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Tag: 2014

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the results of the investigation of the recent death of babies due to bacillus cereus.

    Jane Ellison

    Bacillus cereus is a spore forming bacterium found widely in the environment in dust, soil and vegetation. There is limited prevention as it is a naturally occurring bacterium. However, the Food Standards Agency has published advice on their website which details information on potential food poisoning caused by Bacillus cereus.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) undertake inspections of manufacturing facilities with reference to the standards of Good Manufacturing Practice to verify that companies are producing medicines that are of the correct quality and safety. The manufacture of sterile products, such as Total Parental Nutrition, is subject to special requirements in order to minimise risks of bacterial contamination.

    In the case of medicines, the MHRA and Public Health England (PHE) are currently investigating what has caused the recent incident where Total Parenteral Nutrition became contaminated with Bacillus cereus . Based on the information we currently have, we believe this is an isolated incident and the appropriate immediate action has been taken to avoid a recurrence.

    The devolved administrations have been informed of the current incident involving Bacillus cereus. The investigations into the cause of this incident are still ongoing. The Department will continue to discuss matters with the devolved administrations for minimising Bacillus cereus infection.

    The investigations being undertaken by MHRA and PHE are in their advanced stages and preliminary findings will be published as soon as possible. While the MHRA and PHE are undertaking their own investigations, it would be normal practice for the Coroner to report on the individual case he is currently considering.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 18W, on employee ownership, if he will make an estimate of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013.

    Mr David Gauke

    Employers are not required to provide details of any shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements to HM Revenue & Customs until they submit their annual employment-related securities return for 2013-14. No details or estimates of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are currently available.

    Estimates of the Exchequer impact of the capital gains tax exemption and the income tax and national insurance treatment of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements in tax years to 2017-18 can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf

    “

  • Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 19 January 2012, Official Report, columns 932-3W, how many companies hold licences for the manufacture or distribution of (a) Nitrazepam, (b) Flurazepam, (c) Loprazolam, (d) Lormetazepam, (e) Temazepam, (f) Clonazepam, (g) Medazepam, (h) Midazolam, (i) Zopiclone, (j) Zaleplon, (k) Zolpiden, (l) Eszopiclone, (m) SSRI antidepressants and (n) trycyclic antidepressants; and how many of those licences were issued in the last three years.

    Norman Lamb

    There are currently 15 products authorised in the United Kingdom containing nitrazepam and 15 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently two products authorised in the UK containing flurazepam and one company authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently two products authorised in the UK containing loprazolam and two different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently eight products authorised in the UK containing lormetazepam and four different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently 10 products authorised in the UK containing temazepam and six different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently six products authorised in the UK containing clonazepam and three different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently no authorised products in the UK containing medazepam.

    There are currently 22 products authorised in the UK containing midazolam and 10 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently 17 products authorised in the UK containing zopiclone and nine different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently two products authorised in the UK containing zaleplon and one company authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently 21 products authorised in the UK containing zolpidem and 12 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently no authorised products in the UK containing eszopiclone.

    There are currently 238 products authorised in the UK containing SSRI antidepressants and 57 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    There are currently 16 products authorised in the UK containing tricyclic antidepressants and 11 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.

    One loprazolam, four lormetazepam, two clonazepam, two midazolam, three zopiclone, four zolpidem and 75 SSRI products have been authorised in the last three years.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are any plans to create a legal framework which criminalises patterns of coercive control.

    Norman Baker

    Domestic abuse is a crime and we already have a framework which covers coercive
    control.

    There is a range of existing offences for which a perpetrator of domestic violence can be prosecuted, including common assault.
    Coercive control can amount to common assault where the perpetrator, via their
    words or actions, intentionally or recklessly causes another to fear unlawful
    or immediate violence. In sentencing, the courts can also take into account as
    aggravating factors a range of features which are common in domestic violence
    cases, such as the vulnerability of the victim, the repeated nature of the
    assaults and abuse of power by the perpetrator.

    Last September, the Home Secretary commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
    Constabulary to conduct a review of the response to domestic abuse
    across all police forces. The Inspectorate published its findings in March
    2014. It emphasises that the key priority is a culture change in the police so that
    domestic violence and abuse is treated as the crime that it is and the police
    use the full range of tools already available to them.

    The Home Secretary will chair a national oversight group to oversee delivery
    against each of HMIC’s recommendations on which I will also sit.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change (a) the classification of external communications for the purposes of interception and (b) other aspects of UK surveillance law.

    James Brokenshire

    External Communication is defined within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and the statutory Interception of Communications Code of Practice which was approved by Parliament and came into force on 1 July 2002. The Government has no present plans to amend the definition of external communication.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department plans to provide to areas affected by changes to the nuclear decommissioning programme following the award of a new contract on 31 March 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    This Department, together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is fully committed to helping to deliver the Nuclear Industrial Strategy, including through the Nuclear Industry Council, on which the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) also sits. The announcement of the preferred bidder in the NDA’s parent body competition for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Limited should not materially affect our support. The Cavendish Fluor Partnership brings a successful track record and extensive nuclear experience that will bring benefits to the decommissioning and clean-up programme. They are committed to developing the skills of the workforce and to meeting socio-economic responsibilities, as were all the bidders.

    This Department will continue to work with DECC, the NDA and the industry to ensure that decommissioning is achieved safely, to schedule, competitively and taking into account UK economic benefit.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, to how many Freedom of Information requests on aid projects her Department has declined to provide information in each of the last 12 months.

    Justine Greening

    The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes a quarterly statistics bulletin concerning FOI responses from all government departments including DFID. The bulletin includes tables showing how many requests were granted in full, or resulted in some information being withheld or all information withheld. The MoJ statistics bulletin can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

    “

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funds were provided in Barnett consequentials to the Northern Ireland Executive as a result of the flood relief funds granted in England and Wales.

    Danny Alexander

    The table below sets out the extra funding allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive through the Barnett formula to reflect new funding provided to UK government departments for flood defence measures at Budget 2014.

    Northern Ireland

    2014-15

    £m

    2015-16

    £m

    Flood Maintenance (Resource)

    0.7

    1.2

    Flood Maintenance (Capital)

    2.0

    0.8

    “

  • 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 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a criminal conviction is a disqualification for a Community Rehabilitation contract.

    Jeremy Wright

    Final bids to run the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are expected at the end of June 2014, and will be rigorously assessed against robust quality, legal, commercial and financial criteria. In the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, bidders were required to declare that their organisation, directors or partners or any other person who has powers of representation, decision or control had no convictions in relation to criminal offences such as conspiracy, corruption, bribery or fraud and that their organisation had no convictions for criminal offences relating to the conduct of their business or profession and acts of grave misconduct. As set out in the Invitation to Negotiate, bidders are required to notify the department of any changes to the position set out in their declarations or anything that may affect their continued participation in the competition and the department reserves the right to undertake a full re-assessment and, if grounds for rejection exist, exclude the bidder from further participation in the competition.

    The MoJ also undertook extensive due diligence of bidders on a range of matters, including integrity and legal compliance issues. As a consequence we have a robust and diverse market.

  • Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with mobile network operators about shared infrastructure; and if he will use the forthcoming review of the Electronic Communications Code to reform wayleases and rights of way for the implementation and maintenance of shared infrastructure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller, and I had a number of representations from mobile network operators about shared infrastructure. DCMS is considering the implications of the Law Commission’s report on the Electronic Communications Code which was published in February 2013. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code in due course.