The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to source additional funding for any shortfall in funding between what Heathrow Airport Limited commits to pay for a third runway and the estimated cost.
Mr Robert Goodwill
All of the promoters have proposed privately-funded schemes, and as privately-owned companies we expect airports to fund the development of new airport capacity fully.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he made of the potential effect of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced by the Chancellor in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, on the recoupment of NHS treatment costs before that announcement was made; and if he will make a statement.
Dominic Raab
The Ministry of Justice received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. It will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other Government Departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reforms. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by a detailed impact assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether train operating companies are required to offer the cheapest relevant ticket to passengers at ticket offices, on websites and from ticket machines; and if so, what action they are taking to make sure that this happens in all cases.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Rail passengers are protected by the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and also the terms of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA), an inter-operator agreement that governs, among other things, the retail of rail tickets. These provisions safeguard passengers’ interests by requiring train operators to provide clear information and to sell the most suitable ticket for their journey. This will, in many cases, be the cheapest ticket. Operators are required, under the terms of the TSA, to ask sufficient suitable questions in order to ascertain and sell the best ticket for each passenger’s needs.
There are a wide range of tickets on offer, including some very low-priced fares which allow more people to travel by rail. However, we recognise that this choice can often be confusing for passengers. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have worked with industry to develop a Code of Practice on ticket retailing, this was published in March 2015. The aim of this Code is to give passengers clearer information and access to the most appropriate tickets, regardless of the sales channel. . Working alongside the ORR in its role as consumer regulator, we continue to challenge the industry to address the remaining issues as soon as possible. The Rail Minister has also raised this with the Rail Delivery Group that represents all train operating companies as there is clearly more to be done.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the viability of amending the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (England) Regulations 2000 in relation to the 2017 business rates revaluation that is being conducted by the Valuation Office Agency; and how that revaluation will affect rooftop solar.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. Well established principles, as set out in the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) Regulations 2000, determine when plant and machinery, such as rooftop solar, should be rateable and included in assessments. We have no plans to change these principles. However, we have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on the human rights of the Bahai community in Iran.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the harassment faced by Baha’is in Iran and at the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders to 20 years in prison. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised human rights concerns during his visit to Tehran in August, including lack of freedoms for all citizens. We will continue to urge the Iranian Government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to practise their faith freely, as required by international conventions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the purchase of buy-to-let property by a person whose current residence derives only from their job will be deemed as a second home for tax purposes under the new Rules on Stamp Duty coming into force in April 2016.
Mr David Gauke
The new higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) will apply to the purchase of additional residential properties and will come into force on 1 April 2016. Work-related accommodation which is provided and owned by an employer does not count when considering whether an individual is purchasing an additional property or not. The Government will shortly consult on the policy design, including on the treatment of particularly difficult cases, to ensure the change to SDLT is implemented in a fair way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Barron on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to substitute the prescribing of high volume branded medicine with generic equivalents.
George Freeman
Generic substitution has happened in secondary care for many years, but is not currently permitted in primary care. The Department consulted on introducing primary care generic substitution in 2010, but did not progress the proposals following concerns about the potential impact on patient safety.
Most general practitioner practices and clinical commissioning groups, formerly primary care trusts, have been pursuing and supporting policies of increasing generic prescribing for 15 years or more. Generic prescribing rates are already relatively high in England at 84.1% in 2014, as reported in the Health and Social Care Information Centre report: Prescriptions dispensed in the community: England 2004-14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to improve HM Revenue and Customs’ response times to written correspondence from members of the public.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has taken major steps to improve their customer service, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles and undertaking their biggest-ever training programme to enable them to build customer support teams that can move across a wide range of work according to customer demand. HMRC have also introduced digital mail scanning to help manage the more than 1million items of post they receive every month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons English Heritage flies its own house flag over national monuments in its custody in preference to the Union Flag.
David Evennett
The English Heritage Trust flies its house flag at its historic sites as an important way for visitors to identify its properties. Where properties have more than one flagpole, they are encouraged to fly the Union flag. To mark certain important occasions, flag flying protocol may vary, including on the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen (21 April) and on Remembrance Day when the Union flag is flown from all sites with flagpoles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hepatitis C patients NHS England is planning to treat in 2016–17.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England is planning to treat 10,000 patients with chronic hepatitis C in 2016/2017.