Category: Speeches

Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much PCTs are owed by foreign patients for medical treatment received from the NHS.

Alistair Burt

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, primary care trusts (PCTs) ceased to exist from 1 April 2013, being replaced by clinical commissioning groups.

The Department does not hold information centrally on the amounts owed to clinical commissioning groups by foreign patients for National Health Service medical treatment received.

January 1, 2023
Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to put mental health on the national curriculum for primary school children, as advocated by the Young People’s Mental Health Advisory Group.

Lord Nash

The new national curriculum, introduced in September 2014, does not attempt to represent the sum total of everything that should be taught in schools. It only prescribes the essential knowledge that should be taught, leaving schools greater flexibility to teach over and above what the national curriculum requires and to decide how to teach the essential content that is prescribed. It is also places greater trust in teachers to cover topics important for their community, including mental health.

Mental health and wellbeing is part of the non-statutory programme of study for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, produced by the PSHE Association. To help schools deliver this, we funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and lesson plans to support age-appropriate teaching about mental health. Further support for teachers and other professionals who work with children and young people is available through the Government funded MindEd site[1].

[1] MindEd can be accessed at the following link: https://www.minded.org.uk/

“

January 1, 2023
Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-02-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) primary and (b) secondary policy purposes are of VAT exemption for supplies of commercial property.

Mr David Gauke

Supplies of commercial property are subject to a mandatory VAT exemption under the European VAT Directive.

January 1, 2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has made to the NHS England consultation on the future of mental health support for veterans of the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence takes the mental health of our veterans very seriously. The Department has made no representations in response to the NHS England consultation on the future of mental health support for veterans of the Armed Forces. The consultation is aimed at veterans who have used NHS veterans’ mental health services, their family members and carers, and staff and organisations that are providing mental health care, treatment and support for veterans and their families.

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/veterans-mental-health-services

January 1, 2023
Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the levels of pollution in (1) drinking water, (2) river water, and (3) coastal waters, caused by chemicals used in medications which are resistant to present purification techniques

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) published research in 2012 to assess the levels of pollution caused by a range of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs found in source waters, such as rivers, abstracted for drinking water and the comparative levels after water treatment. Over a year, substances were measured at four sites. Results agreed with similar studies and concentrations in English surface waters are generally low and below 1 microgramme per litre (1 μg/L). Levels of pharmaceuticals and drugs in drinking waters after treatment were generally significantly lower than those found in surface waters. This indicates that the drinking water treatment systems used in England and Wales are effective at removing these contaminants. The study concluded that the presence of low levels of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in drinking waters in England and Wales do not pose an appreciable risk to human health.

There is evidence that widely used pharmaceuticals are detected at low concentrations in sewage effluent and receiving surface waters. Due to a lack of good quality toxicity data for many of these substances to assess reliably risks to aquatic wildlife that may be exposed to them, research is underway in the UK, at European level and by the pharmaceutical industry to characterise the risks better. This includes a Chemical Investigations Programme, undertaken by England’s water companies, where significant investment is being made to investigate around 20 substances from 2015-2017. Reported data will improve our understanding of the contamination of surface waters due to these chemicals and information will contribute to assessment of the risk posed to, or via the aquatic environment.

In addition, the UK is participating in a European monitoring network of surface water sites on a ‘watch list’ of contaminants and pharmaceuticals, including the active ingredient of the contraceptive pill, EE2. The Devolved Administrations are doing something similar. Data will inform the Commission’s selection of future priority substances requiring control, and the chemical status of the EU’s surface waters with respect to these chemicals.

January 1, 2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the remit of the Cross-Government Working Group on drones is; when it has met; and who has attended each meeting of that group.

Mr Robert Goodwill

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer give on 25 January UIN 23389

(http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=23389).

Noting that the first meeting in 2016 took place in March not February and the below additions to the membership of the group:

Department for International Development

Surveillance Commissioner

UK Fire Service

Police

Border Force

“

January 1, 2023
Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in September 2012 that police records in England and Wales should come under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967; and whether they intend to implement that recommendation through the current Policing and Crime Bill.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is considering the options for achieving greater transparency and accessibility of police records in England and Wales, including whether to extend the Public Records Act 1958 to include police records.

No decision about implementation has been taken at this time, while careful consideration is given to potential administrative and cost burdens.

January 1, 2023
Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42891, on double taxation: crown dependencies, for what reasons the Government has entered negotiations for a full revision of the treaties with Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Jane Ellison

Our double taxation treaties with Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man (the Crown Dependencies) date from the 1950s and although we have updated them in part on several occasions many of the provisions are now out of date.

The OECD Model Tax Convention is the starting point for the UK’s tax treaties. This model has undergone many revisions in recent years, most recently in 2014, with further changes to be incorporated arising from the OECD base erosion and profit shifting project. These negotiations will give us the opportunity of incorporating many of these revisions.

HM Revenue and Customs officials began talks with the Crown Dependencies in April this year and will be meeting again with them soon to continue discussions.

January 1, 2023
Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-10-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend his Department’s official guidance to allow court-granted child arrangement orders to be used by HM Revenue and Customs as evidence of children’s living arrangements when assessing applications for tax credits.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) already accepts a court-granted child arrangement order as evidence when deciding who has main responsibility for a child but need to consider this alongside any other evidence provided before making a decision. HMRC has amended its guidance in the Tax Credits Technical Manual to refer to child arrangement orders.

January 1, 2023
Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons were for the Ministry of Defence Police failing to disclose army doctors’, chaplains’, commanding officers’ and Lt. Col. Jolleys’ own statement of his circumstances.

Mark Lancaster

A Special Investigation Branch Report was served as evidence at Lt Col Jolleys’ trial and was provided to his Defence team pre-trial.

It will take time to gather the further information and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

January 1, 2023