The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support the recruitment of examiners for Gujarati GCSE and A level examinations; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write to you. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to monitor whether the number of refugee places for victims of domestic violence is increasing or decreasing.
Mr Marcus Jones
We have invested over £280,000 in UK Refuges on Line (UKROL) to monitor the number of refuge bedspaces around the country to ensure that victims get the support that they need. It will also ensure victims calling the National Domestic Violence Helpline looking for refuge get additional help in finding the support they need.
Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that shatters lives. That is why we are committed to ensuring that no victim is turned away from the support they need. To support this ambition, we have committed long term fund of £40 million over the next four years which will offer support to victims of domestic abuse. This increased funding, which triples our funding in the last spending period, complements Government’s wider approach and support for violence against women and children’s services, which will be set out in the forthcoming refresh of the Strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26406, how much is included in the Business Rate Retention Scheme funding stream to reflect the changes to the payment of Bus Service Operators Grant that were introduced in 2013.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Following the 2013 changes to the Bus Service Operator’s Grant (BSOG) system, the Department no longer pays BSOG in respect of bus services in London. Instead, the amount that had previously been paid out under the BSOG scheme (some £90m in 2011/2012) was taken into account in determining the amount of funding received by the Greater London Authority under the Business Rate Retention Scheme introduced in 2013. This money is not ring-fenced and it is a matter for the Mayor to determine how it is spent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a visitor to the UK from another European Economic area state who is not in possession of an EHIC card can register as a temporary patient with a GP practice and receive treatment free of charge.
Alistair Burt
Possession of a European Health Insurance Card is not required to register with a practice. Anyone can seek to register as a National Health Service patient with a general practitioner (GP) practice by approaching one directly and submitting a written and signed application. A practice cannot legally refuse to register someone because they do not possess identification or documents.
Individual GP practices can have a policy where they ask prospective patients to provide identification, however they must ensure that this is applied to all patients and not done in a discriminatory manner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department reserved in the HS2 budget for compensation to train operating companies in the form of (a) Schedule 4 payments, (b) Schedule 8 payments and (c) otherwise.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Compensation to train operating companies is included in the overall budget for HS2 of £55.7 billion (in 2015 prices) as established as part of SR15. Whilst the budget includes an allocation of costs for compensation to train operators, making these sums publicly available could affect our commercial position when negotiating with train operators.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green received a severance package following his resignation from the post of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Justin Tomlinson
The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 (Section 4 of Chapter 5) governs Ministerial severance payments. The legislation outlines the criteria upon which severance payments are made and how the amount is calculated.
The relevant section of the legislation can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/5/section/4
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for the family reunification process to be completed in (a) Calais, (b) Greece and (c) Italy in the latest period for which figures are available.
Mr Robert Goodwill
For unaccompanied refugee children accepted for transfer to the UK, transfer requests are generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. However transfer arrangements are set by the transferring member state who have six months to do so under the III Dublin Regulations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what verification process is used by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure that the level of arrears paid to workers using the self-correction process by employers found to be non-compliant with the (a) national minimum wage and (b) national living wage is a true reflection of the amount the workforce is owed.
Margot James
Where HM Revenue and Customs instructs employers to self-correct, the employer must declare details of the arrears subsequently paid to workers. HMRC perform checks before accepting that pay has been corrected.
HMRC take the circumstances of individual employers into account when instructing to self-correct. If the value of the arrears repaid does not reflect what HMRC expect based on the facts of the case, they can open an investigation to ensure that workers receive what they are owed. Where employers need assistance determining the value of the arrears owed, HMRC will work with them to ensure they get it right.
HMRC’s assurance process involves performing a sample check that arrears have been paid correctly. Workers are selected and contacted by telephone and correspondence to confirm that they have received the arrears they are owed, in the amount that the employer has reported.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons funding for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy is due to cease in March 2016.
Jane Ellison
NHS England has commissioned Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) procedures as part of its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) programme.
CtE schemes run in areas where the current evidence base on clinical and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment is insufficient to support routine funding, and where further research is unlikely to be forthcoming. In these circumstances, NHS England identifies funding for a CtE scheme to gather and support a review of the national clinical commissioning policy position. Each CtE scheme is funded on a time-limited basis, in just a small number of selected participating centres across England, with strict patient selection criteria.
The CtE programme is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which supports NHS England to identify the total number of patients that need to be treated under the scheme to answer the evaluation questions agreed. Schemes stop once the total planned number of patients has been treated and the data analysis can be concluded. In the case of the SDR scheme it is likely that the last patients will be treated by spring 2016.
The information provided directly by NHS England to stakeholders and participating centres in the SDR scheme has been consistently clear about the time limited nature of CtE and that the funding did not present a change to the current commissioning position of the treatment not being routinely funded by the NHS.
NHS England will continue to work closely with participating centres to ensure that messages are as clear as possible to families who may have wished to consider this treatment option.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of eligible patients across England received access in (1) 2013, and (2) 2014, to the full range of NICE approved tumour genetic testing for (1) breast cancer in NHS tertiary centres, (2) breast cancer in NHS secondary centres, (3) colorectal cancer in tertiary centres, (4) colorectal cancer in secondary centres, (5) lung cancer in tertiary centres, (6) lung cancer in secondary centres, (7) melanoma in tertiary centres, and (8) melanoma in secondary centres.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All NHS England commissioned secondary and tertiary hospitals will be able to collect blood and/or tissue samples for the purpose of genetic testing, depending on the sampling technique required. The testing itself is however usually undertaken by commissioned genetic laboratories, which will typically serve a catchment area much greater than the hospital in which they are based. There will usually be recommended criteria in place to guide National Health Service referrals for genetic testing.
In a small number of cases, usually for very rare conditions, a test may need to be sent away to a non commissioned laboratory, including some abroad and some falling within the private sector, to access expertise. Funding will, however, continue to be provided from NHS budgets.
The United Kingdom is also leading the world by using cutting edge technology in the form of whole genome sequencing to transform healthcare and health research. The Prime Minister launched the 100,000 Genomes Project to bring the benefits of genome sequencing to NHS patients. The Project will sequence 100,000 whole human genomes of NHS patients with cancer or a rare disease by the end of 2017. Eleven Genomic Medicine Centres have been established across the country and are recruiting patients to this landmark project. Otherwise, NHS England does not hold data on private or self-funded care or testing commissioned from either NHS or third party laboratories.
Information on the percentage of eligible patients who received access to genetic testing is not held by NHS England. Due to data protection requirements, detailed data on the reasons for referral for specific tests are not currently aggregated at national level.