Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of careers in aviation that will be created by Project TELUM.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The number of careers in aviation required to fulfil the Project TELUM requirements will be a matter for the successful bidder for the contract.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the Project TELUM training sites will be located.
Answered by James Heappey
The training sites that will be utilised under Project TELUM have yet to be confirmed. However, given that the project is to replace and enhance an existing capability, it is likely that they will mirror current locations. These are:
Flying Station Aldergrove
RAF Benson
Boscombe Down Airfield
RAF Cosford
RAF Cranwell
Glasgow Airport
Leuchars Station
RAF Leeming
St Athan airfield
RAF Wittering
RAF Woodvale
AAC Middle Wallop
RNAS Yeovilton
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on providing live flight experiences to all members of the RAF Air Cadets.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing live flying opportunities to Royal Air Force Air Cadets and Combined Cadet Force (Royal Air Force) cadets and aims to provide each cadet with one 20-minute flight per year, subject to them meeting the necessary medical requirements.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the RAF Air Cadets are trained through Air Experience Flights each year.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Data on the number of individuals undertaking flights is not held centrally, however, the number of flying hours flown by cadets is recorded and can be found in the table below:
Financial Year | Hours flown |
2014-15 | 10,144 |
2015-16 | 10,649 |
2016-17 | 10,268 |
2017-18 | 9,102 |
2018-19 | 9,360 |
Up to three cadets can complete a flight during one hour, depending on several factors that may include but are not limited to, an individual’s fitness to fly and weather conditions.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the gender ratio is of Air Cadets who receive an Air Experience Flight; and what that ratio was at the start of the current Air Experience Flight contract.
Answered by James Heappey
Royal Air Force Air Cadets does not collate information regarding the gender of cadets who participate in Air Experience Flights.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people moved home and paid Stamp Duty between 1 April and 7 July 2020; and how much revenue was collected in Stamp Duty during that period.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The precise statistics requested are not readily available as stamp duty transactions and revenue are derived on a monthly basis.
HM Revenue and Customs have published Official Statistics for the months in question. The “Monthly property transactions completed in the UK with value of £40,000 or above” publication contains the residential transaction figures, and the “HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK” publication contains the SDLT receipts figures. More specific information would only be available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the R value is for the South West; if he will publish any localised variation in that R value; what estimate he has made of future trends in the R value for the South West; what assessment he has made of the cause of the recent increase in the South West R value; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Office for Science currently publishes the latest estimates of R in NHS England regions on a weekly basis and these are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk
Regional R estimates are more uncertain and variability in the data means they are more likely to fluctuate from one week to the next.
Estimates of R for geographies smaller than regional level are less reliable and it is more appropriate to identify local hotspots through, for example, monitoring numbers of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. Because of this, it is the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ view that estimating R for such small geographies would not provide meaningful insight, so the Government does not intend to publish more localised estimates.
We do not produce forecasts of future trends in the value of R at either national or regional level.
The Joint Biosecurity Centre will support local authorities and Public Health Directors to develop local outbreak plans. Working with Public Health England, we will provide an outbreak management toolkit to contain an infection. This will also include agreed triggers and escalation routes to regional or national decision makers if an outbreak is not containable locally.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to take account of the needs of people with dementia in his long term plans for social care reform.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s number one priority for adult social care is for everyone who relies on care to get the care they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are committed to bringing forward a plan for social care to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and to find long term solutions for one of the biggest challenges we face as a society.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will grant Hong Kong Locally Employed Personnel who were full members of the UK armed services before 1997 the same immigration status as applies to Ghurka soldiers.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Under the British Nationality Selection Scheme introduced in 1990, a limited number of Hong Kong Military Service Corps personnel who were settled in Hong Kong could apply to register as a British citizen. The Scheme ran until 1 July 1997.
The Immigration Rules which apply to those who have served in the Brigade of Gurkhas were introduced on the basis of the unique nature of the Gurkhas’ service.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of Public Health England about Fairways Care Home in Chippenham, Wiltshire; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that staff of that home have access to testing for covid-19; where the nearest covid-19 testing centre is to that home; what steps those staff should take to prevent the spread of covid-19 in that home in the event that they are not routinely tested; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The local Health Protection Team undertakes a joint risk assessment with care homes reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, as part of its routine procedures. We have launched the whole care home testing portal which will enable all symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents to get tested. We have the capacity to deliver up to 30,000 tests a day. For staff who are self-isolating they can book a test online or be referred by their employer through the employer referral portal. Tests can be booked online at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test
Public Health England has published clear guidance on infection prevention and control within care homes which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance#adult-social-care