The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects a decision to be taken on London City Airport’s planning application.
Brandon Lewis
The published target date for issuing the decision is on or before 28 September. My Department does of course attempt to reach planning decisions in advance of target dates when this is practical.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people her Department removed to Vietnam in each year from 2013 to 2016 to date; and how many such people had been subject to positive grounds National Referral Mechanism decisions in each such year.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The number of people returned from the UK to Vietnam in each year by Enforced Removals and Voluntary Returns is published on a quarterly basis in Immigration Statistics on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
The information you requested can be found in tables rt_05 and rt_05_q of the returns tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572383/returns5-q3-2016-tables.ods
This link will help you to find the most updated returns data by country of destination. The data within this table can be filtered, enabling you to obtain information specifically relating to removals to Vietnam. Instruction on how to use the filters can be found on the ‘contents’ tab.
We do not hold the requested data of how many such people had been subject to positive grounds decisions on the National Referral Mechanism in the requested format.
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 people claiming which benefit have been referred to Help to Work since April 2014.
Priti Patel
The number people claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal credit who have been referred to Help to Work between April 2014 and June 2015 is approximately 162,000. This breaks down as 51,430 people referred to Community Work Placement, 70,510 referred to Mandatory Intervention Regime, 40,060 referred to Daily Work Search Review.
The Help to Work quarterly statistics: provides Official statistics to June 2015 on the numbers of people joining the Help to Work Scheme. This information can be found on the Gov.UK website.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Chinese government on the sovereignty of the Spratly Islands archipelago; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expressed our concerns about the situation in the South China Sea most recently during his visit to Beijing on 5 January. He stressed the need to avoid raising tensions and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation.
I set out the UK’s position during the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Luxembourg on 5-6 November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of accidental fatalities in the armed forces which occur during training exercises.
Penny Mordaunt
Deaths in training are rare. We do, however, take our duty of care to our personnel very seriously. Risk is inherent in many activities carried out by the Armed Forces, from adventurous training to training exercises and operations. This is especially true where activities involve weapon systems, vehicles or strenuous physical activity.
This risk is rendered as low as reasonably practicable during training by ensuring that its design and delivery are subject to strict safety procedures and rigorous risk analysis. This allows the Services to provide realistic and effective training which balances the risks with the need to provide a safe training environment.
We have a range of mechanisms to ensure supervision and welfare support for trainees of all ages, such as the tiered Duty Holder construct which make specific individuals personally accountable and responsible for potential Risk to Life decisions. Training regimes are also subject to internal or external assurance and audit inspections including by OFSTED.
In the event of a training fatality, or indeed any other fatality, a thorough investigation would be convened. This can include a Service Inquiry, internal investigation, police investigations or investigations by, for example, the Health and Safety Executive. Fatalities will normally be the subject of a Coroner’s Inquest. A Service Inquiry may take place if it is considered that anything further of consequence to any of the regular or reserve forces may be learned. This is an independent investigation designed to establish the circumstances surrounding an accident and make recommendations in order to prevent reoccurrence and enhance safety.
On 1 April 2015 we established the Defence Safety Authority (DSA). This brings together the Defence safety regulators across all environments (including maritime, air, land, nuclear, ordnance and fire) and accident investigators into a single independent organisation led by a 3 star officer. The DSA is responsible for the regulation of Defence Health, Safety and Environmental Protection. Its purpose is to provide independent assurance to the Defence Secretary that his policy on safety in Defence is being promoted and implemented in the conduct of Defence activities. The Director General of the Defence Safety Authority is now the primary Convening Authority for all Service Inquiries pertaining to safety-related fatalities and major equipment loss across the whole of Defence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25978, whether the timetable for making a decision on applying to the EU Solidarity Fund has been extended.
James Wharton
I refer the rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave on the EU Solidarity Fund on 25 February 2016, Official Report, column 455.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 79 in the Autumn Statement 2015 and page 92 in the Budget 2016, for what reason the estimate of his Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 has changed from £0.4 billion to £0.3 billion.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Autumn Statement 2015 reflected the Main Estimate cover of £402m; the Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Budget 2016 reflected the Supplementary Estimate cover of £368m. The movements that make up the change of £33,928,000 are scheduled on page 509 of the Supplementary Estimate 2015-16.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mitigating actions they propose to take in the light of the equality analysis undertaken under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 showing that certain features of the new contract for doctors in training will have an adverse impact on carers, who are disproportionately women.
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 Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the vehicle safety recalls of Vauxhall Zafira B models, what assurances he has received from Vauxhall that all blower motors will be replaced in every vehicle that has been recalled.
Andrew Jones
Under the secondary safety recall (R/2016/104) all affected Vauxhall Zafira B vehicles equipped with manual control heating and ventilation systems produced between 10/02/2005 and 24/10/2014 will be recalled to receive a new heater blower motor as part of the safety recall.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effect on children’s fitness and activity levels of the Primary PE and Sport Premium.
Edward Timpson
We want all pupils to be healthy and active. We have ring-fenced over £450 million to improve PE and sport in primary schools (2013/14 – 2015/16), and committed to doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. Schools have the freedom to decide how to use the funding based on the needs of their pupils, and can choose to target funding on the least active and children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Schools are accountable for their spending through Ofsted inspections and are required to report plans and impact online.
We have evaluated the impact and schools’ use of the premium through the independent research company, NatCen. Evidence indicates the funding is having a positive impact and schools reported almost universally that the PE and sport premium had had a positive impact on physical fitness (99%), healthy lifestyles (99%), skills (98%) and behaviour of pupils (96%).[1].
We are currently exploring options for future evaluation once the premium is doubled. Further details will be announced in due course.
[1] Evidence from the 2015 report, based on findings of a two year study between 2013 – 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-premium-an-investigation-in-primary-schools
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