The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce changes to procedures to deal with motor accident claims for whiplash.
Dominic Raab
In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced further reforms to tackle the number and cost of whiplash claims. The Government will consult on the detail of these reforms in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects the Clementi review into governance of the BBC to be published.
Mr Edward Vaizey
We expect the independent review of the governance and regulation of the BBC to conclude shortly, and we will publish it in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had on introducing new duties on local authorities to assess the level of need for wheelchair accessible homes and set appropriate targets in local development plans.
Brandon Lewis
Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. We expect them to work closely with key partners and their local communities in deciding what type of housing is needed.
National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. The introduction of optional requirements for accessibility in the Building Regulations provides local authorities with the tools needed to ensure that new homes are accessible and that in particular the needs of disabled people are met.
Local authorities are held accountable for their housing delivery via their Local Plans which are tested by local independent planning inspectors and are scrutinised via yearly Authority Monitoring reports which set out progress on delivery against Local Plan targets. In addition local authorities must determine individual decisions in line with the development plan and other material considerations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework and having regard to viability considerations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Craig of Radley on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Army Air Corps personnel have been asked in the past 12 months to repay retention or other alleged overpayments; and in each case, who was responsible for the error.
Earl Howe
The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 23 March 2016 (Official Report, column 2379) to the noble Lord, the Lord Trefgarne.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the FSB and Administrative Burdens Advisory Board that the proposed HM Revenue and Customs plans for quarterly tax returns would create a significant administrative and financial burden for small businesses.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has consulted informally to understand how the Making Tax Digital changes will affect businesses. This initial assessment shows a reduction in on-going administrative burdens over the longer-term, contributing to HMRC’s overall target to reduce tax administration by £400m by 2020.
HMRC will publish its initial assessment as part of the formal consultation process, working with stakeholders throughout 2016 to develop understanding, ensuring the final design is focused on reducing burdens.
As with any other tax measure, a detailed assessment of the impact on administrative burdens will be published alongside draft legislation, expected to be in December 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of his Department’s progress on improving municipal statutory notices since his Department’s press release, Councils and media invited to bring statutory notices into 21st century, published on 23rd December 2014.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Statutory Notices Pilots project is now complete. We are currently in the process of giving careful consideration to the findings of the final reports of the 24 pilots, before drawing any conclusions and deciding what action, if any, to take.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has had representations on the research conducted by Professor Malone-Lee and University College London researchers on the effectiveness of the standard NHS tests for diagnosing urinary tract infections.
David Mowat
A search of the Department’s ministerial correspondence database has identified 12 items of correspondence received since 1 January 2016 about the research conducted by Professor Malone-Lee and University College London researchers on the effectiveness of the standard National Health Service tests for diagnosing urinary tract infections. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit only.
NHS commissioners are responsible for making decisions on individual treatments on the basis of the available evidence, taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) where available. NICE guidance is always evidence based, assuring us of the latest clinical thinking and research to determine the best treatment for patients.
NICE quality standards for urinary tract infections can be found here:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs90
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39787, if he will place a copy in the Library of the Joint Doctrine Publication 030.2, Unmanned Aircraft Systems; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
To ensure defence doctrine reflects UK Government policy, the drafting of Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2 "Unmanned Aircraft Systems" is being developed in parallel with the Defence policy review concerning both remotely piloted air and highly automated systems. Officials are currently consulting stakeholders and expect to conclude the review early in 2017 at which point we expect to publish the updated doctrine.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants of his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.
Harriett Baldwin
Information relating to the number of HM Treasury staff who are members of Trade Unions is a matter for the relevant trade unions.
The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what strategic environmental impact assessment was conducted of the measures in the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.
Michael Fallon
It will be the responsibility of each Government department to carry out strategic environmental impact assessments as the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is implemented, as included in section 7.4 of the SDSR.