The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to publish in full all monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
George Eustice
The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of the pilot culls will be published after culling has concluded and the analysis is completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) surgeons have been employed at (i) Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) Nottingham University Hospitals in each year since 2007.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Information on the number of (a) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (b) Hospital and community health service (HCHS) doctors and (c) surgeons employed at (i) Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (FT) and (ii) Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, in each year since 2007 is shown in the attached table.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists acts to accommodate doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to supplying contraceptive drugs or devices which act after fertilisation receive a diploma in sexual and reproductive health.
Jane Ellison
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare are responsible for decisions on the syllabus of their Diploma, the requirements for entry to the Diploma course, and the award of a Diploma qualification.
The Department understands that their guidelines on the syllabus and on possible conscientious objection have not changed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the cases of the 67 doctors who were found to have pre-signed abortion referral forms following investigations by the Care Quality Commission in 2012 are referred to the police.
Jane Ellison
Allegations referred to the Department were passed on to the relevant police forces for them to investigate. Other allegations of pre-signing were investigated by the General Medical Council. Decisions about whether to prosecute rest with the Crown Prosecution Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to reduce the time taken to update its flooding maps after the completion of flood defence projects.
Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency produces and publishes maps showing areas at risk of flooding from rivers and sea, surface water and reservoirs in England. It reviews and updates these maps on a quarterly basis to ensure they are based on the most recent local mapping and modelling information.
To ensure new flood risk management schemes are included in the map updates as soon as possible, the Environment Agency has put in place changes to speed up the update process, together with a new Key Performance Indicator (introduced in October 2013) specifying that maps showing the risk of flooding from rivers and sea should be updated within six months of completion of a scheme.
Initial performance has been affected by the development and publication of new maps in December 2013 and by the winter floods, but significant efforts are being made to ensure that new defences will be taken into account more quickly in future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools and academies have (a) opened a new sixth form and (b) closed their sixth form in each year since 2005.
Matthew Hancock
The Department for Education does not collect the data in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, on official visits, if he will provide details of the six received requests for special mission status; and from which countries they were received.
Mark Simmonds
None of the six requests for special mission status to which I referred in my answer to the House of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, were refused. After consenting to the visits as special missions, two of the visits were subsequently cancelled by the country making the request.
As I noted in my previous answer, in view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to make public 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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of (a) the readiness of markets for a Contract for Difference (CfD) competitive bidding process and (b) the effect on independent generators of early introduction of CfD auctioning.
Michael Fallon
The Department launched a consultation on our approach to competitive allocation of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in January 2014. This included proposals to move to auctioning of CfDs from the first allocation this autumn. We carefully considered the responses to the consultation before confirming our policy position in the Government Response published on 13 May 2014. Competitive allocation will deliver renewable energy at a lower cost for consumers.
In developing our proposals for the move to competitive allocation, my officials have also worked closely with developers and other stakeholders, including representatives of independent renewable energy generators.
In particular, we are introducing the Offtaker of Last Resort (OLR) to support independent renewable generators by guaranteeing a route-to-market and therefore improving their ability to raise project finance. The policy design is already at an advanced stage, and the detail of the proposals has been recently consulted on. We are on track to deliver the final policy and introduce enabling regulations ahead of the first allocation of CfDs. CfD applicants will, therefore, have a high degree of clarity about the arrangements for OLR well in advance of the first auctions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2014-05-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to increase the number of dental practices piloting the National Health Service’s new contractual arrangements; and what is the timetable for those reforms to be completed.
Earl Howe
Decisions on the detailed shape of the next stage have not yet been taken. The forthcoming engagement exercise on the reforms with the dental community is intended to increase awareness of the process and allow an opportunity for the wider dental community to input.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance he has offered to the Nigerian authorities to resolve the continued abduction of girls from the North East of that country.
Mark Simmonds
In the days following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria, we have offered our assistance to the highest levels of the Nigerian government. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 18 April immediately after the abductions and offered the UK’s assistance.
On 7 May the Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), spoke to President Jonathan and offered to send a team of UK experts to Abuja. The President accepted and the team, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), arrived in Abuja on 9 May. The team will provide expertise in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, military mentoring and training, victim support and economic development. Human rights compliance is, and will remain, an essential element of any UK assistance in Nigeria. I visited Nigeria on 14 May, and reiterated our support with President Jonathan.
We are coordinating closely with international partners. An FCO team was in Washington on 5 May for talks with the US on Nigeria. Our expert team in Abuja will be coordinating closely with a US team also in Abuja. We are also speaking to the French and are encouraging other EU partners to lend their support. Given Boko Haram’s exploitation of Nigeria’s porous borders and indications that some of the girls may have been taken to Cameroon or Chad, we are engaging with Nigeria’s neighbours.