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 Mike Gapes on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what reports he has received about teaching standards and education at Ad-Deen Primary School, Ilford; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Laws
The last report received by the Secretary of State for Education relating to teaching standards and education at Ad-Deen Primary School was from Ofsted following their inspection of the school on 19-20 January 2011. This judged the school to be satisfactory for curriculum, teaching and assessment.
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 Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow the IPCC to consider complaints regarding police conduct from third parties.
Karen Bradley
Section 12 of the Police Reform Act 2002 sets out who can complain to the
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). A person can be considered as
having been authorised to act on behalf of another for the purposes of making a
complaint if he or she has, and is able to produce, written consent from that
other person.
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 Luciana Berger on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for enforcing standards in the hygiene of toilets on trains; and who is accountable for any failings in this area.
Stephen Hammond
It is a matter for the Train Operator to ensure that the appropriate standards of cleanliness are met on trains.
More information can be obtained from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) which can be contacted at:
2nd Floor
200 Aldersgate Street
London
EC1A 4HD
Tel: 020 7841 8000
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 Tom Greatrex on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many applications his Department has received for (a) one-year, (b) three-year and (c) 15-year contracts relating to (i) gas and (ii) coal under the capacity market.
Michael Fallon
National Grid, as delivery body for Electricity Market Reform, will run the first capacity auction in December 2014, subject to the passage of secondary legislation and state aid approval being received. Pre-qualification for the first capacity auction is expected to open on 4 August 2014 and the first round of the auction is expected to take place on 9 December 2014. Consequently, National Grid has not yet received any applications for agreements under the Capacity Market.
A detailed timetable for the implementation of the Capacity Market is available here:
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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 Paul Blomfield on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 255W, on Personal Independence Payment, what his Department’s original guideline assumptions were of the percentage of personal independence payment new claim referrals that would involve a consultation assessment; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
The Department’s guideline volumetric assumptions provided to bidders anticipated that the number of consultations expected as a percentage of new claim referrals would be 75 per cent. These assumptions were the Department’s best estimates at the time, in the early stages of programme development. All assumptions were stated to bidders to be indicative only.