Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made since 11 November 2014 in sourcing additional ray and skate quotas through international swaps.
Answered by George Eustice
The Marine Management Organisation, on behalf of the Government, is continuing to try to secure international quota swaps from other Member States, but the quotas are in short supply and there are currently no pending swaps to bring skate and ray quotas into the UK.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues on the definition of severe in relation to the effect on traffic levels for the use of (a) local planning authorities and (b) the National Planning Inspectorate.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Guidance on undertaking Transport Assessments and Statements has been set out in the Planning Practice Guidance for everyone using the planning system, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate.
It is for the local planning authority in considering planning applications or the Planning Inspector in considering planning appeals to consider whether improvements can be undertaken within the transport network that cost effectively limit the significant impact of the development on traffic levels, and determine whether the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the policy is of the Army Foundation College, Harrogate on providing a discharge form to any trainee soldier aged under 18 who asks to leave the army; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that policy.
Answered by Philip Dunne
A trainee soldier under the age of 18 wishing to exercise their statutory right to discharge from Army Foundation College Harrogate does so in accordance with standard procedures.
Once a recruit has expressed such an intent to their Platoon Commander, they complete, with appropriate guidance, an Application for Premature Voluntary Release Form, supported by a letter. They are interviewed by their Platoon and Company Commanders, with confirmation that their parent or guardian has been informed of the pending discharge and is content to take over responsibility for the individual. The recruit is given a one-day Career Guidance Workshop, where a team of qualified guidance counsellors help early leavers decide on their next steps.
The recruit receives an Early Service Leaver Resettlement Brief and has a final interview with the Commanding Officer before the administrative process is finalised and completed.
I am attaching a copy of the Flow Diagram which shows the steps taken during this process, together with Army Form B 132A, Application For Premature Voluntary Release.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all new trainees aged under 18 at all army training establishments are informed on arrival (a) orally and (b) in writing that they have a right of discharge at any point up until their 18th birthday.
Answered by Anna Soubry
All Army recruits under the age of 18 are repeatedly informed both verbally and in writing of their statutory right of discharge, during enlistment and training.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the policy is of the Army Foundation College, Harrogate on allowing all soldiers to access welfare services on their own initiative at any time during their training; and if he will place in the Library a copy of all written policies concerning access to welfare services in that college.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The essential role that welfare services play in the training, development and retention of recruits under 18 is emphasised in the Army Foundation College Supervisory Care Directive. Every effort is made to ensure that access to welfare and pastoral care is available to recruits at all times. The Supervisory Care Directive is currently being reviewed. Once the review is complete the document will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on discharging a soldier aged under 18 if parental consent to enlistment is withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anna Soubry
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr Robathan) on 7 February 2011, (Official Report, columns 26-7W) to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton).
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how his Department plans to respond to Iraq's statement at the First Assembly of the UN General Assembly, requesting help from the international community for research into and decontamination of depleted uranium.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of the request made by the Government of Iraq during its statement to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October for Member States and relevant international organisations to conduct research into the impact of exposure to depleted uranium (DU) ammunition on human health and the environment and possible methods of treatment. We are conscious that some nations, international organisations and individuals are concerned that there may be a link between the use of DU ammunition and certain medical conditions. This is an issue taken very seriously by the Government. Scientific literature, including that of the Royal Society, the European Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organisation, contains a substantial number of reports which indicate that DU has not been shown to have, and indeed is very unlikely to have, any significant impact on the health of the local population or on the veterans of conflicts in which these munitions are used.Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will increase funding from the Better Care Fund to improve the transition of community services in Devon.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Better Care Fund is a pooled budget of £3.8 billion to be spent on integrating Health and Social care. Local areas will decide how best to use their funding to transform the provision of services to their communities, both improving outcomes for people, and driving efficiencies.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of how many infant pupils (a) are eligible to receive pupil premium and (b) have been registered to receive pupil premium in the school year 2014-15.
Answered by David Laws
Pupil premium funding is allocated to state-funded schools for each financial year rather than by school year, primarily on the basis of the number of pupils recorded in the January school census as having been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. A smaller proportion of pupils attract the pupil premium on the basis of being looked after, or having left care through adoption or under a Special Guardianship, Residence or Child Arrangements Order.
The Department for Education has published illustrative pupil premium funding allocations for the financial year 2014-15, based on census data from 2013. Final allocations for 2014-15 will be published later in the year, based on pupil data gathered through the January 2014 school census and the spring 2014 children looked after data return (and also the October 2014 school census, for adopted and other previously looked after pupils who were not recorded as such in the January 2014 school census).
From the data on which the published illustrative allocations for 2014-15 are based, the Department estimates that 430,350 pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 will attract pupil premium funding on the basis of having been registered for FSM at any point in the last 6 years.
Pupil premium final allocations for the financial year 2015-16 will be based on pupil data gathered through the forthcoming January 2015 school census and the spring 2015 children looked after data return. Final allocations for 2015-16 will be published towards the end of 2015. To ensure we have the best estimates, we are working with primary schools and local authorities so that registration rates for benefits-related FSM are maintained for pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 classes.
Asked by: Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to support the tourist industry in North Devon.
Answered by Helen Grant
Both VisitBritain and VisitEngland actively promote North Devon as part of their marketing campaigns. The forthcoming £3 million ‘Countryside is GREAT’ campaign is due to be launched in 2015 and will feature UK national parks, including Exmoor. North Devon has also benefited from a number of VisitEngland’s recent Growing Tourism Locally Programme thematic marketing campaigns, funded through the Regional Growth Fund, and including Outdoor Activities and the English Seaside Campaigns.