Tag: 2014

Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of properties in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber which do not have mains gas access and which use domestic heating oil.

Gregory Barker

Estimates for the number of households which do not have mains gas and which use domestic heating oil are not available. However, the number of households that did not have access to a mains gas supply in the Brigg and Goole constituency can be estimated bycombining figures for the lower layer super output areas that most closely match this area.

In 2012, there were approximately 4,400 households (12 per cent) which had no access to mains gas.The number of households that did not have access to mains gas in Yorkshire and the Humber is estimated to be127,000 (six per cent of households within Yorkshire and the Humber).

These data are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lsoa-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network.

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November 1, 2022
Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Gregory Barker

The Department’s Ministers, from time to time, carry out official visits to different parts of the UK to conduct departmental business. The Department does not keep a central record of such visits.

All overseas travel by the Department’s Ministers is published on a quarterly basis on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energy-climate-change&publication_type=transparency-data

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November 1, 2022
Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assurances she has received from operators of commercially available mobile networks that the emergency services will be able to over-ride commercial or public traffic during emergencies.

Damian Green

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has worked with the
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) since February 2013, running a series of
supplier workshops and market engagement sessions throughout 2013 and the first
quarter of 2014 ahead of procurement launch. The MNOs have run a series of
capability demonstrations, organised by the Programme, to showcase development
of this technical solution. The Programme has confidence that this capability
is deliverable. The MNOs met the Minister for the Cabinet Office during
February 2014, where they confirmed their ability and willingness to deliver
the technology required to enable the emergency services to operate effectively
over a commercially available mobile network, including provision of
prioritisation of Emergency Service traffic.

November 1, 2022
Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Annette Brooke on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce risks to the environment posed by the release of helium balloons.

Dan Rogerson

We recognise there are concerns about the potential risks posed by helium balloons. In 2013, jointly with the Welsh Government, we commissioned an independent study to identify and assess the impacts and risks to livestock and the environment associated with sky lanterns and helium balloons.

Evidence from the report concluded that risk to the environment from helium balloons is small or highly localised.

The report is available at:

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=2&ProjectID=18402

Any future action Government may take will need to be proportionate to the problem and backed by reliable evidence.

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November 1, 2022

Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of employees in No. 10 Downing Street of what (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Some of the information requested is not held centrally. However, all of these options are available to employees subject to business needs.

Fewer than five employees are currently recorded as working (iii) from home in a formal arrangement.

The proportion of employees by Pay Grade who work part-time hours as at 28 February 2014 is shown in the table below:

CO Payband (CS Equivalent)	% Part Time
PERM SEC	0%
SCS3	14%
SCS2	5%
SCS1	8%
A/BAND A (Grade 6/7)	5%
B2/BAND B2 (HEO/SEO)	6%
B/Faststream	0%
B1/BAND B1 (EO)	9%
C/BAND C (AA/AO)	10%

The proportion of employees by gender who work part-time hours as at 28 February 2014 is shown in the table below:

Gender	% Part Time
Female	12%
Male	1%

November 1, 2022

Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the issue of rape and sexual violence by the Burmese Army was raised with the Burmese colonel who received training in the UK from 10 March to April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context course, delivered in the UK by the Defence Academy, was attended by participants from over 20 countries; one of these was a colonel from the Burmese military. The course is designed for countries making the difficult transition to democracy in a variety of contexts. Specific issues of concern relating to individual countries are therefore not raised during the course.

I, however, raised the issue of rape and sexual violence with the Burmese Army’s Commander-in-Chief and northern Commander during my visit to Burma in January.

I welcome Burma’s endorsement of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 5 June; we stand ready to provide any support necessary to assist implementation of the declaration.

November 1, 2022
Dr William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr William McCrea on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department and the Highways Agency are taking to reduce the risk of death or serious injury to road workers on the motorway network.

Mr Robert Goodwill

As part of its Aiming for Zero safety programme, the Highways Agency established a Road Worker Safety programme designed to reduce risk exposure to road workers, a particular focus of which is to reduce the incidences of carriageway crossing by road workers. Within this programme, a number of projects have been commissioned to test simplifications and other changes to temporary traffic management arrangements to reduce road worker exposure to live traffic whilst maintaining standards of safety for road users. Some of these projects have been completed already; for example Signs Simplification, implemented December 2011, and Offside Signs Removal techniques, implemented November 2012.

The introduction of these innovative changes has already enabled a very substantial reduction in the number of carriageway crossings, leading to a proportionate reduction in road worker risk exposure. In March 2014 the Highways Agency published further guidance on the Offside Signs Removal technique, allowing it to be used to close a four lane carriageway. The Highways Agency is continuing to work with its supply chain to take forward further projects within this programme with the aim of further reducing road worker risk.

November 1, 2022
Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of using mobile telephone apps to use GPS to locate trained resuscitators and atrial fibrilation equipment to bring a rapid response to those who have suffered a heart attack.

Jane Ellison

The development of mobile device based Apps are being considered by NHS England across health and care settings and are still in development and launched the Health Apps Library in March 2013.

NHS England is taking a leading role on apps in a number of areas:

– Health Apps Library: In recognition of needing to support patients and the public in knowing which apps they can trust and that are safe. Only apps that have successfully completed a clinical safety review process are listed.

– Overall United Kingdom Apps Review Framework: In recognising the need to help apps developers understand what review and regulation they need to go through, NHS England, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are jointly working together to create an overall review framework for health apps.

– Integrated apps: The future direction of apps is to move from lots of individual apps for specific purposes that are not linked to “integrated apps” that brings different pieces of information together.

Sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest remains a major public health concern in all countries and can affect all ages.

Defibrillators that can save many lives within minutes of the event are widely available, but rapid location of these and also trained community responders is an urgent and unmet need. Apps have been developed and several are in use but they will not achieve their full potential until integrated into a national scheme which NHS England is considering.

November 1, 2022
Dr Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of sanctions imposed on jobseeker’s allowance claimants in Scotland resulted from the recommendations of Work Programme providers between March 2013 and March 2014.

Esther McVey

The specific information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

November 1, 2022
Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the findings of Mental Health Foundation research into the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the reduction in patient visits to the GP.

Norman Lamb

No such assessment of the saving to the National Health Service from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of general practitioner visits has been made.

The Department is aware of the Mental Health Foundation’s research into the impact of mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the NHS has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England.

November 1, 2022