Category: Uncategorized

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date he plans to publish the consultation referred to by the Minister of State for Health in his Department’s announcement entitled Government Response to Tobacco Standardised Packaging Review, published in April 2014.

    Jane Ellison

    The consultation could not be published in the period leading up to the European and local elections. It is now being finalised and will be published shortly.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many life sentence prisoners were moved into open prisons in each month between January 2010 and December 2013.

    Jeremy Wright

    Data held centrally on prisoners transferred to open prisons does not distinguish between different types of indeterminate sentenced prisoner. Indeterminate sentences include those serving mandatory, discretionary and automatic life sentences and those serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.

    Identifying which prisoners were serving life sentences would require a manual trawl of records, which would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the resources and support available to teachers to help equip students for adult life.

    Lord Nash

    The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child that provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.

    Programmes of study for citizenship, which is statutory at key stages 3 and 4, include a clear focus on democracy, government and how laws are upheld and made. For the first time, they include a requirement for pupils to be taught to manage their money well and make sound financial decisions. Citizenship education helps to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society. In addition, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a non-statutory subject that equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to make safe and informed decisions and to prepare for adult life.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether newly negotiated rail franchises and franchise extensions include incentives for the train operator concerned to devote sufficient resources to revenue protection.

    Baroness Kramer

    Most franchise operators are on risk for revenue and are therefore incentivised to protect that revenue. However, we are conscious that where operators are in receipt of revenue support, in some cases it may be appropriate to strengthen the incentive, particularly later in the franchise term. The exact nature of the incentive or mechanism will vary by franchise.

  • Lord Steel of Aikwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Steel of Aikwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current travel advice for visits to Kenya.

    Baroness Warsi

    We keep our travel advice under constant review. As of 12 June, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all but essential travel to:

    – areas within 60km of the Kenya-Somali border

    – Kiwayu and coastal areas north of Pate Island

    – Garissa District

    – the Eastleigh area of Nairobi

    – low income areas of Nairobi, including all township or slum areas

    – Mombasa island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north down to and including Tiwi in the south (this area does not include Diani or Moi international airport).

  • Lord Palmer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Palmer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing standardised tobacco packaging on the United Kingdom’s ability to trade globally.

    Earl Howe

    The Government continues to carefully consider all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, including aspects related to trade.

    The Government will shortly publish a final, short consultation that will contribute to final decision-making on whether standardised packaging will be introduced. The Government encourages anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation, which may include evidence on the impact of standardised packaging on trade.

  • Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the National Probation Service budget has been allocated for the management of high-risk cases.

    Lord Faulks

    The total probation budget for 2014-15 is £804 million. This includes the first two months of the financial year, during which services were provided by the probation trusts. As well as operational delivery, the probation budget includes provision of corporate services to support the new operating model.

    The budget figureis based on an initial assessment of operational and business needs and may vary within the financial period. The costs associated with high-risk offenders fall within a number of budget items and do not constitute a separate category.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of Worcester Walk-In Health Centre onthe emergency department at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

    Earl Howe

    The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the National Health Service. All service changes should be led by clinicians and be in the best interests of patients, not driven from the top down.

    We are aware that the local consultation on the Worcestershire Urgent Care Strategy closed on 9 April 2014. The clinical commissioning groups in Worcestershire are now considering the responses. No decisions have yet been made.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why HS2 Ltd, in acknowledging petitions deposited against the High Speed Rail (London–West Midlands) Bill, requires petitioners to set up an account with a secure email service (the switch data encryption system) in order to receive electronically their Petition Response Document from the Bill’s promoter, the Secretary of State for Transport.

    Baroness Kramer

    Petitioners are not required to set up a new email account to receive their Petition Response Document (PRD) electronically. Ensuring that petitioners receive their PRD in a timely manner is an important part of the petitioning process. The use of the Egress email system ensures that the file size limits imposed by email service providers do not prevent petitioners receiving their PRD. It also avoids the delays and inconvenience that can arise if documents are posted in hard copy, and are delayed or delivery is attempted when the petitioner is not at home. These are issues that people have complained about before, so HS2 Ltd has listened and deployed a better solution. In addition, at the request of the Select Committee, petitioners will be offered alternative means of receiving their PRD other than Egress.

  • Lord Moonie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Moonie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees of Royal Bank of Scotland earning in excess of £1 million per annum left the group within one year of the Government acquiring a shareholding.

    Lord Deighton

    RBS is a commercial company in which the Government is a shareholder and it is run on a fully commercial basis. RBS retains its own independent board and management team, with responsibility for determining its own strategies and commercial policies. As such, HM Treasury does not hold the requested information relating to staff turnover at the RBS Group.