The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will meet the Leader of the House to discuss when the Government will next convene the Northern Ireland Grand Committee.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
I would be happy to meet my Rt hon Friend the Leader of the House to discuss convening a meeting of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee if there is cross-party support for me doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the School Direct programme is ensuring a sufficient supply of teachers for schools in England.
Lord Nash
Teaching continues to represent an attractive choice for top graduates and career changers – last year we recruited over 1,000 more secondary teachers than the previous year, and we exceeded our target for new primary teachers.
Our best schools have a crucial role to play in training the next generation of outstanding teachers. That is why we introduced the School Direct training programme, which gives schools the opportunity to recruit and select their own trainee teachers, and to play a central part in both the design and delivery of teacher training. School Direct is only one of a range of routes through which new teachers can choose to train.
We initially piloted the School Direct programme with a cohort of 351 trainees in the academic year 2012/13; thanks to its popularity with schools the scheme rapidly expanded to deliver 6,676 training places the following year. This has continued to rise each year, and provisional data show that 10,252 trainees have commenced School Direct programmes in the current academic year. This represents 39 per cent of all postgraduate teacher training places in the current year, and makes a significant contribution to the 51 per cent of all postgraduate training places that are now school-led.
We recognise that recruitment to teacher training is becoming increasingly challenging as the economy improves and the graduate labour market strengthens. That is why we are giving schools greater direct involvement in selecting and training the high-quality teachers they need.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on Principle 1.1 of the coalition document The Compact of the new Cabinet Office policy on charitable campaigning for charities in receipt of government grant funding, published on 6 February.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The new clause is compatible with the Compact because it does not restrict the rights of charities to campaign on behalf of their beneficiaries. What it rightly prevents is this being done with a government grant funded by taxpayers’ money, and given for a different purpose.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) the European Commission on the potential effects of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on (i) animal welfare standards, (ii) environmental protection and (iii) food standards.
George Eustice
The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a range of trade matters with Ministerial colleagues.
BIS Ministers lead UK engagement on TTIP supported by Defra on issues including animal welfare standards, environmental protection and food standards. The Food Standards Agency considers issues around food safety. These subjects were considered during Cabinet agreement of the UK’s priorities for TTIP. I have held discussions about TTIP with the European Commission and other Member States at Council meetings.
Ministerial colleagues and I addressed environmental protection issues in detail in the Government’s written evidence to the recent House of Common’s Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into TTIP.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.
Mark Lancaster
This information is not held in the format requested.
In April 2010 and January 2016 there were less than 10 Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel employed at locations within the Unitary Authority of Cheshire East.
Full details of how the planned reductions in MOD civilian staff numbers announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 will be profiled over the next five years are not yet available and will be developed as programmes mature.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37441, what the name is of each of the 27 hospitals supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.
Ben Gummer
The following 27 health systems and the hospitals within these are supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team via the Emergency Care Improvement Programme:
– Stoke & Staffordshire: County Hospital; Royal Stoke University Hospital
– Shropshire: Royal Shrewsbury Hospital; Princess Royal Hospital
– North Northamptonshire & Corby: Kettering General Hospital
– Coventry & Rugby: University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
– Worcestershire: Worcestershire Royal Hospital; Alexandra Hospital
– Wirral: Arrowe Park
– Lincolnshire: Lincoln County Hospital; Grantham District Hospital; Pilgrim Hospital
– Hull & East Riding: Hull Royal Hospital; Castle Hill Hospital
– North Cumbria: Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle; West Cumberland Infirmary
– York & Scarborough: York Hospital; Scarborough Hospital
– Wakefield & North Kirklees: Pinderfields Hospital; Pontefract Hospital; Dewsbury and District Hospital
– Kernow: Royal Cornwall Hospital
– Kingston: Kingston Hospital
– Bromley Lambeth & Southwark: King’s College Hospital – Denmark Hill; King’s College Hospital – Princess Grace
– Wandsworth Sutton & Merton: St George’s Hospital; Queen Mary’s Roehampton
– Cambridge & Ely: Addenbrooke’s Hospital
– Portsmouth & South East Hampshire: Queen Alexandra Hospital
– Western Devon: Plymouth Dereford Hospital
– North Somerset & Medway: Weston General Hospital
– Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest & Newham: Royal London Hospital; Whipps Cross Hospital
– Brent & Harrow: Northwick Park Hospital
– Mid Essex: Broomfield Hospital
– Herts Valley & West Herts: Watford General Hospital
– North East Essex: Colchester General Hospital
– Brighton & Hove: Royal Sussex County Hospital
– East Kent: Kent and Canterbury Hospital; William Harvey Hospital; Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital
– Medway: Medway Hospital
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-07-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel in the light of remarks by the UN Secretary General following his visit to Israel on 28 June urging the Israeli Prime Minister to work towards a negotiated two-state solution.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government believes that a negotiated two-state solution is in the interests of both Israel and the Palestinians. While we do not plan to make specific representations to the Government of Israel about the remarks by the UN Secretary General, we will continue to work with our international partners, including the UN, in support of a two-state solution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that oncologists are able to routinely prescribe bisphosphonates for the indication of preventing secondary breast cancer before NICE guidelines on those drugs is published; and if he will make a statement.
Nicola Blackwood
The Independent Cancer Taskforce report included a specific recommendation on the use of adjuvant bisphosphonates for treating people with breast cancer. We understand that NHS England is working to realise the ambitions set out in the report and will publish an update on progress made soon.
National prescribing arrangements already allow for bisphosphonates to be prescribed for the prevention of secondary breast cancer.
Updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the use of adjuvant bisphosphonates for the management of breast cancer treatment-induced bone loss, taking into account the latest available evidence, is expected in July 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the governments of India and Nepal regarding protests and disruption at border crossings between those countries.
Mr Hugo Swire
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2015 (PQ 15614).
In addition to this answer, I discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Foreign Secretary during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United Kingdom.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to implement the review of staffing and deployment agreed with trades unions in February 2014.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regularly shares staffing data with the Trade Union Side (TUS) and has met them on many occasions since February 2014 to discuss matters including, but not limited to, staffing and deployment. A timeline was agreed with the TUS for these discussions to conclude on 23 September 2015 in order for them to ballot members on the position reached. Despite the final position on these talks being rejected by the TUS DVSA offered to continue discussions, on an ongoing basis, about staffing and deployment.
DVSA is currently engaged in talks via ACAS with the Prospect Union, who have suspended industrial action, and hopes to be able to do the same with the Public and Commercial Services Union.