The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-07-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many requests for taking a trivial commutation of an occupational pension have been (a) granted and (b) refused due to the pension value exceeding £30,000.
Jane Ellison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to her by my Hon. Friend the then Economic Secretary on the 13th June (Written Question 39027)
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many applicants his Department has received for trade negotiator positions; how many such applicants have been invited for interview; to how many such applicants job offers have been made; and how many such applicants have started work in his Department.
Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team which has more than doubled in size since 23 June. Over the coming months we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in bringing to justice those responsible for the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family in Duma.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We understand that the Israeli authorities believe they know the group that was involved, but unfortunately, at the moment, they do not have the evidence needed to bring individual suspects to trial. On 3 November, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met the Israeli Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and received assurances that the investigation into the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family is continuing. Our Embassy will continue to request updates from the Ministry of Justice on this case and other cases of settler violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Spencer on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the average time taken by each Government department to respond to a request by a current or former employee for a job reference.
Matthew Hancock
This information is not held centrally. The provision of employee references is the responsibility of each departmental employer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security and political situation in Libya.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We welcome the signature of the Libyan Political Agreement on 17 December which paves the way for a new Government of National Accord in Libya. The security situation remains fragile and it is vital that the new government is formed quickly to tackle the threats from Daesh and people smuggling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria are for making a ministerial directive against the closure or downsizing of a hospital.
Ben Gummer
The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are (i) support from general practitioner commissioners (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.
A local authority has the power to refer NHS substantial reconfiguration proposals to the Secretary of State if they consider:
― the consultation has been inadequate in relation to the content or the amount of time allowed;
― the NHS body has given inadequate reasons where it has not consulted for reasons of urgency relating to the safety or welfare of patients or staff; or
― a proposal would not be in the interests of the health service in its area.
Upon receipt of a local authority referral, the Secretary of State can refer the matter to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) for its advice. The Panel will consider whether the proposals will provide safe, sustainable and accessible services for the local population, taking account of factors including: clinical and service quality, patient and public involvement, the surrounding local services and national policies.
On receipt of IRP advice, the Secretary of State would then decide whether or not to accept it. Since its inception in 2003, all Secretaries of State have used the IRP advice to inform their decisions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26611, whether the Clean Growth Committee has met to discuss air quality.
Rory Stewart
The inter-Ministerial group on Clean Growth considers issues relating to air quality and decarbonisation where these have a cross-Departmental aspect. To protect the integrity of the policy making process, we do not comment on what was discussed at a specific meeting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to meet with the representative bodies of employee share ownership schemes to discuss the recent decision to withdraw HM Revenue and Custom’s valuation check service.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Officials from HM Revenue and Customs have already met representative bodies of employee ownership schemes. HMRC will be working with those groups to develop further public guidance and discuss any other proposals their members might raise.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the case of Giulio Regeni was raised with the Egyptian government by the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Egypt during his visit to Egypt in February 2016.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Egypt, Jeffrey Donaldson MP, visited Egypt between 7 and 11 February 2016. The trade envoy discussed a range of issues but given his role focused on business conversations and promoting trade links. We regularly raise the case of Guilio Regeni with the Egyptian authorities including at Ministerial and senior official level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS Supply Chain on that organisation’s decision on the choice of urine drainage bags available through the NHS Core List Programme.
George Freeman
The NHS Supply Chain Core List Programme was developed in collaboration with NHS Business Services Authority and the Department. The Core List aims to achieve best value by reducing the range of like-for-like products that the National Health Service purchases. This allows the NHS to commit to larger volumes of a smaller range of products which in turn allows suppliers to provide improved prices to the NHS as greater economies of scale in manufacturing can be achieved.
Items identified as ‘Core List’ have been reviewed and assessed by a selection of industry specialists, clinical advisors and customers. Products not included in the NHS Core List are not discontinued and are therefore still available for purchase via the wider NHS catalogue offered by NHS Supply Chain.
Ultimately, decisions with regard to which urine drainage bag to purchase lies with the procurement team for each individual NHS trust.