The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what visits each of the Ministers in her Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=northern-ireland-office.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) beam and (b) draft is of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier when it is loaded to its maximum configuration.
Mr Philip Dunne
When loaded to its maximum configuration a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will have a beam of 39 metres and a draught of 10 metres.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy of the report commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping on Impact on Jobs and the Economy of Meeting the Requirements of MARPOL annex VI, published in March 2013.
Stephen Hammond
In October 2012, and again in March 2013, I chaired ‘round table’ meetings of industry stakeholders (from the shipping, ports, exhaust gas cleaning system technology, oil refining and logistics sectors) to consider the best way forward for compliance with the new international and EU sulphur requirements. The potential for reverse modal shift, the maturity and efficacy of scrubber technology and the scope for financial assistance to industry were all key to those discussions. The report commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping was produced as a result of those meetings, and officials have taken it into account in producing the Government’s Impact Assessment on the draft UK Regulations to implement the sulphur limits in national law.
The Government went out to an eight-week public consultation on 29 April 2014 on those draft UK Regulations. Meanwhile, Government officials continue to work closely with the industry and to explore the scope for securing EU finance, possibly under the Trans-European Network (commonly known as TEN-T) programme and affordable capital from the European Investment Bank, for shipowners and ports who wish to invest in scrubber technology or in technology associated with the use of an alternative fuel, such as liquefied natural gas, to comply with the new limits.
The UK Regulations will be reviewed in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles of better regulation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases were (a) investigated for enforcement action, (b) issued and proceeded in the courts, (c) discontinued completely, (d) enforced using a lower level of action than originally envisaged and (e) ceased to be investigated in each Environment Agency area since 2010.
Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency is unable to provide a breakdown of legal and enforcement cases in each of its geographical areas since 2010 which were (a) investigated for enforcement action, (b) issued and proceeded in the courts, (c) discontinued completely and (e) ceased to be investigated altogether, due to disproportionate cost.
The Environment Agency can confirm that there were no cases enforced using a lower level of action than originally envisaged. At the commencement of any investigation, the Environment Agency does not know whether any enforcement action is required and, if so, what level of action is appropriate. Decisions on the level of action required are only ever made when an investigation is concluded.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of housing benefit claims processed within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 60 and (f) more than 60 working days.
Steve Webb
None. The average speed of processing statistics for Housing Benefit are not broken down in this way. Published statistics are at the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-statistics-on-speed-of-processing–2
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds his Department has spent on preparing HM Prison the Verne for re-role as an immigration detention centre to date.
Jeremy Wright
The Ministry Justice has not spent any additional money to date in preparing HM Prison The Verne to hold immigration detainees. However, the Home Office has funded infrastructure changes to make the site suitable for holding immigration detainees. These changes have allowed for early and cost-efficient preparation for its change of use while continuing to allow The Verne to operate as a prison.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Russell Brown on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what response he has given to the letter to him of 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the recommendations of its review of work capability assessments.
Mike Penning
As Minister of State with responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April 2014 thanking them for their recommendations and drawing out the links between those and the recommendations made by Doctor Litchfield in the fourth Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment published in December 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the effect on higher education providers of charging fees to international students for use of the NHS.
Mr David Willetts
The Home Office published an impact assessment on its website on the 11 October 2013 entitled ‘Regulating migrant access to health services in the UK’, in which it estimates the impact of implementing a health surcharge as outlined in the Immigration Bill. The Home Office predicts that implementing a health surcharge could cause Tier 4 visa grants to fall by approximately 830, which will have an impact on higher education providers of approximately £11 million per year. The surcharge is £200 per annum for most migrants however, to reflect their contribution to UK growth, a concession was factored into the Immigration Bill for students – they will pay £150 per annum rather than the full cost.
BIS will continue to work closely with the Home Office and the higher education sector to monitor the effects of the surcharge on student numbers and to ensure that the impact is manageable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of being able to access a GP appointment within 48 hours on levels of patient satisfaction.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing a general practitioner (GP) appointment at a convenient time, ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.
The Government recognises the importance of timely access to general practice. The PM Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give GPs the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population.
In addition, the new GP contract introduced a new Enhanced Service, which includes a commitment to same day phone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on which occasions prisons (a) reached and (b) exceeded their (i) occupational capacity and (ii) in-use certified normal accommodation in each month since September 2013.
Jeremy Wright
Individual prison population and capacity information is published monthly on the Ministry of Justice website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2014
Population and capacity figures for March 2014 will be published on the Government website on Friday 11 April
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