Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the CPS on the potential grounds for prosecuting Phil Shiner for his role in making false allegations against members of the Armed Forces and the misuse of public funds.
Answered by Robert Buckland
I regularly meet the Director of Public Prosecutions at which we discuss a range of issues. In common with the practice adopted by previous administrations, I do not routinely comment on what is discussed at these meetings.
The conduct of criminal investigations is a matter for the police. Should the police wish to seek a charging decision from the CPS, the CPS will consider any papers supplied in accordance with the two stage test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors: firstly, is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, is a prosecution needed in the public interest.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Roman Catholic schools in contributing to social cohesion.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Catholic schools are popular and ethnically diverse. They make a positive contribution to our society and education system and are amongst the highest performing schools nationally We want more good schools and to more quality providers to establish them. Our consultation, Schools that Work for Everyone, is aimed at creating more good schools and improving social cohesion so that more young people have the chance to go as far as their talents will take them.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to align the goals of the apprenticeship levy with the Government's industrial strategy.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Industrial Strategy will have a strong focus on education and skills and apprenticeships will be an important part of the strategy. The apprenticeship levy will put funding on a sustainable footing while improving the technical and professional skills of the workforce, an important component of productivity.
We are well-placed to support the emerging Industrial Strategy and have already announced an increase in funding for STEM frameworks of 40% at level 2 and 80% at level 3. From April 2017, the Institute for Apprenticeships will work with employers to develop a better understanding of where apprenticeships can help address skills gaps.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what audit he has made of the performance of the Student Loans Company.
Answered by Lord Willetts
Each year the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Devolved Administrations set Student Loans Company (SLC) stretching performance measures which are confirmed in an Annual Performance and Resource Agreement (APRA) letter. BIS closely monitors SLC's performance against these measures throughout the year. Monitoring arrangements include formal quarterly reviews of SLC's performance which are conducted by Ministers and senior officials.
Each year the SLC publishes externally audited information on its performance in its Annual Report and Accounts. The APRA letter and SLC's Annual Report and Accounts are available on SLC's website: http://www.slc.co.uk/
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the Crown Prosecution Service about the 67 doctors who are accused of pre-signing abortion referral (HSA1) certificates.
Answered by Dominic Grieve
I have had no specific discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service about pre-signing of abortion forms by the 67 doctors.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the prevalence of the pre-signing of abortion (HSA1) certificates since the conclusion of the Care Quality Commission's 2012 investigations into abortion clinics.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) previously investigated the prevalence of the pre-signing of abortion (HSA1) certificates due to a specific request in 2012. The CQC has put in place information for its own staff to help identify if pre-signing or other instances of non-compliance are taking place to make sure that such cases would be picked up during inspections. This is in line with how the CQC would handle any information of concern identified during an inspection.
If a CQC inspection identifies pre-signing or other instances of non-compliance with the Health and Social Care Act and Regulations then appropriate regulatory action will be taken. This includes reporting any concerns in relation to termination of pregnancy practice to the Department. The Department has not received any notification of pre-signing of abortion certificates from the CQC since these inspections.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 380W, on developing countries: family planning, how much of her Department's budget has been allocated to achieving the outcomes in her Department's policy paper Safe and Unsafe Abortion in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
DFID adheres to Development Co-Operation Directorate (OACD-DAC) expenditure coding requirements to allow comparison across donor spending towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goal targets. This measures against coding titles as have been internationally agreed. Only coding titles as have been internationally agreed can be individually disaggregated by DFID systems.
Asked by: Julian Brazier (Conservative - Canterbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the General Medical Council about the pre-signing of abortion certificates since January 2012.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Departmental officials have met with the General Medical Council (GMC) on several occasions since February 2012 where abortion issues, including pre-signing of abortion HSA1 certificates, were discussed. In addition, I also met with the GMC recently to discuss abortion issues.