The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on (a) mental health services and (b) children’s mental health services in Birmingham in each of the last 10 years.
Nicola Blackwood
The information requested is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department was first made aware that employer pension payments were not being made by SSI UK.
Anna Soubry
There is a statutory process in place for the reporting of missing pension contributions. Managers of pension schemes are required to report any material non-payment of contributions to The Pensions Regulator within 90 days of those contributions falling due. There is no role for my department in this process.
In insolvency situations, such as SSI’s liquidation, unpaid pension contributions can be claimed from the Redundancy Payments Service within specified legal limits. If there are unpaid contributions, then the manager of the pension scheme will submit a claim to the Redundancy Payments Service on behalf of employees.
As part of his role as liquidator of SSI UK, the Official Receiver will look into all aspects leading to the company’s failure, including the directors’ conduct.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the use of alternative currencies for benefits payments.
Priti Patel
Customers living abroad and in receipt of payments delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions can have their payments made either:
All payments made to overseas customers, whether in sterling or local currency, are subject to fluctuating exchange rates. However, for payments made directly to overseas accounts in the relevant local currency, the Department has negotiated a competitive exchange rate which is more favourable that that available on the open Market.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will commission independent research on the effect of fixed-odds betting terminals on the health of their users and on the communities in which they are prevalent.
Tracey Crouch
The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), was set up to by the Gambling Commission to advise on priorities for research relating to responsible gambling. Research into gambling related harm is commissioned by the independent charity, the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), taking into account the priorities set out by the RGSB. At the request of the RGSB, the RGT is currently commissioning research to define Gambling Related Harm which will consider the wider health impacts of problem gambling. The Government continues to encourage such research.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on the transfer of responsibility for attendance allowance to local authorities.
Justin Tomlinson
Later this year, the Government will consult on giving more responsibility to support older people with care needs to Local Authorities in England and to Wales, including people who, under the current system, would be supported through Attendance Allowance. Work on the consultation is progressing with the relevant departments, and officials will work with stakeholders throughout the consultation process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Prime Minister, what recent representations he has made to officials working on the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Cameron
I refer the hon. Member to Sir John Chilcot’s letter to me of 28 October 2015, and my reply of 29 October, copies of which can be found on the Iraq Inquiry website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-03-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of grooming and sexual exploitation in Rotherham and elsewhere which has been carried out by (1) Muslims, and (2) those of other faiths or no faith.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Government does not hold information on the faith of those accused or convicted of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.
CSE is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, and anyone who abuses children must be stopped. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, the previous Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report of March 2015 makes it very clear that the issue of race, regardless of ethnic group, should be tackled as a priority if it is known to be a significant factor in the criminal activity of organised abuse in any local community.
The College of Policing (CoP) has issued clear guidance on how police forces should respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-abuse/ .
In addition the National Policing Lead for child protection has taken action to revise the national policing CSE action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report and other recent publications. All Chief Constables have committed to this action plan that aims to raise standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The action plan is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/cse-action-plan/
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what spending will be incurred on the EU referendum for each of the proposed lines of expenditure.
John Penrose
The Government published details of the cost of the production, distribution and publication of its EU Referendum leaflet and associated website on 6th April 2016. The Government continues to take forward its policy on the full range of European business, including the Referendum, as part of the normal work of Departments. Departments will account for expenditure in the normal way, through Annual Report and Accounts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Davies on 2016-06-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department determined the bands for the soft drinks industry levy; and what scientific studies were used in reaching that decision.
Damian Hinds
The new levy will be charged on producers and importers of drinks with added sugar. There will be one rate for drinks with total sugar content above 5g/100ml and a higher charge for drinks with more than 8g/100ml of sugar.
This structure is clear, simple and transparent. It is designed to encourage producers to reformulate their product mix by removing the added sugar content from drinks and helping consumers choose lower and no sugar brands.
The bands have been set to give producers certainty over the next two years before implementation so they can gradually reformulate their products. Companies have until April 2018 before the levy comes into force to reformulate and if they do, they can pay less.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the recent reduction in the number of school nurses does not affect the standard of sex and relationship education in schools.
Edward Timpson
The government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools, and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. Academies do not have to teach SRE but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
Schools and teachers should decide what to teach based on their pupils’ needs, and taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals, as they deem appropriate, and schools work with a number of partners to deliver SRE in schools.
Since April 2013, Local Authorities have been responsible for public health locally, including school nursing, and decisions should be based around local needs. According to NHS Digital there are 1,100 qualified school nurses (Specialist Community Public Health Nurses) in England and the workforce numbers have remained relatively stable over the last few years. More information can be found at: http://digital.nhs.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=21584&topics=0%2fWorkforce&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top
“