Tag: 2014

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £1.2 billion underspend in his Department’s equipment budget in 2012-13 arose as a result of programme slippage; what programmes were behind schedule; and for what reason those programmes were behind schedule.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Our analysis of the £1.2 billion underspend in 2012-13 in our equipment programme shows that it has been caused by a combination of factors, including better than expected outcomes from contract negotiations; budget being allocated for risks that did not materialise; and the impact of programme slippage against plans.

    A detailed analysis of programme slippage by programme is not currently available, but further work to improve our detailed understanding of variations against planned spending patterns and the implications for project costs in future years is nearing completion.

    Due to our improved financial discipline the Treasury have allowed us to carry over in-year underspends into our future year budgets. The last National Audit Office Major Projects Report showed an 88% reduction in overall project delays.

    We now have the assurance of a stable and well managed budget and confidence that defence programmes are affordable and deliverable.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to expand the training provided by the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project.

    George Eustice

    We are working with our Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to consider training needs and how these can be met, building on lessons from the Badger Vaccination Deployment Project. Announcements on this will be made in due course.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the same standard of care across the country for those diagnosed with prostate cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    To help reduce regional variations, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is increasingly incorporating information from accreditation and peer review programmes into its assessments of National Health Service trusts’ services, including the National Cancer Peer Review Programme. The CQC also intends to use data from the national clinical audit which is being developed for prostate cancer. In addition, national statistics on waiting times experienced by patients with suspected and diagnosed cancers continue to be collected, monitored and published in order to improve equity of access to cancer services and to contribute to an improvement in survival rates.

    The results of the latest national Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) from 2013 show that, whilst variations between trusts still exist, the overall range of variation for many indicators has narrowed. For example, in 2010 the proportion of patients saying that they had been given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranged from 92% in the highest performing trust to 59% in the poorest performing trust (33 points); by 2013 this had reduced to 97% to 76% (21 points).

    NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) will be doing a suite of work across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.

    NHS England is working with NHS IQ to develop better ways of using the CPES data within the NHS in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the NSPCC’s Order In Court campaign seeking change changes to the way the criminal justice system treats children.

    Damian Green

    The Ministry of Justice is committed to protecting and supporting child witnesses to help give their best evidence. In doing so, we have equipped the majority of Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts with facilities to enable vulnerable witnesses to give evidence by secure video link from an alternative location to the trial court. We are exploring ways to increase the use of video links, including in cases involving vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses.

    We are also working with other criminal justice agencies to improve the uptake of Registered Intermediaries for child and other vulnerable witnesses. I am grateful to the NSPCC, whose campaign will assist in raising awareness.

    Specialist training for judges is the responsibility of the judiciary and the Judicial College.

  • James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Arbuthnot on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s responsibility is for long range search and rescue at sea.

    Stephen Hammond

    The UK’s responsibilities for search and rescue are set out in Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Maritime Search and Rescue Convention. The Convention of the High Seas and the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea are also relevant. All four Conventions ask that the Department for Transport establish arrangements for search and rescue in the United Kingdom’s Search and Rescue Region and formalises international cooperation with neighbouring states by agreeing common response plans and the sharing of resources. The Conventions also compel ships’ masters to render assistance to those in distress at sea. The UK’s responsibility for search and rescue responsibilities extends out to 30º west in latitude and covers some 1 million square miles. The Department for Transport discharges this responsibility on behalf of the Government.

  • Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ashcroft on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 June (WA 146), whether they will now answer the question as originally put.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    All military and civilian gallantry awards may be awarded posthumously; honours made in the Orders of Knighthood may not be awarded posthumously.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what security standards his Department mandates with Level 2 Building Information Modelling.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Building Information Modelling Level 2 operates alongside well-established industry standards such as ISO27001. Departments may specify additional security requirements as appropriate.

    Industry has responded positively to the introduction of Building Information Modelling Level 2, which represents the construction sector response to the Government’s “Digital by Default” initiative.

    BIM does not mandate the use of any specific software or hardware and supports innovation through its use of open standards. For SMEs BIM levels the playing field, allowing them to make their products immediately accessible to a global market, using freely-available tools.

    BIM represents an opportunity for UK industry to increase efficiency, its know-how and exports, thereby continuing its significant global presence in construction design and delivery.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost was of the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities’ recent visit to Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/expenses-and-hospitality

    The latest data available at this time is:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to the Warm Home Discount to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Gregory Barker

    The Warm Home Discount is funded by energy suppliers, rather than Government, with scheme spending controlled through the levy control framework. We have committed to a Warm Home Discount spending target of £320 million in 2015/16. We will consult shortly on scheme rules for that year, including the eligibility criteria and the value of the rebate (which is set at £140 in 2014/15). We expect to see the scheme continue to support more than 2m households per year.

    The introduction of Universal Credit does not in itself imply any significant changes to the operation of the Warm Home Discount. We estimate that 8 million people will be in receipt of Universal Credit once it has been fully rolled out to all benefit claimants. Any policy decision taken to extend entitlement to Warm Home Discount to all Universal Credit recipients would need to be accompanied by a decision on the value of the rebate. Overall scheme costs would, broadly speaking, be the number of eligible households multiplied by the value of the rebate.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on provision for the kennelling and seizure of suspected dangerous dogs; and what changes he expects to make to the regulations on dangerous dogs.

    George Eustice

    On 6 February 2013 the Government announced, as part of its package of measures to tackle irresponsible ownership of dogs, that it would provide powers for the police to allow suspected prohibited type dogs to be kept with the owners in cases where they considered that the dog was not a threat to public safety. The Government is in the process of making changes to the relevant regulations to enable this power to be available to the police.