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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what health and safety assessment his Department has conducted on military personnel or contractors loading or unloading equipment from his Department’s vessels onto the pier head at Ascension Island.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The loading and unloading of freight from Ministry of Defence chartered vessels is conducted by the Ascension Island Government. A Health and Safety and Environmental Risk Assessment of loading/unloading equipment at the Ascension Islands pier head was undertaken by the Joint Forces Command Health and Safety lead in September 2015.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has for the delivery of the General Practice Forward View.

    David Mowat

    The General Practice Forward View was published by NHS England on 21 April 2016 and is a package of measures to stabilise and support general practice.

    NHS England has established an external Oversight Group to oversee implementation of the General Practice Forward View. Its membership includes the British Medical Association (BMA), Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS Clinical Commissioners. The BMA has also established a reference group of local medical committees from across England to gain further input from general practitioners (GPs) and make sure the changes set out in the General Practice Forward View are realised.

    At its Board meeting on 28 July 2016, NHS England set out progress to date, including on delivery of a new practice resilience programme to help struggling practices, and a new Indemnity Support Scheme to alleviate the immediate pressure of rising costs for GPs from indemnity. Further details are available on NHS England’s website:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/item5-28-07-16.pdf

    “

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what method and criteria were used to select the Board of HS2 Ltd.

    Andrew Jones

    All Non-Executive members including the Non-Executive Chair of the HS2 Ltd Board are appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport. All Executive Members of the HS2 Ltd Board are appointed by HS2 Ltd on the delegated authority from the Secretary of State. The Chief Executive Officer of the HS2 Ltd Board is appointed by the Chair of HS2 Ltd.

    All Ministerial appointments, extensions and exemptions to the HS2 Ltd Board, come under the remit of the Office for Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). They are made using the process from the Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies. The Commissioner may, in exceptional circumstances, agree that Departments may depart from this Code where he believes that this is justified in the public interest.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what action can be taken within state aid rules to secure assets of national strategic significance to the British economy.

    Anna Soubry

    A Member State may purchase or invest in an asset on purely commercial terms, as commercial investment is not subject to state aid rules. However, any subsequent injection of funds would be subject to the rules, unless it too was on commercial terms. It should be noted that the state aid rules apply equally to nationalised and privatised companies. With losses of over £600 million in just over three years and hundreds of millions in debts, commercial terms for SSI UK would have been impossible to meet.

    More generally, it is possible to give a variety of types of aid under the rules including aid for research and development, and environmental protection. Restructuring and rescue of steel however is prohibited.

  • Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual value of tourism to the UK economy.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Office for National Statistics has estimated that tourism was worth £59.6 billion Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2014.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure greater collaboration between businesses and education to promote skills for potential future careers.

    Nick Boles

    We are strengthening business influence in schools, further education, the skills system, higher education and in giving young people a broad experience of the careers options open to them. Our education reforms are ensuring that young people leave school or college with everything they need to get on and succeed in life. The new Careers and Enterprise Company aims to help schools and colleges in England to prepare young people aged 12 to 18 for the world of work, and increase the level of employer engagement in schools and colleges across England.

    In further education we have given employer-led Local Enterprise Partnerships significant local influence over the skills system. National Colleges are being established by employer-led partnerships to design and deliver specific higher level training, and we are working in direct partnership with employers in reforming technical and professional education to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century economy. In trailblazer apprenticeships, employers develop the standards themselves.

    In higher education, the government fully supports and actively encourages collaboration between universities and business. Partnership is needed to ensure graduate skills and employability meet the needs of business, to maximise the university sector’s capabilities in business-led research and innovation, and to realise the benefits of a strong role for Higher Education Institutions in the development of their local economies.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of eyewitness accounts of starvation from across Syria; what action they have taken following that assessment; and in particular whether they will discuss with the government of Russia the provision of supplies by land and by air.

    Baroness Verma

    No one who has seen the images coming out of Madaya and other besieged towns can say this situation is anything other than utterly appalling. Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. It is unacceptable and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war. We are deeply concerned about the 4.6 million people who live in hard to reach areas, including almost 486,700 who live under siege conditions.

    We have given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. On 11 January, the UN, Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed aid convoys had arrived in the hard to reach towns of Madaya, Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys have since arrived. These convoys are expected to enable 40,000 people inside Madaya, and 20,000 people inside Foah and Kefraya, to survive. UK funding to UN agencies directly supported these convoys with food parcels and medicine.

    However, humanitarian access to those in need continues to shrink. In the past year, only 10% of all requests submitted by the UN to the regime to access besieged and hard-to-reach areas have been approved and delivered. That’s why it is vital we keep up the pressure on the regime and other conflict parties to let aid convoys in and to provide sustained, permanent and safe humanitarian access. Russia, in particular, has a special obligation to confront and condemn the atrocities being carried out against Syrian civilians.

    When it comes to helping Syrians in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, we do not rule anything out but, right now, air drops are not a viable way of getting help to those in need. Use of air drops to deliver aid is high risk and should only be considered as a last resort when all other means have failed, and it is an effective way of getting humanitarian supplies to people. Critically, the UN is not currently calling for their use.

    We are aware of reports of Russian airdrops into Deir Ez Zour. We are working to verify these claims and understand the nature and impact of any such airdrops, including the extent to which they may be effectively addressing needs. Unlike Madaya, Deir Ez Zour city is under regime control and is surrounded by Daesh.

  • Lord Smith of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Smith of Clifton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Clifton on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the average speeds of traffic flows recorded in central London for the years 2008 to 2015 inclusive.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The average speeds are as set out in the table below. This information is based on material published on the Transport for London website.

    Average traffic speeds (miles per hour) by functional sector of London. Working weekdays, by time period. TfL’s ‘network of interest’.

    Area and time period

    2007 speed (mph)

    2008 speed (mph)

    2009 speed (mph)

    2010 speed (mph)

    2011 speed (mph)

    2012 speed (mph)

    2013 speed (mph)

    2014 speed (mph)

    2015 speed (mph) first 6 months only

    Central am peak

    9.4

    9.1

    9.4

    9.4

    9.3

    9.3

    9.4

    8.9

    8.3

    Central inter-peak

    8.5

    8.3

    8.8

    8.7

    8.5

    8.5

    8.5

    8.1

    7.3

    Central pm peak

    9

    8.9

    8.9

    8.7

    8.6

    8.8

    8.6

    8.3

    7.8

    Inner am peak

    12.6

    12.4

    12.9

    12.7

    12.7

    12.6

    12.4

    11.9

    11.1

    Inner inter-peak

    13.1

    13

    13.3

    13.4

    13.3

    13.2

    13.2

    12.8

    12.2

    Inner PM peak

    11.4

    11.4

    11.2

    11.5

    11.4

    11.4

    11.2

    10.6

    10.3

    Outer am peak

    19.3

    19.6

    20.1

    20

    20.1

    19.9

    19.5

    18.6

    17.7

    Outer inter-peak

    21.3

    21.4

    21.4

    21.6

    21.6

    21.7

    21.8

    21.1

    21

    Outer pm peak

    18.3

    18.6

    18.3

    18.5

    18.5

    18.5

    18.1

    17.1

    16.9

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability living allowance claimants he expects to transfer to personal independence payment in each year to 2020.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We are rolling out Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to existing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants in a controlled way. We will continue to monitor performance and will carefully control the number of people we choose to invite to claim PIP each month.

    The forecast estimates for the numbers of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance we currently expect to be awarded PIP, in each year to 2020, are in the table below and may be subject to change:

    2016/17

    2017/18

    2018/19

    2019/20

    450,000

    550,000

    350,000

    50,000

    Notes:

    Data rounded to the nearest 50,000

    Includes both adults and children reaching age 16

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Annual Report 2015 of the Service Complaints Ombudsmen for the Armed Forces, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding that female personnel in the armed forces are approximately 30 per cent more likely than their male counterparts to lodge a complaint with the Service Complaints Commissioner.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Service Complaints Ombudsman’s annual report for 2015 was published on 25 April 2016. Whilst there are no recommendations in this year’s report, given the introduction of a reformed complaints system and a fundamentally new Ombudsman role, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is curently considering the report in detail to see what lessons there are for the complaints process or wider policies.

    The aim of the reforms introduced on 1 January 2016 is to address long-standing concerns raised by the Service Complaints Commissioner that confidence in the system has been affected by complexity which has led to delay and by a lack of strong independent and effective oversight. Such a lack of confidence can in turn leave our personnel reluctant to raise issues and so have them resolved. The new process is streamlined, and Service personnel will now be able to approach the new Service Complaints Ombudsman if they are dissatisfied, which will make a real difference for individuals. The Ombudsman has significant new powers to hold the MOD to account for fair, effective and efficient complaints handllng. The Ombudsman comments in her report that she is hopeful that the new system will make a real impact on confidence levels. The MOD shares that view, and looks forward to the Ombudsman’s 2016 report for her assessment of whether the aims are being achieved.

    It is important that all Service personnel know where to get information about how to make a service complaint, as well as about the role of the new Service Complaints Ombudsman and how to contact her. We will take further steps to communicate as widely as possible through appropriate channels the role of the new Ombudsman, particularly to junior personnel, which will supplement and support the visits undertaken and communication material produced by the Ombudsman.

    Bullying, harassment and discrimination are not tolerated in the Armed Forces. Tackling such behaviour depends on our Service personnel having confidence that the complaints system will deal with their concerns appropriately and will treat them fairly. The Service Complaints Ombudsman will hold the MOD to account for how it handles complaints and how it treats its Service personnel under the complaints process. It is by raising complaints and approaching the Ombudsman if they are dissatisfied that complainants can ensure that the MOD is openly held to account. It is also through the Ombudsman’s recommendations that the MOD can identify where action needs to be taken to improve.

    The finding by the Service Complaints Ombudsman that proportionately more women feel moved to make a Service complaint than their male colleagues is a concern. The Ombudsman goes on to commend the work that is being done by the Army in particular, where the issue is the most acute, to tackle this. The initiatives that she sets out in the report are continuing.

    It is the responsibility of all those involved in the service complaints process to ensure complaints are handled effectively and efficiently. All complaints are to be dealt with promptly but fairly, regardless of the complainant’s rank or whether they are still serving. There have been no discussions with the Chief of the Defence Staff on the issues raised.