The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-04-12.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs plans to drop proposals currently under consultation to increase VAT on solar in response to the EU VAT action plan published on 7 April 2016.
Mr David Gauke
The reduced VAT rate for solar products remains unchanged and in place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Low of Dalston on 2016-05-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department for International Development is taking to reach the ambition it set out in the 2015 discussion paper Delivering quality education in protracted crises.
Baroness Verma
The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait, a new fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The fund is designed to address many of the issues identified in the 2015 discussion paper – such as improving the co-ordination and funding of education in crises, and building evidence and data – with the aim of reaching 13.6 children and young people a year living in protracted crises and emergency affected countries by 2021.
The Secretary of State has recently announced a multi-year commitment of £30 million to the fund at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May, as a founding donor to this important initiative.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-07-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what UK-led English language classes are available in the refugee camps in Calais, Dunkirk and Turkey.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The provision of services in the migrant camps in France and Turkey is the responsibility of the respective Governments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45481, where the information on Parliamentary Private Secretaries has been published; and at what time on 12 September 2016 that information was published.
Mrs Theresa May
Parliamentary Private Secretaries are not members of the Government. The information was published by the Conservative Party on the 12 September 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on implementing those aspects of the Floods and Water Management Act 2010 applicable to smaller reservoirs.
Rory Stewart
In February 2015, Defra announced it had decided not to make further changes to the inspection regime for smaller reservoirs because, at that time, the evidence base would not support such changes.
However, we are exploring potential further research which could provide additional evidence on the level of risk posed by smaller reservoirs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Bank of England is able to recover funds lent under the Funding for Lending Scheme from small and medium-sized enterprises which have subsequently defaulted on the loan.
Harriett Baldwin
The Bank of England does not lend directly to small and medium sized enterprises as part of the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). Under the FLS, the Bank of England provides funding to UK banks and building societies participating in the scheme. The amount of funding participant banks and building societies are eligible to borrow from the Bank of England is determined by their net lending to certain sectors of the economy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on Tata Steel’s recent announcement on job losses.
Stephen Crabb
The recent announcement of job losses at Port Talbot is another hammer blow to the industry and the wider South Wales economy.
I have had regular contact with the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport since the announcement. With the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise, I have offered the UK Government’s full commitment to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government.
My Ministerial colleague, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, has also accepted an invitation from the Welsh Government to be part of a High Level Task Force charged with supporting everyone affected by the job losses at Port Talbot.
Our immediate priority is to support those who have suffered job losses and to ensure the industry has a sustainable future in Wales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost to the NHS has been of outsourced mental health services in each of the last three years.
Alistair Burt
We do not hold this information centrally.
Departmental Ministers regularly discuss a number of mental health issues with NHS England officials, although no discussions specifically about the cost of outsourced mental health services have taken place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, what plans his Department has to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services for commissioners and NHS England to inform service design and funding.
Jane Ellison
National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care.
In terms of plans to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services, NHS England’s National Indicators Group is reviewing service level metrics that could provide commissioners with assurance in this area. NHS England will also review whether a new best practice tariff in rheumatoid arthritis could be developed, subject to suitable data being available.
The Department is currently taking a number of steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from National Health Service outpatient clinics. For example, where trusts have identified local requirements for improving the capture of information, including for outpatient data, funds have been made available for improved electronic systems through the Integrated Digital Care Fund and the South Local Clinical Systems Programmes. This includes for improvements to patient administration, patient records, and document management systems which will help the recording and accessing of data at the point of care.
Going forward, through the work of the National Information Board, the Department is taking the following steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient clinics:
– supporting providers to implement technology systems further in outpatient departments where they do not already exist, to collect better data and become paper free at the point of care. £1.4 billion of the recently announced investment of £4.2 billion in NHS technology over the next five years is intended for this purpose;
– examining the potential to move outpatient departments to capture activity in a standardised terminology (SNOMED CT) so it may be available elsewhere in the hospital and to support reporting and clinical audit. SNOMED CT includes representation of codes pertaining to rheumatoid and inflammatory arthritis that are generally well-developed; and
– In 2017/18, expanding the a current programme of work which is looking information exchange for inpatient transfers, to cover other care domains including the exchange of outpatient information between acute trusts and patients’ general practitioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in (a) Wakefield and (b) the UK have purchased homes through Help to Buy.
Brandon Lewis
The total number of homes sold under the three Help to Buy schemes are 153,235 in the UK and 1,402 in Wakefield.