The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) title and (b) date is of each memorandum of understanding signed by a Government department with another country since 2010.
James Duddridge
I refer to the answer I gave on 11 January to Question 20196. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total annual cost to the NHS was of hospital contract funerals under the Public Health Act in each year between 2010 and 2015.
Alistair Burt
The Department does not hold any data on the annual cost to the National Health Service of hospital contract funerals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many organisations were affected by his Department’s pilot of anti-sock puppet rules; how many exemptions were made under that pilot scheme; and what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse that arose from that pilot scheme.
Mr Marcus Jones
The guidelines ensure that government grants are only spent on the good causes and programmes spelt out in the underlying grant agreement, and prevent taxpayers’ money being diverted to unproductive lobbying. The savings are thus delivered by ensuring all such public money is properly spent on the intended purposes, rather than seeking to reduce the absolute level of government grants as a consequence of stopping taxpayer-funded lobbying.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson’s disease receive attendance allowance.
Justin Tomlinson
Statistical information on Attendance Allowance claimants, including the numbers of people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, is available from the DWP Tabulation Tool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the newspaper industry on ad-blocking and platform regulation.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Secretary of State hold regular discussions with the newspaper industry on a wide range of issues. As he said in his speech to the Oxford Media Convention on 2 March 2016, he will shortly be hosting roundtable meetings with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including newspaper industry representatives, to discuss ad-blocking and its impact.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to meet the (a) advice and advocacy and (b) psychosocial needs of people living with HIV in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority area following implementation of the proposed reduction in specialist HIV support services.
Jane Ellison
Support services for people living with HIV are commissioned by local authorities.
We are advised by NHS England that the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham are currently consulting on a new service model, under which advice and advocacy, counselling and assessment and signposting services for people living with HIV would be provided by local non-HIV specialist services.
We understand that the consultation exercise commenced on 9 May 2016 and is due to end on 28 June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decline in average traffic speed over the last five years.
Andrew Jones
The Department publishes statistics on average traffic speeds on locally managed ‘A’ roads in England and the Strategic Road Network. For locally managed ‘A’ roads, average speeds have decreased since 2014, when the Department started measuring speeds over the full 24 hours of the day. This is in line with the previously published statistical series which presented average speeds, on locally managed ‘A’ roads during the weekday morning peak, decreasing from 2012 to the end of that series in 2015.
The statistics for average speeds on the Strategic Road Network start in 2015-16. The latest statistics in this series (the 12 months to June 2016) presented a small decrease in average speeds compared to 2015-16 (the 12 months to March 2016).
The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the reasons for the decline in average speeds. However, we believe that the decreases observed in average speeds on locally managed ‘A roads in England since 2012 are, at least in part, a result of the impact of increases in traffic on these roads. We know that people rely on roads in increasing numbers as our economy grows, and that is why, for example, we are investing £15billion in the strategic road network which will help to help tackle congestion.
In addition, in 2012-13 there were unusually high levels of rainfall in England, which we also believe contributed to the decrease in average speeds at that time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hamwee on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation was undertaken before giving guidance to Home Office officials on adults at risk in immigration detention to distinguish between torture by state actors and by non-state actors.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The definition of torture adopted for the “adults at risk in immigration detention” policy is in line with that set out in the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) although, for the purposes of the policy, it has been extended to cover serious harm inflicted by terrorist groups exploiting instability or civil war to hold territory.
The Government adopted this definition as it most accurately reflects the need to protect those who are most likely to be adversely affected by detention – that is, those who have been harmed by the state, or by an organisation exercising similar control, and for whom detention is most likely to be redolent of the harm they have suffered.
In order to be consistent, the same definition was applied to the reporting system in rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 under which doctors working in immigration removal centres are required to report concerns that a detainee may have been the victim of torture. This has no effect on the requirement also in rule 35 for such doctors to report where a detainee’s health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention or the conditions of detention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to improve the broadband speed in the Bristol West area.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Over 1,450 businesses in Bristol and the surrounding area have taken a broadband connection voucher to improve their broadband connectivity. In addition, through the Super Connected Cities Programme, my Department has provided £1.56m to Bristol City Council to install general purpose ducting which will provide broadband connectivity to businesses in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. This funding has also enabled over 70km of ducting to be made available to two commercial suppliers to provide ultra-fast broadband across the city.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the schemes recommended for prioritisation in the report of the Rail North Electrification Task Force, published in March 2015; and if he will prioritise electrification of the Calder Valley rail line.
Andrew Jones
The North of England Electrification Task Force placed the Calder Valley Line in the top tier of lines it recommended for future electrification. Network Rail is currently updating its national electrification strategy, which will include the Calder Valley line, and will take the Task Force’s recommendations into account. The updated strategy will be subject to public consultation during 2016 and inform the Government’s strategy for Rail for 2019-2024.