The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people of pensionable age in Brighton, Kemptown constituency; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which research studies used by his Department in formulating policy on fixed odds betting terminals (a) have and (b) have not received industry funding or support; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs Helen Grant
The Government considers a wide range of available research when formulating gambling policy. The Government is mindful of the provenance of research, and its funding source, when interpreting findings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Reevell on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the geographical spread in the UK of the bacterium melissococcus plutonius.
Dan Rogerson
The bacterium is widespread across England and Wales. A recently completed two-year random survey of 4,600 apiaries estimated Melissococcus plutonius as being present in 1.6% in Year 1 (2009/10) and 1.3% in Year 2 (2010/11).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he would refuse to consent to a special mission on (a) human rights grounds and (b) where the person in question has been the subject of a UK judicial arrest warrant, European Arrest Warrant or similar judicial process.
Mark Simmonds
I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-56WS. The Foreign Secretary announced a new process by which we would be informed of visits that may qualify for special mission status. The pilot process has improved the process for communicating and decision-making in respect of visits that may qualify for special mission status. Since the pilot’s inception, we have received six such requests. There are no requests outstanding.
The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), confirmed to the House on 12 July 2013, Official Report, columns 427W and 429W, that two of the requests which were granted, related to visits by Lieutenant General Benny Gantz of the Israeli Defence Forces and Doron Almog, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff for Bedouin Status improvement. In view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to publish further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.
All applications for special mission status are considered carefully in view of both obligations incumbent upon the UK under customary international law and our policy of ending impunity for the most serious of international crimes and a commitment to the protection of human rights. Above this, it is for the courts to decide on the legal consequences of any decision to grant special mission status.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department has in Lesotho.
Lynne Featherstone
Lesotho does not receive any direct development funding from the UK, but does benefit through DFID’s Southern Africa Regional programmes. UK support to Lesotho is mainly delivered through Civil Society Organisations such as Gender Links, Commonwealth Business Council and Common Ground Initiative, a joint fund with Comic Relief.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people residing in Preston constituency are (a) being monitored by an electronic tag (b) subject to a suspended sentence order and (c) subject to a community order.
Jeremy Wright
On 30 September 2013, 492 people in Lancashire were monitored by an electronic tag. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally.
Data on the number of people subject to a suspended sentence or community order is published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report covers the period to 30 September 2013 and shows that 1,368 offenders subject to a suspended sentence order and 2,288 offenders subject to a community order were supervised by Lancashire Probation Trust. This includes people who are both monitored by an electronic tag and supervised by Probation. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally. The most recent Offender Management Statistics report may be found on the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on (a) press, (b) marketing, (c) advertising and (d) other aspects of communications relating to the Youth Contract in each year since its introduction.
Esther McVey
As with any new programme it is right and responsible to ensure all who are, or could be, affected are properly informed. Since the Youth Contract was launched in April 2012 it has provided opportunities for over 250,000 people. The spend in each of the categories specified is as follows:
|
Financial Year |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
Total |
|
Press |
£ 9,872 |
NIL |
£9872 |
|
Marketing |
£10,167 |
£ 7,578 |
£17,745 |
|
Advertising |
£72,010 |
NIL |
£72,010 |
|
Other communications |
£27,231 |
£34,650 |
£61,881 |
|
Total |
£119,280 |
£42,228 |
£161,508 |
The marketing category relates to spend on local face-to-face activity bringing together jobseekers and employers with opportunities.
In the ‘other communications’ category, we have supplied details of spend on leaflets, posters, exhibition stands and video production.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many responses were received to his Department’s consultation on extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples.
Mrs Helen Grant
There have been almost 11,500 responses to the consultation on the future of civil partnership in England and Wales. We are now considering them and will publish a summary in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his assessment is of the effect of his Department’s Action Plan on Business and Human Rights since its launch in September 2013.
Mr William Hague
The UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights was the first country plan produced, setting out how the Government will implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We reported progress in implementation in the recently launched Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report.
Internationally the UK’s plan has shown our commitment to the widespread uptake of the UN Guiding Principles. Other countries have sought our guidance and advice in developing and producing their own plans.
The Action Plan has set out our expectations of UK business and industry on business and human rights, to encourage initiatives to introduce human rights due diligence and remedy measures into their policies and operations. The Companies Act now requires listed companies to report on their human rights impacts, and The Home Office published a draft Modern Slavery Bill last December to strengthen law enforcement capability to combat human trafficking and labour exploitation.
We are committed to reviewing the effectiveness of our Action Plan in 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) numbers of GP practices and (b) services offered by GP practices of removing performance indicators from the Quality Outcomes Framework.
Jane Ellison
We have reduced the number of indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) by more than a third. This is intended to free up time for general practitioners (GPs) to provide more personalised care which includes the new responsibility of providing a named GP for all of their patients aged 75 and over. The money released from the QOF will be reinvested in general practice.
We understand that NHS England is currently developing the specifications and reporting protocols that will be required to capture the information provided by the retired QOF indicators.
This will enable NHS England’s commissioning teams, clinical commissioning groups and the Care Quality Commission to take this information into account in reaching rounded judgements about the quality of care provided by general practice. It will also be used to evaluate the impact of the indicators that were retired on 1 April 2014, and will inform future decisions about the development of QOF.
NHS England has recently undertaken an analysis to identify ‘outlier’ practices – those that will lose the largest amount of funding per patient as a result of the phasing out of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee. Details of these practices have been sent to NHS England area teams.
In a small number of cases where there are exceptional underlying factors that necessitate additional funding – for example because a practice is serving an atypical population – it is anticipated that area teams will meet with the practices to discuss and agree arrangements to ensure that appropriate services for patients continue to be available.