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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Framlingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Framlingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2015-01-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating the possibility of establishing a statutory quarantine system for all trees imported into the United Kingdom.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Government takes a risk-based approach to prioritise action on plant and tree pests and pathogens to improve resilience. We have produced, working with stakeholders from across industry, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public, a prioritised plant health risk register of 750 known pests and diseases.

    On that basis and where appropriate, we have acted to introduce movement restrictions or requirements for importers to notify incoming consignments of particular species – for example for ash, oak, plane, pine, elm and sweet chestnut.

    We are also funding new research to ensure that we have a robust evidence base regarding the pests and diseases that could threaten our trees and plants.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2015-01-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of bilateral aid from the Department for International Development in the last three financial years has been channelled through non-governmental organisations (1) based in the United Kingdom, and (2) based in the recipient countries.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The table below shows the proportion of bilateral aid from the Department for International Development in the last three calendar years which has been channelled through non-governmental organisations (1) based in the United Kingdom, and (2) based in the recipient countries.

    NGO Percentage of DFID Net Bilateral ODA

    2011

    2012

    2013

    NGO Based in the United Kingdom

    8%

    9%

    10%

    NGO Based in Recipient Countries

    2%

    2%

    3%
  • Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information, advice and training is provided to doctors and nurses on the symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease; what advice is provided to general practitioners on the reference to specialists of patients exhibiting symptoms of Lyme disease; and which centres provide specialist treatment for that disease.

    Baroness Jolly

    Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service have detailed information on the recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management of Lyme disease. PHE has also written a guide on how to refer patients for specialist advice, which is attached. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also has an online guide for general practitioners (GP) and other health professionals.

    PHE issues a letter to all GPs on an annual basis at the beginning of the tick season describing Lyme disease and highlighting the need to be aware and to recognise the condition. The majority of cases are managed by GPs without reference to specialists, but problem cases can be referred to neurology, rheumatology, cardiology and infectious disease clinics depending on the local provision and of services and patient’s symptoms. In addition to the attached guidance, Suggested referral pathway for patients with symptoms related to Lyme disease, PHE offers a telephone helpline for GPs and consultants to discuss particular cases. PHE works closely with the patient group Lyme Disease Action, who will also represent individuals who have trouble obtaining specialist advice, and can thus help in suggesting potential routes of referral.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that the average United Kingdom graduate starting salary ranges from £18,000 to £24,000, what assessment they have made of the impact of policy that allows international students to stay in the United Kingdom upon the condition that they find a graduate-level job paying £24,000 a year.

    Lord Bates

    The Government recognises that there should be opportunities for the brightest and best international students to undertake skilled work in the UK after their studies. International students who graduate in the UK may switch into skilled work providing they have an offer of graduate-level job from a sponsoring employer, paying at least £20,500 per year or the appropriate salary for the particular occupation, whichever is higher.

    The Government closed the previous Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) route in April 2012. This route granted free access to the UK labour market for two years after graduation in the UK. Too many individuals in the route were unemployed or competing with resident workers for low-skilled jobs, and too many were using the student route merely as a means to work in the UK, without any real intention of study. We also saw a large number of fraudulent applications. This undermined our work routes and damaged the reputation of our education system.

  • Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord McFall of Alcluith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McFall of Alcluith on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the charges, fees and commissions paid by consumers in relation to private pensions are transparent.

    Lord Freud

    The Government is committed to improving the transparency of costs and charges in workplace pension schemes. The Government’s Command Papers ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’ and ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Putting savers interests first’ published in March and October 2014 set out a range of measures including a cap on charges in default fund arrangements, a ban on inappropriate charges and proposals to introduce minimum governance standards and improve transparency across workplace defined contribution schemes.

    The Government has recently consulted on draft legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will introduce new requirements on trustees to improve the transparency of costs and charges in occupational schemes from April 2015. Under these new requirements, trustees will be required to annually report on costs and charges for the first time. Similar rules are to be introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority to require the newly formed Independent Governance Committees to report on costs and charges in workplace personal pension schemes.

    Later this year we will consult on ways to build on this first phase of enhanced transparency, to meet our duties under the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members of workplace pension schemes, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending its rules to with a view to introducing equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of the funds for the Builders Finance Fund has been (a) allocated and (b) spent.

    Brandon Lewis

    The fund will make investments over two years from 2015/16 to 2016/17. The funds must be drawn down by 31 March 2017.

    The shortlisted bids to the Builders Finance Fund are currently undergoing due diligence and have the ability to deliver over 10,000 new homes. We have recently expanded the scope of the fund to enable smaller builders with schemes between 5 and 15 units to access this funding and the Homes and Communities Agency are currently engaging with the market to seek further bids for such schemes. The first contracts are due to be completed in the Spring with the first homes expected to be started in the first half of 2015.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department in (a) the UK and (b) each station worldwide deal with FGM as part of their remit.

    Justine Greening

    Ending violence against women and girls – including ending FGM – is a cross-cutting priority for DFID and therefore it is not possible to report the specific number of staff working on this.

  • Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Barclay on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.2 of the report of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, in which local authorities the Government has intervened because they are deemed not to be taking the problem of radicalisation seriously.

    Stephen Williams

    No local authority has been subject to statutory intervention because of a failure to take seriously the problem of radicalisation. The Government maintains close links with local authorities on work to tackle radicalisation. Should the need arise we will work with local authorities to address any concerns before considering whether there is any need for intervention.

  • Tony Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tony Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tony Cunningham on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which post in his Department is responsible for leading negotiations on setting a cost-effective price for the meningococcal B vaccine Bexsero; and when the next meeting to continue those negotiations is scheduled.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department’s Director General for Innovation, Growth and Technology is leading negotiations with the manufacturer for the supply of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero. The most recent negotiating meeting took place on 8 December 2014 and, following subsequent technical discussions, the next such meeting will take place shortly.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The department’s accounting system does not separately identify the recruitment agency fee element of an invoice, and this information could not be extracted within the disproportionate cost threshold.

    Total agency fees for displaced or redundant staff for the past five years are as follows:

    Financial Year

    £

    2009/10

    15,500

    2010/11

    9,100

    2011/12

    6,810

    2012/13

    4,883

    2013/14

    5,984

    2014/15 (Apr to Dec)

    2,800

    Total spend on learning and development in the department has reduced over the last six financial years as follows:

    Financial Year

    Total staff training costs (£)

    2009-10

    2,252,064

    2010-11

    1,157,750

    2011-12

    801,541

    2012-13

    646,470

    2013-14

    771,359

    2014-15 (Apr to Dec)

    620,966