Tag: 2014

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the projected level of income tax that will be forgone by the taxpayer by providing higher rate income tax relief on pension contributions in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

    Mr David Gauke

    Information on the total cost of pensions tax relief is published in HM Revenue and Customs’ National Statistics table PEN6, available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential costs of cleaning pollutants from SSI property in Redcar.

    Rory Stewart

    Officials in the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive have been working with the Official Receiver to ensure that the SSI Redcar site is closed down in a safe manner and with minimal impact to the environment and human health. The closure Plan which the Official Receiver is now implementing will deliver a ‘safe state’ position.

    Government continues to work closely with all relevant parties to establish the potential costs of cleaning pollutants from the site.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information to publish its report and recommendations.

    Matthew Hancock

    The independent Commission on Freedom of Information is expected to publish its findings in due course following the close of its Call for Evidence on 20 November.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease who have benefitted from the use of vedolizumab as a treatment option since February 2015; and what the cost of this treatment has been in that period.

    George Freeman

    Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines or the medical condition being treated.

    Some data is available for the administration of vedolizumab however this data does not correspond to patient numbers nor can it be linked to the treatment of specific diseases. Some information on cost is also available but this is the cost of the medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price that hospitals paid.

    In guidance published in August 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advised that vedolizumab is the recommended treatment for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease if a type of treatment called a tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitor is not suitable or has not worked well enough. NICE also recommend vedolizumab as a possible treatment for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in separate guidance published on 5 June 2015.

    In both cases, people should be able to have vedolizumab until it stops working, or surgery is needed, or for 12 months after starting it, whichever is shorter. Their condition should be assessed 12 months after they started taking vedolizumab. If they still have symptoms but it is clear that the treatment is helping, they can continue to have the drug. If they no longer have symptoms, treatment can be stopped, and later restarted if their symptoms return. Drugs recommended by NICE should be available on the NHS within three months of the technology appraisal guidance being issued.

    NICE has set out best practice in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of patients with Crohn’s diseases and ulcerative colitis in its guidance Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People in October 2012, and Ulcerative Colitis Management in Adults, Children and Young People , published in June 2013. Treatment for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is largely directed at symptom relief to improve quality of life, rather than cure. Management options include drug therapy, dietary and lifestyle advice and, in severe or chronic active disease, surgery.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the enforcement of orders issued by the Family Court; and if he will make a statement.

    Caroline Dinenage

    If an order made in the family court is breached, a party named in that order may apply to the court to consider appropriate enforcement action.

    The family courts have the power to treat breach of an order as a contempt of court, punishable by imprisonment or a fine or both. Where a child arrangements order is breached the court can only make an enforcement order if it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a party has breached the relevant order and has no good reason for doing so.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2015 to Question 9704, whether current funding levels for (a) torture prevention and (b) death penalty projects will be maintained in 2015-16 under his Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme.

    Mr David Lidington

    In 2015/16, the Human Rights and Democracy Programme has allocated £700,000 on torture prevention projects and just under £600,000 for projects promoting the abolition of the death penalty. These sums were not not decided in advance. Project proposals were considered on a case-by-case basis by the Programme Team and evaluated against criteria including: value for money, project design, evidence of need, viability, sustainability, and risk and stakeholder management. These funding levels for torture prevention and death penalty projects will remain unchanged for the remainder of 2015/16. The budget for all Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes for 2016/17 and beyond is currently under consideration as part of the Government’s Spending Review, which will conclude in November 2015.

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how he intends that small employers will access funding for apprenticeships.

    Nick Boles

    My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate of the levy and how it will operate with respect to the Devolved Administrations.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to appoint the consultant for the London and South Coast rail corridor study.

    Claire Perry

    The Department appointed the consultant for the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study in September. In October, the Government published the Study Terms of Reference on its website. Ministers anticipate receiving the findings by the end of 2015.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Network Rail first informed his Department of their estimate that electrification of the Great Western Main Line would cost more than £2 billion.

    Claire Perry

    In June 2015, as part of the affordability review exercise, Network Rail informed Department that the latest estimated cost of Great Western electrification was around £2.4bn. This forecast costs remained uncertain and further work was required to validate this figure. The validation is being undertaken as part of the Hendy review and we await the publication in the Autumn.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-10-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to raise with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the case of three British citizens murdered in Gujarat in 2002 when he visits the United Kingdom in November.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs , my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has previously raised this case with Prime Minister Modi in his former role as Chief Minister of Gujarat. We continue to raise consular matters with the Indian authorities at all levels. Our officials have provided consular support to the families since 2002 and will continue to provide assistance to them as needed.