The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-02-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenue was received by the Exchequer from the total amount of food imported by the UK from other member states of the EU in the last 10 years.
Mr David Gauke
This level of detail is not collected on VAT or any other tax return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to pages 86 and 122 of the Budget 2016, why the fiscal impact of establishing the £20 million Cathedrals Repairs Fund is £10 million.
Greg Hands
Budget 2016 announced that the government will provide £20 million across 2016-17 and 2017-18 to extend the First World War Centenary cathedral repairs fund. £10 million of this is financed through new exchequer funding and listed in Table 2.1 on page 86 of the Budget. The remaining £10 million is financed from within the existing DCMS resource budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) immediate and (b) long-term support the Government is giving to the government of Pakistan in response to the most recent attacks in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I utterly condemn the attack which took place on Easter Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan.
The UK continues to stand with Pakistan in tackling terrorism, and the extremism that sustains it. In the immediate and long term, we are working with Pakistan to increase its ability to detect and disrupt improvised explosive devices, and to support capacity building and reform of the civilian criminal justice system so that those responsible for attacks are held to account in line with international standards on human rights. We also support Pakistan to confront extremist narratives and address the root causes of extremism and terrorism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that academic staff are aware of their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to make provision for the needs of disabled students.
Joseph Johnson
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have clear legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has produced a range of guidance for institutions on their obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including technical guidance setting out the detail of the law.
Guidance is also produced by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU), a higher education sector body that supports equality and diversity for staff and students across the UK, including for disabled staff and students on managing “reasonable adjustments”. The ECU also published a report on the implications for institutions of the key issues contained in the Equality Act 2010.
In addition, to support higher education providers to prepare for the changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances that come into effect from academic year 2016/17, the Department has facilitated the establishment of a senior sector-led group. The group’s focus is communication with senior leaders of higher education providers, including provision of information about their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many additional members of staff will be posted at UKRep during the period of negotiations for UK withdrawal from the EU.
Mr David Davis
The UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU will play an important part in negotiating the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, as part of the Department for Exiting the European Union. The overall size and scope of the department, including staffing and budget, are being considered.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the inclusion of Scottish universities in the post-study work visa pilot.
David Mundell
I meet my Rt hon Friend the Home Secretary regularly and we discuss a wide range of issues.
The Tier 4 visa pilot is part of the Home Office’s continued efforts to ensure that the UK maintains an excellent offer to attract the brightest and best to study at our world-leading institutions. Its main aim is to help simplify the visa application process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. It will also help to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months. The pilot does not make any changes to the Tier 2 visa route and is not a return to the post-study work visa route, which we closed in April 2012 due to high levels of abuse.
The institutions taking part in the pilot were chosen due to their consistently low level of visa refusals. It is a fundamental requirement of Tier 4 that education institutions who recruit international students take responsibility for them. This means the institution must ensure the student is genuine and meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules, before assigning them a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), as well as ensuring that the student leaves the UK at the end of his or her studies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has provided for clinical commissioning groups on the commissioning of off-patent drugs for use in new indications.
George Freeman
NHS England supports the national commissioning system in England, including the provision of guidance to the service, where appropriate.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not routinely appraise drugs outside their licensed indications. Where drugs are not appraised by NICE, it is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to decide how drugs should be funded locally, in line with any guidance from NHS England. The Department has produced no guidance and had no discussions with CCGs on off-label drug use.
Many thousands of patients benefit from the use of off-patent drugs, off-label, every day in the National Health Service. NICE publishes Evidence Summaries on unlicensed and off-label medicines. These provide a summary of the published evidence for selected unlicensed or off-label medicines that are considered to be of significance to the NHS, usually when there is no licensed medicine for the condition requiring treatment or no licensed medicines are appropriate for a significant proportion of people requiring treatment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19474, in what circumstances her Department plans to recompense spousal visa applicants whose application is not determined within the eight-week postal service standard.
James Brokenshire
Generally, the Home Office will not recompense a customer whose spousal application is not considered within the eight week postal service standard.
The Home Office aims to process all straightforward applications, that is those that have complied with the application process including provision of mandatory information, evidence and biometrics, within eight weeks of receipt.
There are a variety of reasons why a spousal application may take longer than the publicised service standard. As such the Home Office service standard reflects that and does not allow for all cases to be decided within that publicised standard.
If the Home Office cannot make a decision within the service standard, the Home Office will write to customers to inform them of the next steps and when they are likely to receive a decision.
It is open to a customer to submit a complaint if their application is not considered within the service standard. These claims are considered on an ex-gratia basis under the complaints procedure. Any compensation would be handled based on individual customers’ exceptional circumstances, and as such these are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what timetable has been set for the repayment of the reallocation of Big Lottery funding which was diverted to the Olympics in 2012.
David Evennett
As agreed when the Olympic loan was signed off, repayments to the National Lottery Distribution Fund will come from land development and sales in the Olympic Park, and are expected to start in the early 2020s.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of mandatory electrical safety checks in care homes.
Mike Penning
Fire safety in care homes is the responsibility of the operator who is required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to assess the risk from fire to residents and employees and to implement appropriate fire precautions to prevent fires and mitigate the risk that, should a fire break out, lives are not put at risk. This would include mitigating the risk of and from electrical fires.
The Government’s fire safety risk assessment guidance for residential care premises provides detailed advice on ensuring electrical equipment is safe, and is inspected regularly by a competent electrical engineer in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations.
It is for local fire and rescue authorities to determine whether the specific fire precautions and management and maintenance arrangements in place in any particular residential care premises are sufficient to comply with the provisions of the Order.