The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the UK remaining in the EU on the farming industry.
George Eustice
Defra has not made any assessment of the UK remaining in the EU on the farming industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what lessons were learned from the universal credit scheme pilot; and what changes have been put in place as a result of those lessons.
Priti Patel
The Department published a series of reports on Universal Credit. The latest can be found here:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has held with patients affected by muscle-wasting conditions on the benefits of cough assist machines.
Ben Gummer
The provision of cough assist machines is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Clinically led CCGs have independence and autonomy to make commissioning decisions for local populations, taking into account the available evidence and individual circumstances, as appropriate.
The evidence base to demonstrate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the use of cough assist machines in muscle-wasting conditions is not well established. In order to improve the evidence base, the National Institute for Health Research, which is funded through the Department, is seeking to commission research on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mechanical cough assist devices compared to other methods of sputum clearance. The deadline for outline proposals was 21 January 2016 with full proposals expected for consideration in July.
NHS England has been working with Muscular Dystrophy UK through the Bridging the Gap project to address areas of concern raised by patients and their representatives, one of which is the provision of cough assist machines. The establishment of Bridging the Gap was supported with just under £600,000 awarded by the Department through its Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund. Through this work, a number of CCGs have now developed commissioning policies which set out the circumstances in which to consider these devices based on one developed by Walsall CCG, which has been shared nationally as an example of good practice by Muscular Dystrophy UK.
On 26 April 2016, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, met with Muscular Dystrophy UK and a number of patient representatives specifically to hear their concerns about the provision of cough assist machines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-06-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the discussion paper on options for supporting English regional airports from the potential impacts of air passenger duty devolution, published in July 2015.
Damian Hinds
The Government is carefully considering the responses received to the discussion paper on options to support English regional airports from the potential impacts of air passenger duty devolution and will respond in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals related to the recommendations of the Law Commission’s report on level crossings, published in September 2013.
Paul Maynard
We welcome the Law Commission’s recommendations on the reform of level crossing legislation, the majority of which we accepted. We are considering opportunities to take measures we accepted forward through primary legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 19 of the Children’s Society Report entitled the cost of being care free: the impact of poor financial education and removal of support on care leavers, published in 2016, what plans he has to better protect care leavers.
Damian Hinds
We are grateful for this report focusing on care leavers from the Children’s Society, and for their recommendations, which we will consider as part of our continuous review of sanctions policy to ensure the process functions effectively and fairly. I can assure you that where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.
For care leavers, as with other claimants, the sanctions process encourages them to prepare for or find work, by meeting their agreed commitments based on their individual circumstances and capabilities, as set out in their Claimant Commitment. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions care leavers have agreed to undertake. The consequences and implications of not meeting any agreed requirement are clearly set out and explained to them.
A decision to apply a sanction is not taken lightly, and claimants are given the opportunity to provide a good reason for not complying before the decision is made.
Our primary goal is to help care leavers get into work wherever possible and they receive tailored, locally-appropriate employment support at the earliest opportunity to achieve this.
Care leavers, like all claimants, take ownership of planning how they will meet their requirements and ultimately secure employment. They will be supported by their Work Coach who will assist them in meeting their requirements through providing encouragement and direction, using a range of communication methods. Work Coaches support all claimants who require additional support to ensure that they fully understand what they have been asked to do to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what precedents there are in government for conducting a review of a similar nature to Lord Strathclyde’s review of the powers of the House of Lords.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston):
Lord Strathclyde is being supported in his review by a panel of external experts and a small secretariat of civil servants in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat does not include political advisers. The expert panel comprises Sir Stephen Laws, former First Parliamentary Counsel; Jacqy Sharpe, a former Clerk in the House of Commons and Clerk to the Joint Committee on Conventions; and Sir Michael Pownall, former Clerk of the Parliaments.
Several reviews have examined the powers of the House of Lords, including the Royal Commission on the reform of the House of Lords (2000) and the Joint Committee on Conventions referenced above (2006).
The review led by Lord Strathclyde is due to consider how to protect the ability of elected Governments to secure their business in Parliament in the light of the operation of certain conventions. The review will consider in particular how to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to its primacy on financial matters; and secondary legislation.
Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.
Lord Strathclyde will determine the way in which the review is undertaken and the content of his recommendations, including any definitions required. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the exercise at this stage, but neither Lord Strathclyde nor his panel of experts will be paid a fee. Lord Strathclyde is expected to seek views from a wide range of Parliamentarians, parties and groups in undertaking his review, and has issued a letter to all Parliamentarians inviting their input. He is also seeking views from the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Clerk of the House. Lord Strathclyde will report to the Prime Minister, and the Government will decide how to proceed upon receipt of his recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a limit on the size of personal, or company, donations to political parties.
Lord Bridges of Headley
We remain committed to negotiating a comprehensive cross-party reform agreement, including donations from all funding sources including trade unions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether an incident of sectarian violence against Protestant families took place in Chiapas, Mexico, on 4 January; and what representations they have made about that incident to the government of Mexico.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While British officials in Mexico City have not yet been in touch with the Mexican authorities on this specific reported incident, our Embassy has for some time been in touch with a range of Mexico and UK-based non-government organisations about discriminatory violence against Protestant families in Chiapas. The most recent reported incident on 4 January seems to suggest an escalation in this violence. Our Embassy also regularly lobbies to ensure the perpetrators of all crimes are brought to justice and that all minority groups are respected and, where appropriate, offered protection.
We continually raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief in bilateral and multilateral fora. This forms a core part of our human rights work and we frequently raise security and human rights concerns with Mexico. For example, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron); the then Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed human rights issues during the State Visit of President Enrique Peña Nieto to the UK in March 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with counterparts in the Cabinet Office on the privatisation of Channel 4 in each year since 2010.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Ministers and officials regularly meet with counterparts in other departments to discuss a range of issues. Historic records of internal government meetings are not kept.