The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to reduce stillbirths and improve the safety of maternity care.
Mr Jeremy Hunt
In November, I announced a campaign to halve the national rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth, by 2030. This includes a £2.24m fund for Trusts to buy cutting edge equipment, such as CTGs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what legal advice the Government has sought on the potential effect of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the NHS; what the cost was to the public purse of provision of such advice; and if he will publish the legal advice on this matter his Department has received.
Anna Soubry
Legal advice the Government has received in relation to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is subject to legal professional privilege and as such is not disclosable. This is a well-established principle which there is compelling public interest in upholding.
It is essential for the effective conduct of the Government’s business that ministers are able to seek candid advice from their lawyers and to discuss and debate possible policy options fully. They are less likely to hold full and frank discussions with their legal advisers if there is an expectation that the advice will subsequently be disclosable.
We do not maintain records of the total cost of the legal advice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department make available to people whose mandatory reconsideration and appeal takes longer than seven weeks to resolve.
Priti Patel
Claimants who are found fit for work through the Work Capability Assessment and wish to appeal may be entitled to claim either Universal Credit, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance during the reconsideration period. Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches work with all such claimants to tailor a package of support commensurate with their individual needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the sustainability of tenant management organisations.
Brandon Lewis
Government allocated £1 million for support to tenant empowerment in 2015/16. Sustainability of tenant management organisations is determined by the management agreements they make with local authorities and the allowances they receive based on the service provided. Legislation is in place to provide for the Right to Manage and the Right to Transfer. Government has been working with the National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations to produce sector led guidance to support operational Tenant Management Organisations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals claiming pensions who live outside the UK and the European Economic Area; and if he will make a statement.
Justin Tomlinson
No information is available concerning the number of British individuals who are living outside the UK and inside/outside the European Economic Area who are in receipt of a UK State Pension. This is because the UK State Pension is a contributory based pension, where nationality or citizenship do not form part of the eligibility criteria.
Information is available on the number of UK State pension recipients who live outside the UK by country; this can be found on the link below to the Department’s Tabulation tool.
http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/sp/cccountry/ccsex/a_carate_r_cccountry_c_ccsex_nov15.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what UK representation there is at the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
The UK is represented at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress by various members of the IUCN UK National Committee (IUCN NCUK). The IUCN NCUK is comprised of IUCN members in the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and also represents the interests of its Members in the IUCN Pan European region. The Chair and Chief Executive from NCUK are both in attendance at the Congress.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason employees at Sellafield Ltd are treated as being in the private sector for pension purposes and are regarded as being in the public sector for the purposes of a cap on exit payments.
Jesse Norman
The Government has legislated for a cap on public sector exit payments via the Enterprise Act 2016, as promised in the manifesto. The cap will apply to public sector organisations in line with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) classifications; Sellafield Limited is classified as part of the public sector by the ONS. Sellafield Limited receives the majority of its funding from the Exchequer; it is therefore important to ensure that any exit payments are fair, proportionate and represent value for money for the taxpayer.
The specific pension arrangements for Sellafield Limited employees are a matter for Sellafield Limited and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Government policy on public service pension schemes, as set out in Public Service Pensions: Good Pensions that Last (2011), is to move away from final-salary based schemes. The Government is therefore considering how best to apply public service pension reform policy to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate whilst being mindful of the particular circumstances of the workforce, in particular at Sellafield Limited.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on responding to correspondence from hon. Members by email rather than by letter.
Justin Tomlinson
We have received representations from a small number of hon. Members and where appropriate the Department obliges with email replies. Where there is sensitive personal information in a reply, it will be posted for security reasons.
The cost differential between sending postal replies and email replies is minimal.
The exact information requested on the method of dispatch is not available other than at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greek and Turkish governments on the unification of Cyprus.
Mr David Lidington
The UK remains a strong supporter of a Cyprus settlement. We engage regularly with Greece and Turkey, at a range of levels, as part of our efforts to build support for the UN-led settlement talks. We look forward to continuing to work with Greece and Turkey to help the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunite their island through a just and lasting settlement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS advised GPs to administer the pandemic influenza vaccine during the 2010-11 winter due to shortages of supply of seasonal influenza vaccine.
Jane Ellison
An estimated 172,260 doses of pandemic flu vaccine were administered from 1 September 2010 to 28 February 2011.
The Department issued a letter from the Chief Medical Officer on 6 January 2011 about seasonal influenza vaccine uptake and supply. It noted that if efforts to source seasonal flu locally had not been successful, then the H1N1 monovalent vaccine Pandemrix could be offered to those eligible for seasonal flu vaccine.