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What impact does the Secretary of State believe the Downey decision will have on the Haass talks?
What impact does the Secretary of State believe the Downey decision will have on the Haass talks?
As the House has already heard, the Downey cases raises very serious issues. It is absolutely right that we all reflect on the consequences of that decision, and that there is a thorough investigation into the grave mistake by the PSNI which, I am afraid, led to the outcome in the case yesterday.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) name and (b) regiment was of the Royal Engineer whose repatriation parade was scheduled for 31 December 2013 but which was cancelled soon after; and for what reason the repatriation was not carried out in public.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) name and (b) regiment was of the Royal Engineer whose repatriation parade was scheduled for 31 December 2013 but which was cancelled soon after; and for what reason the repatriation was not carried out in public.
Captain Richard Holloway, Royal Engineers, 24 Commando Engineer Regiment was repatriated on 31 December 2013. The repatriation was carried out in private at the request of his family.
The Secretary of State will be aware of the delight with which the rebuilding of Newark academy has been greeted in Newark, yet the establishment of the free school at the same time seems to be competing for small numbers of students who are needed inside the maintained schools. How does he answer that charge?
The Secretary of State will be aware of the delight with which the rebuilding of Newark academy has been greeted in Newark, yet the establishment of the free school at the same time seems to be competing for small numbers of students who are needed inside the maintained schools. How does he answer that charge?
I will look closely at the particular case that the hon. Gentleman raises. I know that he has been an effective champion for good school provision in Newark, and I shall ensure that I look closely at the pupil numbers to which he alludes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were injured in Phase 1 and Phase 2 training in each quarter of 2012 and 2013; and how many of those soldiers were using the Pay to Dine system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were injured in Phase 1 and Phase 2 training in each quarter of 2012 and 2013; and how many of those soldiers were using the Pay to Dine system.
The number of injury incidents involving trainee soldiers in Phase 1 and 2 training in 2012 and 2013 is shown in the following table:
| Training
formation | January
to
March | April
to
June | July
to
September | October
to
December | |
| Initial
Training
Group | 2012 | 103 | 152 | 144 | 146 |
| School
of
Infantry | 2012 | 69 | 60 | 68 | 76 |
| Initial
Training
Group | 2013 | 145 | 150 | 85 | 85 |
| School
of
Infantry | 2013 | 77 | 49 | 73 | 108 |
The figures for Initial Training Group show Phase 1 recruits only. The totals include any reported injury, irrespective of level of seriousness.
No Phase 1 or Infantry Phase 2 recruits are on the ‘Pay As You Dine’ system. All Phase 1 and 2 recruits are provided with three nutritionally-balanced meals per day. Phase 1 recruits may receive a ‘fourth meal’ supplement during training to provide the additional calorific intake they require during that period.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received suggesting that a significant proportion of soldiers injured during training were undernourished as a result of the introduction of the Pay to Dine system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received suggesting that a significant proportion of soldiers injured during training were undernourished as a result of the introduction of the Pay to Dine system.
The Ministry of Defence has no evidence to support the claim that soldiers are undernourished as a result of the Pay As You Dine system. Nutrition is fundamental to military personnel's physical capability. We strive to ensure that our catering, including that provided through Pay As You Dine, delivers the required quality of service, and that healthy food choices are offered to provide the required calorific and nutritional intake for our soldiers. Soldiers undergoing Phase 1 training and those in Infantry Phase 2 training are not on the Pay As You Dine system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what responsibility the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has for Crimean War graves in (a) Turkey and (b) Ukraine;
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what responsibility the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has for Crimean War graves in (a) Turkey and (b) Ukraine;
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established in 1917 and is funded to provide a permanent official commemoration for those who died in the two world wars and associated conflicts (4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921 and 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947). This includes graves of British personnel who gave their lives during the British campaign in the Baltic during 1918-19.
Before the first world war and during the inter world war years, the burying of the deceased was traditionally a function of the Ship, Regiment or Unit to which they belonged or of the individual's family. No formal assistance was offered by the then Admiralty, War Office or Air Ministry and over the succeeding years, only a limited number of such graves have been maintained by the Ministry of Defence. These are usually in a military cemetery funded by the Ministry of Defence where failure to maintain all of the graves to the same standard would detract from the overall appearance of the cemetery.
(2) what responsibility the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has for Baltic campaign war graves in the Baltic region.
Patrick Mercer:
(2) what responsibility the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has for Baltic campaign war graves in the Baltic region.
Patrick Mercer:
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established in 1917 and is funded to provide a permanent official commemoration for those who died in the two world wars and associated conflicts (4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921 and 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947). This includes graves of British personnel who gave their lives during the British campaign in the Baltic during 1918-19.
Before the first world war and during the inter world war years, the burying of the deceased was traditionally a function of the Ship, Regiment or Unit to which they belonged or of the individual's family. No formal assistance was offered by the then Admiralty, War Office or Air Ministry and over the succeeding years, only a limited number of such graves have been maintained by the Ministry of Defence. These are usually in a military cemetery funded by the Ministry of Defence where failure to maintain all of the graves to the same standard would detract from the overall appearance of the cemetery.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is planning to give to support the building of memorials in Ukraine to commemorate the UK's casualties in the Crimean War.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is planning to give to support the building of memorials in Ukraine to commemorate the UK's casualties in the Crimean War.
The Defence Attaché and British embassy in Kyiv are continuing to work with the Ukrainian Government, and the Crimean War Memorial Appeal, to erect a new memorial near the village of Dergachi.
This privately funded memorial is intended to become the main focus of commemoration for British visitors, with the current memorial site at Cathcart Hill being simplified to become a place for quiet contemplation.
It has been a long standing policy of successive Governments that the cost of erecting memorials and associated projects is not usually met from public funds, but from private donations or public subscription. Responsibility for the design, location, maintenance, protection and any decision about what a memorial commemorates rests with the owner, or the organisation in which ownership is vested.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications have been (a) received and (b) granted for bursaries under the National Scholarship Programme in the last three years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications have been (a) received and (b) granted for bursaries under the National Scholarship Programme in the last three years.
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Institutions involved in the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) use a variety of different approaches to deciding who should receive an award. Independent evaluation of the NSP found that most institutions who responded to an online survey required some or all of their potential recipients to go through an application process. The Department has no information on the number of students who applied to their university or college for an NSP award. In 2012/13, around 35,000 students received an NSP award from their university or college.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when she expects her Department's targeted consultation on child neglect to be completed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when she expects her Department's targeted consultation on child neglect to be completed.
I am replying as this area of the law (The Children and Young Persons Act 1933) is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
I have asked my officials to report to me before the end of the year and will then consider next steps.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that students are not deterred from higher education on financial grounds.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that students are not deterred from higher education on financial grounds.
For the 2013/14 academic year, eligible English domiciled full-time higher education students are able to apply for tuition loans of up to £9,000 (or up to £6,000 at privately-funded universities). Part-time students are able to apply for tuition loans of up to £6,750 (or up to £4,500 at privately-funded universities).
A comprehensive package of living costs support is also available to full-time students, including means-tested non-repayable maintenance grants of up to £3,354, and partly means-tested maintenance loans of up to £5,500 (up to £7,675 for students living away from home and studying in London; and up to £4,375 for students living at home).
Extra financial support is available to full-time students with children or other dependants—through childcare grants, parents' learning allowances and adult dependants' grants. These grants are income assessed and do not have to be repaid.
Disabled students allowances are also available to help full-time and part-time students with the extra costs they may incur on their course because of a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty. These are not income assessed and do not have to be repaid.
Data published by UCAS show the proportion of 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university for entry in the 2013/14 academic year has increased to the highest level ever recorded.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Department's publication Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011, what plans she has to take further action in order to ensure the UK is compliant with the Council of Europe's Convention on the...
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Department's publication Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011, what plans she has to take further action in order to ensure the UK is compliant with the Council of Europe's Convention on the...
The UK signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse in May 2008. An initial examination suggests that the UK is compliant with the vast majority of the Convention's articles, but there are a small number of articles which require further assessment before the UK is in a position to ratify the Convention. In addition to work on the Convention, the Government has set out a comprehensive programme to tackle sexual violence in the action plan of the Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People National Group.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service on his Department's Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service on his Department's Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011.
The Department for Education published progress reports in July 2012 and in November 2012, setting out the progress made by all agencies, including the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Home Office assumed responsibility for leading the response to child sexual exploitation in April 2013. The National Policing lead has developed a further plan of action for the police to tackle child sexual exploitation which sets out measures all forces need to take to effectively tackle this issue. This plan has been published on the Association of Chief Police Officers website. The College of Policing and the Director of Private Prosecutions launched a public consultation on revised guidance for sexual violence victims on 11 June which ran until September. The new guidance is designed to ensure that victims are listened to, and that consideration by the police and others should focus on the credibility of the allegation, rather than the credibility of the victim.
We have improved the experience of victims in the criminal justice system by launching a new criminal justice strategy and action plan including significant measures to improve the court process for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. This follows the announcement on 11 June to pilot measures for recorded pre-trial cross-examination of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.
In my experience, inquiries about recruiting by no means turn into enlistments. Everything we have heard suggests that the recruiting for the reserves will be difficult. Was it therefore correct for our regular forces redundancy programme to have gone ahead with the urgency that it did?
In my experience, inquiries about recruiting by no means turn into enlistments. Everything we have heard suggests that the recruiting for the reserves will be difficult. Was it therefore correct for our regular forces redundancy programme to have gone ahead with the urgency that it did?
Perhaps my hon. Friend did not hear me earlier. I was not talking about inquiries; I was talking about 1,576 applications to join the Army Reserve
in the first four weeks of the campaign. The simple fact is that if we are to live within our budgets and restructure the Army for its tasks in the future, the decisions we made about the size and shape of the regular Army must go forward, and the recruitment and training of 30,000 Army reserves must happen. We will make sure that they do so.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has been having with her European counterparts on the renegotiation of the non-refoulement aspect to Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights since May 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has been having with her European counterparts on the renegotiation of the non-refoulement aspect to Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights since May 2010.
The Government is committed to upholding its international obligations towards those who need our protection. This includes respecting the principle of non-refoulement by not removing a person to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution, or torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
We continue to engage constructively with our European counterparts on all aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights to ensure that the right balance is struck between upholding the rights of individuals and ensuring the security of the public.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department's dementia toolkit will be published.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department's dementia toolkit will be published.
The Department has commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) to develop a Dementia Roadmap Toolkit which will provide a 'one stop' navigational aid for GPs which describes what GPs should do at different points during a person's journey through dementia and provides a single point of information which sets out what wider support, services are available for people with dementia, their families and carers.
The Dementia Toolkit is expected to be published in May 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will make a decision on whether to introduce standardised packaging on tobacco products.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will make a decision on whether to introduce standardised packaging on tobacco products.
The Government has decided to wait before making a decision on standardised packaging. This policy remains under active consideration.
I am sure that the House will agree that we can only admire the way in which the Police Service of Northern Ireland handled the crowd disturbances during the summer, but is the Secretary of State convinced that the PSNI would have the resources to deal adequately with any armed disturbances that might occur, as they could do at any moment?
I am sure that the House will agree that we can only admire the way in which the Police Service of Northern Ireland handled the crowd disturbances during the summer, but is the Secretary of State convinced that the PSNI would have the resources to deal adequately with any armed disturbances that might occur, as they could do at any moment?
Yes, I believe the PSNI does have the means and resources to deal with street violence in Northern Ireland. We keep these matters under constant review, but we supplemented PSNI funding by £200 million in the last spending review and will supplement it by £31 million in the next spending review. The provision of expensive mutual aid from GB police forces proved to be extremely successful during this summer’s parading season.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what consideration he has given to the introduction of (a) exclusion zones and (b) minimum separation distances between large scale groups of wind turbines and the nearest residential properties;
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what consideration he has given to the introduction of (a) exclusion zones and (b) minimum separation distances between large scale groups of wind turbines and the nearest residential properties;
The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily and makes clear that a planning application for renewable energy should be approved only if the impact is, or can be made, acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework also makes clear that great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
To help implement the framework, we published new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy. The guidance is clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local people. It also underlines that in shaping local criteria for inclusion in local plans, and considering applications in the meantime, proposals for wind turbines in areas close to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty will need careful consideration where there could be an adverse impact on the protected area.
The guidance explains that local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones or separation distances. This is because other than when dealing with set back distances for safety, distance of itself does not necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable. Distance plays a part, but so does the local context including factors such as topography, the local environment and
nearby land uses. This is why it is important to think about in what circumstances proposals are likely to be acceptable and plan on this basis.
(2) what consideration he has given to the introduction of exclusion zones for wind turbines in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Patrick Mercer:
(2) what consideration he has given to the introduction of exclusion zones for wind turbines in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Patrick Mercer:
The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily and makes clear that a planning application for renewable energy should be approved only if the impact is, or can be made, acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework also makes clear that great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
To help implement the framework, we published new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy. The guidance is clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local people. It also underlines that in shaping local criteria for inclusion in local plans, and considering applications in the meantime, proposals for wind turbines in areas close to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty will need careful consideration where there could be an adverse impact on the protected area.
The guidance explains that local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones or separation distances. This is because other than when dealing with set back distances for safety, distance of itself does not necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable. Distance plays a part, but so does the local context including factors such as topography, the local environment and
nearby land uses. This is why it is important to think about in what circumstances proposals are likely to be acceptable and plan on this basis.