The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-03-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the overall cost to his Department of data entry associated with universal credit.
Mike Penning
There are no dedicated data entry roles and accordingly no cost to the department can be reliably estimated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hoban on 2014-06-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses (a) applied for and (b) were granted authorisation as insurers in each of the last five years.
Andrea Leadsom
The Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority are responsible for overseeing the authorisation of insurance companies. The Treasury does not publish data on authorisations of insurance providers.
This question has been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and they will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Selous on 2014-03-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
I regularly hold discussions with Executive ministers on a range of economic issues.
Last week, I chaired a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Task Force on Banking and Access to Finance which was established to help Northern Ireland businesses access finance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) effect of the sale of the unlicensed drug Melanotan (i) online and (ii) in shops.
Dr Daniel Poulter
There are strict legal controls governing the sale and supply of medicinal products in the United Kingdom.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considers Melanotan products to be medicinal products within the meaning of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and as such, the manufacture, sale and supply are subject to UK regulatory control. No Melanotan product holds a marketing authorisation (product licence) for use in the UK and consequently advertising and sale or supply would be in breach of regulatory requirements.
The MHRA is aware that Melanotan is being sold through some outlets such as gyms and beauty salons and is available more widely on the Internet through certain websites.
During the past 12 months, the MHRA has worked with Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad to suspend more than 100 websites illegally trading in Melanotan.
The MHRA issues regular warnings to the public about the dangers involved in the use of unlicensed medicines, including Melanotan and officials have participated in Press campaigns and specific media coverage of the problem.
As of 12 June 2014, the MHRA has received a total of 22 reports of Adverse Drug Reactions associated with the use of Melanotan (product names Melanotan I, Melanotan II and Ubertan), describing a total of 93 adverse reactions. However, it is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2014-03-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference both in absolute terms and in percentage terms in the compensation for those affected by HS2 who (1) live in the Rural Support Zone, and (2) live outside it.
Baroness Kramer
The Government is not yet able to confirm the outcome of the recent consultation on property compensation for Phase One of HS2, but expects to make an announcement soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality of provision of primary care in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.
Dr Daniel Poulter
No assessment has been made centrally. NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of primary care health services and for securing the best possible outcomes for patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2014-03-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken to ensure that information on the engagement activities of pension funds and other institutional investors with investee companies is made fully accessible.
Lord Freud
The Government supports the principles set out in the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) UK Stewardship Code including schemes becoming active stewards of their investments and reporting on that stewardship. The Code sets out a number of areas of good practice to which the FRC believes institutional investors should aspire, and operates on a ‘comply or explain’ basis. It includes guidance for pension schemes and other asset owners on steps they can take to protect and enhance the value that accrues to the ultimate beneficiary. The FCA requires UK authorised asset managers to report on whether or not they apply the Code.
The UK stewardship code is voluntary, however we would encourage workplace pensions schemes to comply with the principles set out in the code. In addition we are developing governance standards of workplace defined contribution schemes, and have asked the Law Commission to investigate how fiduciary duties currently apply in the investment chain. The Pensions Regulator’s defined contribution Code of Practice also sets out the legal requirements and standards they expect trustees of defined contribution schemes to attain. This includes a section on investment which also references the FRC Stewardship code. These initiatives are part of our on-going work to ensure schemes are governed and administered to deliver in members’ interests.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish all forecasts held by his Department of the annual budget to be allocated to Unionlearn.
Matthew Hancock
The Skills Funding Statement published annually, sets out the funding priorities and available budget to support the further education (FE) and skills sector.
Annual budgets allocated to individual programmes from the FE and skills budget, including Unionlearn is not published separately.
As FE and skills budgets for future years have not been agreed, no annual budget has been forecast for unionlearn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his Office’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.
Mr Nick Clegg
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 26 Mar 2014, Column 300W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to support children with special educational needs in (a) Peterborough and (b) England.
Mr Edward Timpson
Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, to be implemented from this September, introduces the largest reform to the system for special educational needs and disability for 30 years. It builds on the experience of 20 pathfinders and will place children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.
The Department for Education is providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week, the Department announced an injection of an additional £45.2 million in 2014-15 on top of the £70 million Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reform Grant already provided this year for implementing the reforms. Peterborough will receive £200,615 of this most recent funding on top of the £307,940 SEN Reform Grant it has already received.
We are also providing £30 million over two years to voluntary, community and private sector organisations to provide independent supporters to families to help them navigate the new system.Bids to offer independent supporters have been invited by 25 June. The Department for Education’s strategic partner, the Council for Disabled Children, will then work with interested organisations to secure support for families across the whole of England.
This is supplemented by a wide range of activity to support implementation, from Pathfinder local authorities sharing their experience particular aspects of the reforms, through to funding for a range of specialist voluntary and community sector experts to provide materials and support for professionals on specific conditions.