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  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many compensation orders were made by HM Courts and Tribunals Service against people convicted of modern slavery offences in each of the last five years; and how much compensation was awarded to victims of modern slavery related to such compensation orders in each of those years.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested can be found in the CJS Outcomes by Offence data tool at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

    Data for 2015 and 2016 will be published in due course.

    “

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what provisions are in place to ensure that provision of court time for non-molestation orders between parents is dealt with as a matter of urgency.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The family court takes the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously and can list urgent applications for a non-molestation order for the same day.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment she has made of which of her Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d’affaires. The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.

    The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mechanisms are in place to ensure funding from her Department reaches the project for which it is intended.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    As set out in the UK aid strategy we are determined to ensure that aid is focussed on tackling the global challenges of our time, in order to eliminate poverty and advance the UK’s national interest. The Department for International Development works with many suppliers and partners to deliver hundreds of individual programmes, often in complex and high risk environments. It has rigorous internal systems and processes to ensure that its aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and delivers the intended results. These are reflected in a detailed programme management framework (known as the Smart Rules) which sets out rules and principles designed to ensure all funding is spent as intended and delivers value for money.

    Due Diligence Assessments are undertaken on organisations receiving funding from DFID. The Department also uses delivery chain maps to understand the number and complexity of suppliers involved in a programme and how funds flow to the beneficiaries. These tools allow us to identify, understand and manage potential risks as programmes are delivered and to ensure that funds are properly accounted for. Risk levels are regularly reviewed and programmes closed if risk levels rise too high.

    All programmes that are being implemented undergo a rigorous formal annual review which assesses and records whether funds have been used for their intended purposes and the results that have been delivered. Risks or issues identified during the review are recorded, addressed and monitored. In areas of high risk, particularly in fragile and conflict affected areas, the Department often uses monitoring agents, independent audits, and other additional safeguards.

    All organisations who receive funding from DFID have to provide evidence about the use of funds, including through annual audited statements. DFID’s Internal Audit Department provides further checks that programme funding reaches the intended recipients and reviews the work of all overseas offices every two years. This is supplemented by the National Audit Office and the Independent Commission on Aid Impact who provide independent scrutiny over the use of the aid budget.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices police forces have issued related to smoking in vehicles with children in each of the last three years.

    Mr John Hayes

    Information on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police forces is not centrally collected.

    The police and local authorities are both enforcement authorities for offences related to smoking in private vehicles carrying children. Therefore in addition to police forces doing so, local authorities can also issue fixed penalty notices for these offences, and the police can pass information to local authorities to take enforcement action.

    The legislation came into effect in October 2015, so no FPNs for smoking in vehicles with children would have been issued before this period.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27389, what assessment her Department has made of the ability of failed asylum seekers to fund travel to their country of origin.

    James Brokenshire

    Migrants in the UK without permission, including those who have failed in a claim for asylum, are expected to leave the UK promptly and voluntarily. Those who need help purchasing a ticket or organising their travel can contact the Voluntary Return Service that came into effect on 1 January, who can provide assistance as appropriate. Subject to the bespoke needs of the individual or family, reintegration support in the country of origin may also be provided. Those individuals who do not leave voluntarily will be forcibly removed.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of GP working hours available in each year since 2010.

    Alistair Burt

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) publishes annual statistics on the general practice workforce in England.

    The full time equivalent number of general practitioners in each year since 2010 is provided in the following table. A full time equivalent equates to 37.5 hours per week.

    Data for the general practice workforce as at 30 September 2015 will be published by the HSCIC on 30 March 2016.

    England full-time equivalent

    General Practitioners as at 30 September each specified year

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    All Practitioners, including registrars and retainers

    35,243

    35,319

    35,871

    36,294

    36,920

    Source:

    HSCIC

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the change in capacity of GPs to conduct their NHS Health Check obligations resulting from changes in funding for those obligations in the last 12 months.

    Alistair Burt

    There are no statutory obligations for general practitioners (GPs) to provide the NHS Health Check. The programme is one of the mandated public health functions of local authorities in England. They are responsible for making provision to offer an NHS Health Check to eligible individuals aged 40-74 years once every five years. It is for local authorities to decide on the provider for the NHS Health Check. They can commission a combination of providers including pharmacies and community trusts, as well as GP practices.

    Public Health England has recently commissioned a stocktake of the NHS Health Check to understand how best to support local implementation of the programme. The results will be published later this year.

    Since local authorities became responsible for providing the NHS Health Check, we have seen year on year improvement in the number of people accessing the NHS Health Check, with an additional 100,000 checks received during 2014/15. A recent national evaluation has also shown that people from deprived communities are benefiting the most.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NHS England to announce its public consultation on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV to be suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England wants to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of government NHS funding which primary care was allocated to in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    The table below shows the total National Health Service expenditure and total primary healthcare expenditure for the last three years for which audited outturn data is available. This includes primary medical care, primary dental services, primary eyecare services, community pharmacy and drugs prescribed in the community.

    The Department accounts data has been used as a consistent data source across primary care services. However, this excludes some funding streams to general medical practice, such as for out of hours services.

    Year

    NHS Revenue Expenditure under Clear Line of Sight Rules (£ billion)

    Expenditure on Primary Healthcare (£ billion)

    Primary Healthcare Expenditure as a % of NHS Revenue Expenditure

    2012-13

    102.57

    21.32

    20.79

    2013-14

    106.50

    21.32

    20.02

    2014-15

    110.56

    21.68

    19.61