The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of 2014DIN05-012 on JSP 441 – The Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures: Publication of Version 4:3 in the Library.
Dr Andrew Murrison
A copy of the Defence Instruction Notice 2014-DIN05-012 regarding JSP 441 will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Brady on 2014-04-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many appeals have been made to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme on the level of compensation offered since the scheme began making payments.
Andrea Leadsom
Of the 495 cases submitted to the Independent Review Panel to date, 145 were classified as being about the level of payment received.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent illegally-harvested timber and endangered hardwoods being imported into the UK.
Dan Rogerson
In March 2013 the Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations were introduced in the UK. The regulations implement the EU Timber Regulation, which aims to prevent the trade of illegally harvested timber in the EU by:
The UK also provides financial and in-country support to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process between the EU and timber producing countries under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. Once VPAs are in operation, EU-bound timber exports will be issued with FLEGT licences which guarantee the timber’s legality.
In addition, the import of a number of endangered hardwood species into the UK is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) licensing system. The system aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species and is implemented in the EU by the Wildlife Trade Regulations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2014, Official Report, column 703W, on RAF Mildenhall, whether his Department maintains records of all MQ-1 Predators carried in aircraft which refuel in the air or by landing at RAF Mildenhall; and whether he will disclose the date of each such flight over the last three years.
Mr Mark Francois
The Ministry of Defence has no record of any aircraft carrying MQ-1 Predators air-to-air refuelling over the UK, or landing at RAF Mildenhall to refuel, over the last three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times ambulance response times in (a) the North West and (b) each ambulance service trust in England have exceeded (i) 15, (ii) 20, (iii) 30 and (iv) 60 minutes since May 2010.
Jane Ellison
The information is not available in the format requested. The attached tables show that in April 2014, North West Ambulance Service responded to 95% of Category A immediately life threatening calls within 17 minutes and that 99% of calls were responded to within 31 minutes. The tables also provide response time information for each ambulance service trust in England since April 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the costs of the regulation and monitoring of exploration and extraction of unconventional gas (a) at each drilling site and (b) the exploration in England and Wales.
Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency raises charges for environmental permits and licences at the individual sites it regulates in England. The costs can vary depending on the nature of the site and the permits required. The shale gas industry remains at an early exploration stage and the Agency will keep its charges under review in light of developments. The annual budget the Environment Agency receives is adequate to ensure that sufficient money is allocated to costs associated with regulating the industry and for monitoring of sites during the exploration phase. As the industry develops over the next few decades appropriate funds will continue to be available to ensure the safe and sustainable exploitation of shale gas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that hospitals do not discourage whistleblowing by staff; and if he will take steps to issue a UK NHS-wide policy on that matter.
Dr Daniel Poulter
We have been absolutely clear that National Health Service staff who speak out in the interests of patient safety must be protected and listened to and that we expect all NHS organisations to have whistleblowing policies in place that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. On 5 March this year, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to Chairs in NHS trusts and foundation trusts in England to express his strong views on this matter and to reiterate the vital importance of fostering a culture of openness and transparency in the NHS.
In addition, the Department recently commissioned the Whistleblowing Helpline to update whistleblowing guidance for the NHS. This revised guidance “Raising Concerns at Work – Whistleblowing Guidance for workers and employers in Health and Social Care” was published on 17 March 2014. This guidance transparently sets out the policies and processes for staff and employers in a single document and is available via their website or as a hard copy. This guidance can be found on their website.
www.wbhelpline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Raising-Concerns-at-Work.pdf
Employment law and policy (of which whistleblowing law and policy is a part), and health law and policy, are devolved matters in Northern Ireland. In Scotland and Wales employment law is not devolved, but health law is. Decisions about implementation of whistleblowing policy in the NHS in each part of the United Kingdom are therefore a matter for each of those areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential risks fracking pose to livestock; and if he will make a statement.
Dan Rogerson
Our regulatory framework is robust and provides stringent environmental safeguards which will protect both humans and animals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the travel insurance industry regarding cancellations of holidays or business trips due to delays in processing passport applications.
James Brokenshire
Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of
international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public
and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and
operational delivery.
Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are
passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently
published on the Cabinet Office website, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-mnisters-hospitality-data
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on the development of an indicator on five year survival rates from all cancers to support early diagnosis and reduction of preventable mortality from cancer.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.