The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Written Statement of 17 December 2015, HCWS 431, to which deployed coalitions the UK is party.
Michael Fallon
The personnel embedded in coalition Headquarters are supporting Operation Shader and wider Middle East security operations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to (a) create a business-friendly environment and (b) expand their business rates base.
Mr Marcus Jones
The business rates retention scheme was introduced in 2013-14 to give councils greater autonomy over their finances and to incentivise them to grow their business rates base. According to local authority forecasts, 54% of authorities benefitted from growth above assumed levels in 2013-14, which has risen to 91% in 2016-17. By the end of the Parliament, local authorities will retain 100% of their business rates, further strengthening the incentive for growth. Councils will also have the power to cut the business rates multiplier to improve the business environment for enterprise and attract further businesses to their area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on Lyme disease laboratory tests in each of the last three years.
Jane Ellison
As services for the treatment of Lyme disease are commissioned locally information on the costs associated with laboratory testing and treatment of late stage Lyme disease is not collected centrally. Nor is information collected centrally on the average time to diagnose cases of Lyme disease.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing a clinical guideline on Lyme disease and reports progress on its website. NICE recently consulted on a draft scope for the guideline, and expects to publish final guidance in July 2018.
Public Health England and NHS Choices publish information on their websites to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection. Given the need to maintain public awareness these or similar mechanisms are expected to continue beyond 2018. Increased awareness is likely to encourage early consultation but no information on the time taken to seek medical advice is available.
There are no plans to set targets for diagnosis and treatment as most cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed empirically by general practitioners using their clinical judgement rather than relying on a laboratory test, thus treatment can start immediately. Diagnosis of patients with late or complicated Lyme disease can be difficult and the National Health Service will continue to provide care taking account of the existing evidence base.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the press release, PM holds major summit as part of global drive to expose, punish and drive out corruption, published on 12 May 2016, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals requiring foreign companies that own property in the UK to declare their real owners.
Anna Soubry
At the International Anti-Corruption Summit in London on 12 May, my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister announced that we will require foreign companies that own or purchase UK properties or bid on UK Government procurement contracts to provide details of their beneficial owners to a public central register. This will be the first register of its kind in the world.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will consult with experts to develop the policy throughout the year and consult formally on the detail of the policy in due course. Implementation of the new register requirements is expected to require both primary and secondary legislation, which we intend to introduce when Parliamentary time allows.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides for people on their options for accessing safe and reliable treatments which are not offered through the NHS.
George Freeman
The decision to be treated privately outside the National Health Service is one for individuals and their clinicians to make, in accordance with the relevant professional and regulatory requirements.
Guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care was issued in 2009 and is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404423/patients-add-priv-care.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-09-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from Concentrix on the non-renewal of its contract with HM Revenue and Customs.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs, in line with procurement and contract management best practice and protocol, have appropriate dialogue with all its suppliers in relation to potential contract extension. Such discussions are of course commercially sensitive and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any grant has been provided to Action on Smoking and Health in the last five years other than through grants under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, and if so, what was the nature and value of each grant.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in the last five years have been awarded under Section 64 powers. There are a range of different circumstances under which it would not be appropriate or represent best value for money to run a competed scheme. The grants awarded to ASH have been assessed as most appropriate for the non-competed route.
The assessment of any grant application for funding from ASH is undertaken by members of the Tobacco Control policy team. Following this assessment, the Grants Hub makes a decision regarding whether or not to approve the application. These policy assessments contain policy advice to Ministers and so are not made public. Approvals are required from Ministers and from HM Treasury or are subject to a Departmental approval process that has been agreed with HM Treasury.
To identify relevant representations the Department has received would result in disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the changes in the rates of incidence of domestic violence and rape between 2005 and 2015.
Lord Bates
This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.
The 2014/15 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 6.1% of adults aged 16 to 59 experienced any form of domestic abuse in the last year, down from 8.9% in the 2004/05 survey. While the latest estimate is not statistically significantly different from recent years, it is the lowest since these questions were first asked in 2004/05.
The 2014/15 CSEW also estimates that 0.3% of adults aged 16 to 59 had been a victim of rape (including attempts) in the last year. Due to the low number of respondents to the survey that have been a victim of this crime, it is not possible to say whether this estimate differs from surveys conducted in other years. However, prevalence of less serious sexual assault has fallen from 2.3% in the 2004/05 CSEW to 1.5% in the 2014/15 survey.
Data from the CSEW cannot be disaggregated by ethnicity, nor by the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Kurdish Peshmerga have been trained by British servicemen since 2014.
Penny Mordaunt
Since Operation SHADER began in 2014, the UK – as part of the Coalition – has trained approximately 3,000 members of the Kurdish security forces. The majority of those trained have been Kurdish Peshmerga.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average number of days was for a determination to be made by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator after an objection to a school’s admission arrangements was submitted in each the last four years.
Nick Gibb
The information requested is held by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA). The OSA Annual Report contains data about the objections referred to the OSA and the outcome of those objections: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parents-to-get-greater-say-in-the-school-admissions-process
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