We accompany our support for the UN Relief and Works Agency with stringent attention to their neutrality and values of peace. UNRWA continues to implement a human rights, conflict resolution and tolerance policy, which applies to all its schools in its five fields of operation, supplementing the host country curriculums. UNRWA has also developed a framework which establishes standard criteria for analysing and enhancing textbooks across all fields and includes tools to guide analysis of host country curricula, textbooks, and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values. We take allegations of incitement very seriously and raise them with UNRWA whenever appropriate.

Anyone convicted of a relevant offence automatically becomes subject to the sex
offender notification requirements to manage the risk they pose. Such offenders
are monitored and managed by the police under the Multi-Agency Public
Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Monitoring the whereabouts of these
individuals is an operational matter for the police and a range of checks and
legislative measures, including civil preventative orders, are available so the
police know where these offenders are and can manage them effectively.

We work closely with the police to continually monitor the system of
notification requirements and civil orders in order to ensure officers have the
powers they need to protect the public.

This Government has strengthened the system for monitoring sex offenders. In
2012, we extended the notification requirements, and on 8 March 2015, we
replaced the previous powers used by police to protect the public from sexual
harm with two new orders: the sexual harm prevention order and the sexual risk
order. The grounds upon which these orders can be made are now wider, and for
the sexual harm prevention order, the threshold applied to protect people from
harm has been lowered. The available prohibitions which can be attached to both
orders are also wider, allowing for foreign travel restrictions to be imposed.
In addition, for the first time, both orders can be applied for by the National
Crime Agency, as well as the police.

This Government is committed to putting victims and witnesses first, significantly improving services and support for victims and investing more than ever in the help they are offered. In 2012/13 the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provided £50.26m to victim’s services and £57.02m in 2013/14. This will reach over £92 million in the next financial year (2015/16).

The MoJ funds a large number of organisations, including registered charities, voluntary and community groups who each complete regular monitoring returns. It would incur disproportionate costs to consolidate each organisation’s monitoring returns for 2013 and 2014 and disclose how many victims of crime were supported.

The number of new psychoactive substances, not previously encountered either in
the UK or at EU level, identified by the Home Office Forensic Early Warning
System (FEWS) from January 2011 until March 2014 is as follows :

January 2011- March 2012 -17
April 2012- March 2013 -10
April 2013- March 2014- 4

Further detailed analysis, results and other key findings are published in each
of the FEWS Annual Report available at: www.gov.uk. Analysis for 2014/15, with
reference to data held by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug
Addiction (EMCDDA), will be completed shortly.

Data from the EMCDDA is closely monitored. FEWS continues to identify and
monitor the existence of NPS in the UK through its various collection plans
including those substances first identified elsewhere in Europe and reported to
the EMCDDA.

The Environment Agency (EA) is the regulator for onshore gas operations in England. It requires operators to obtain environmental permits which contain conditions that ensure risks are properly managed and will not allow companies to start work unless they can demonstrate how they will provide a high level of protection for people and the environment. The EA will monitor compliance with permits and take enforcement action if it believes permit conditions have been breached.

The EA undertakes inspections based on its assessment of the risks presented by a particular site. Often the site operator is responsible for environmental monitoring, which the EA then examines to ensure that they are abiding by their permit conditions. In some cases, depending on the risks presented by a site, the EA may undertake extra monitoring itself.

The environmental permits require operators to monitor the emissions from their activities and assess their environmental impact. They do this in order to demonstrate to the EA that pollution is minimised and to comply with the limits specified in their permit. The monitoring must be carried out to recognised standards by competent personnel. The EA recommends that operators do this through its Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTS). Operators can choose to use an alternative certified monitoring standard, as long as it is equivalent to the MCERTS standard.

MCERTS is the Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme. It provides the framework for businesses to meet EA’s quality requirements. If operators comply with MCERTS, the EA can have confidence in the monitoring of emissions to the environment.

The EA will adopt a compliance assessment plan for each site that sets out how it will measure the operator’s compliance and ensure that environmental risks are properly managed. This may include a variety of methods such as audit, site inspections, check monitoring, sampling, and reviewing operator records and procedures.

In addition, DECC officials are currently developing further measures to provide independent evidence directly to the public about the robustness of the existing regulatory regime, as announced in the Autumn Statement.

The Environment Agency will make a case by case assessment of monitoring requirements. There is provision in the environmental permit for an operation involving hydraulic fracturing to require monitoring indefinitely post closure of a well. The Environment Agency will not allow surrender of the permit unless it is satisfied that the well has been decommissioned in line with standards set by the Health and Safety Executive, the site has been returned to a satisfactory condition and there is no significant on-going risk to the environment.

The recent Infrastructure Act 2015 makes clear that any hydraulic fracturing activity cannot take place unless appropriate arrangements have been made for monitoring emissions of methane into the air. During operations the operator will be required to undertake environmental monitoring, including emissions monitoring, to demonstrate compliance with their permits. In some cases, depending on the risks presented by a site or community concerns, the Environment Agency may undertake extra monitoring themselves.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not grant well consent unless he is satisfied that an environmental permit is in place which contains a condition requiring compliance with a waste management plan providing for the monitoring of emissions of methane into the air for the period of the permit.

The Department has received representations about self-monitoring from various parties, including members of the public, NGOs and a Minerals Planning Authority.

Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for collecting information to identify young people who are not participating, or who are at risk of not doing so; this information is aggregated to produce national level data. Steps to improve the tracking and monitoring of young people are focussed on the activity of individual LAs.

The Department regularly makes data available to show the proportion of young people in each LA: who are participating; who are not in education, employment or training (NEET); or whose activity is unknown. Those LAs who are performing poorly on monitoring this information are followed up and monitored, so that improvement actions can be agreed with them.

The Department is exploring whether further data sharing is possible between government departments and agencies, as this would help LAs track and monitor their young people’s outcomes and destinations. Arrangements have already been made for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to pass details of 18 and 19 year olds making a new claim for benefits to LAs each month, to help identify young people NEET.

The Department continues to encourage and support networking and the exchange of good practice among LAs. The Local Government Association has published a guide to support LAs in tracking young people, drawing on local practice. The Department will also further identify and share with LAs successful approaches to improving their data about young people.

The draft Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) which was published as part of the HS2 Phase One Environmental Statement sets out a series of measures to be applied during construction including measures to monitor air quality. The draft CoCP states that the nominated undertaker will require its contractors to implement inspection and monitoring procedures to assess the effectiveness of measures to prevent dust and air pollutant emissions.

The Environment Agency requires monitoring to be conducted in line with its monitoring certification scheme (MCERTS), which specifies the equipment, techniques, personnel training and organisations employed to undertake analysis.

All oil and gas exploratory sites need permits under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (EPRs).

As part of the application process for an environmental permit operators must provide a site condition report detailing the condition of the site prior to the commencement of any operations. This will include the condition of air, surface and groundwater quality, and the prevailing soil quality. It will provide the baseline data that will be used to determine if there has been any deterioration in the land when an operator applies to the Environment Agency to surrender the permit. The Environment Agency will assess this data against its environmental databases and those of others, such as the survey recently conducted by the British Geological Survey to establish baseline levels of methane in groundwater.

It is the operator's responsibility to comply with the conditions of the permit, including any specified monitoring conditions. The permit will specify the type, frequency and determinants to be monitored throughout the operational life of the site. The Environment Agency may undertake spot checks and carry out additional monitoring.

The Environment Agency has the powers under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (EPRs) to require baseline monitoring of groundwater and air quality for each site proposing to undertake hydraulic fracturing.

All oil and gas exploratory sites need permits under the EPRs. Any requirements for baseline monitoring would be made pre-operational conditions of the environmental permit with which the operator has to comply before hydraulic fracturing can commence.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that in vitro fertilisation treatment in the United Kingdom has been tightly regulated since 1991 with the establishment of the HFEA. The regulatory scheme ensures that treatment is as safe as possible.

HM Treasury does not have responsibility for the monitoring of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has policy responsibility for the scheme and is the sole shareholder of the British Business Bank (BBB), which administers the scheme for BIS. The BBB monitors the scheme and collects information on lenders’ performance. HM Treasury does not collect this information.

HM Treasury was made aware of mis-selling concerns in relation to the operation of the scheme by RBS in February 2014 when allegations of mis-selling were first made. BIS intensified its oversight of the scheme and the wider problems at RBS that are now in the public domain were subsequently uncovered. BIS have kept HMT officials informed of their progress.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for BIS have regular discussions about a wide range of issues, including about Government funding schemes where necessary.

HM Treasury ministers and officials hold meetings with external organisations in the normal course of business to discuss a wide range of issues relating to financial services, which would from time to time include those lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. In line with the Government’s aim of making this process transparent, the full list of meetings between Treasury ministers and external organisations is published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel. It would not be appropriate to disclose the contents of those meetings.

HM Treasury does not have responsibility for the monitoring of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has policy responsibility for the scheme and is the sole shareholder of the British Business Bank (BBB), which administers the scheme for BIS. The BBB monitors the scheme and collects information on lenders’ performance. HM Treasury does not collect this information.

HM Treasury was made aware of mis-selling concerns in relation to the operation of the scheme by RBS in February 2014 when allegations of mis-selling were first made. BIS intensified its oversight of the scheme and the wider problems at RBS that are now in the public domain were subsequently uncovered. BIS have kept HMT officials informed of their progress.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for BIS have regular discussions about a wide range of issues, including about Government funding schemes where necessary.

HM Treasury ministers and officials hold meetings with external organisations in the normal course of business to discuss a wide range of issues relating to financial services, which would from time to time include those lenders participating in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. In line with the Government’s aim of making this process transparent, the full list of meetings between Treasury ministers and external organisations is published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel. It would not be appropriate to disclose the contents of those meetings.