The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were destroyed following violent behaviour in each of the last three years.
George Eustice
The numbers of dogs destroyed as a result of being dangerously out of control (section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991) are not held centrally. Such records would be held by each police force.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of people living with HIV to experience continuity of HIV care across the numerous health services and providers that they access.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The National Health Service continues to offer world class Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment services.
In its role as the commissioner of specialised HIV care and treatment, NHS England has a service specification which emphasises the responsibility of commissioned providers to collaborate with other health, social care and third sector organisations as appropriate to help ensure the holistic needs of patients are met. This includes ensuring people living with HIV and other comorbidities have access and referral to appropriate services.
The effectiveness of HIV treatment means that more people will live well with HIV in old age. As people living with HIV get older, they will require access to services for the other conditions they may experience. Good communication with their HIV provider is important and this is required in the service specification.
In line with the Five Year Forward View, NHS England will continue to work closely with HIV organisations in order to inform its commissioning responsibilities with regard to specialised HIV care and treatment as well as ensuring primary and secondary health care services respond to the wider health needs of people living with HIV.
The Government’s Improvement Framework for Sexual Health includes the ambition that “older people with diagnosed HIV can access the additional health and social care services they need”. A copy is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had (a) with his international counterparts and (b) within international organisations on private sector marine vessels conducting armed anti-piracy operations in support of merchant shipping in international waters.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government has had no discussions with international counterparts on private sector marine vessels conducting deliberate operations against pirate vessels (i.e. ‘private navies’). The Government does however discuss the use of Vessel Based Armouries (VBAs) at the International Code of Conduct for Private security in Switzerland and with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). VBAs allow Private Maritime Security Companies to off-load and collect weapons from international waters before leaving and entering the High Risk Area for piracy. The UK Government only permits the use of armed guards on UK flagged vessels operating inside the East Africa/Indian Ocean ‘High Risk Area’ as defined by industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Pound on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will re-open the consultation on pharmacy dispensing models and displaying prices on medicines that closed on 17 May 2016 in order to allow respondents to take into account revised information on the safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing models.
Alistair Burt
The consultation on changes to medicines legislation including on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing did not rely on any specific safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing. Instead, the consultation document specifically asked consultees to provide evidence on the issue. Nevertheless, the responses to the consultation have raised issues around removing the bar on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing between retail pharmacies that are not part of the same business that the Department would like to explore in more detail with stakeholders’ representatives before progressing any legislation. It does not now envisage changes to the legislation on this issue commencing on 1 October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) groups and (b) individuals his Department has invited to work with the Government on developing a strategy for carbon capture and storage in the UK.
Jesse Norman
The Department continues to engage with the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry, including with individual developers and the CCS Association as well as others such as the Committee on Climate Change, on the next steps on CCS in the UK. The Department also continues to host the CCS Development Forum, which brings government and the CCS industry together.
In addition, BEIS officials are providing support to Lord Oxburgh’s CCS Advisory Group which will report to Government on their findings and recommendations on the future of CCS in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to raise the issue of stateless North Koreans with the government of China; and what steps they plan to take to aid stateless North Koreans in need if the government of China is unwilling to assist them.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports of thirty North Koreans being sent back to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) after a period of detention in China.
Despite claims by the DPRK authorities that forcibly repatriated refugees are well treated and reintegrated into DPRK society, reports suggest that they are often mistreated by the authorities.
We will raise the issue of non-refoulement at the next UK-China Human rights Dialogue, scheduled to take place this month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bates, Lord Faulks, and Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 September (HL2010, HL2011, HL2014), to what extent they are examining the potential use of Automatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The government currently has no plans to introduceAutomatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2015-11-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) undertakes monitoring or verification of the decisions of Concentrix in terminating tax credit payments to claimants; what mechanisms are in place to allow Concentrix to report back to HMRC on actions taken in individual cases; and whether those mechanisms have been used.
Mr David Gauke
I can confirm that HM Revenue and Customs closely monitors and verifies the decisions of Concentrix.
Full details can be found in the Contract, which is available to view here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/85d1b730-5e4e-4be8-ae4c-3ac1f359afc7
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bernard Jenkin on 2016-01-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK’s relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government’s priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding for cycling (a) London and (b) each of the cities which received Cycle City Ambition Grants received in 2014-15; and what the average level of such funding other areas received in that period.
Mr Robert Goodwill
CYCLE FUNDING FOR LONDON
The Department for Transport provides the Greater London Authority with a substantial transport grant for Transport for London (TfL). It is for TfL and ultimately the Mayor of London to decide how best to prioritise spending the grant.
CYCLING CITY FUNDING
|
CYCLING CITIES GRANT RECIPIENTS |
Region |
2013/14 capital (£m) |
2014/15 capital (£m) |
Total Funding Allocation for 2014-15 (£m) |
|
Newcastle City Council |
North East |
5.7 |
– |
5.7 |
|
Cambridgeshire County Council |
East of England |
2.2 |
1.9 |
4.1 |
|
Bristol City Council |
South West |
1.6 |
6.2 |
7.8 |
|
Manchester (Transport for Greater Manchester) |
North West |
20.0 |
– |
20.0 |
|
Birmingham City Council |
West Midlands |
17.0 |
– |
17.0 |
|
West Yorkshire ITA (covering Leeds and Bradford) |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
18.1 |
– |
18.1 |
|
Norwich City Council |
East of England |
1.1 |
2.6 |
3.7 |
|
Oxfordshire County Council |
South East |
– |
0.8 |
0.8 |
|
Total Cities Grants |
65.6m |
11.5m |
77.2m |
In 2014-15 the Department for Transport awarded the Cycling Cities Ambition grants to improve and develop cycling facilities and infrastructure. Some of the cities received their funding upfront in 2013-14 under the Cities Deal arrangement. Only four cities received funding in 2014-15.
REGIONAL FUNDING
|
REGIONS RECEIVING CYCLE FUNDING |
2014/15 – DfT £m |
2014/15 – Total (DfT + Local Contribution) £m |
|
East Midlands |
3.6 |
13.4 |
|
East of England |
4.7 |
19.3 |
|
North East |
4.3 |
17.5 |
|
North West |
8.7 |
34.1 |
|
South East |
10.0 |
37.8 |
|
South West |
8.1 |
37.1 |
|
West Midlands |
7.3 |
25.7 |
|
Yorkshire & Humber |
5.3 |
28.2 |
|
Total Regions Average Funding |
52.0m |
213.1m |
The 2014-15 figures include some funding streams, such as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, which benefit a range of locations across England and cannot be easily disaggregated. The figures above therefore contain elements of funding which also benefit the eight cycle cities.