the new precept and additional Better Care Fund contribution mean local government has access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.
Under the Care Act (2014), local authorities have legal duties to shape a sustainable and diverse market of care providers capable of delivering a choice of quality services to their local population. These duties apply in respect of all care services, including care home services. The Government published statutory guidance to support local authorities discharge their market shaping duties effectively, which includes guidance around adult social care commissioning.
The care practitioner scheme was withdrawn by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Department of Health was not involved in the assessment of the contribution that the care practitioner role could make to the care home sector.