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Tag: 2014

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the meaning is of the phrase responder hub as used in a communication from her Department to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton; and if she will instruct her staff to use clearer and more comprehensible English in their communications with hon. Members and the public.

    Karen Bradley

    The UK Visas and Immigration teams which lead on responding to correspondence from Members of Parliament, are geographically grouped into eight offices at the following sites; Croydon, Westminster, Cardiff, Solihull, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow. Each office is described as a ‘responder hub’ because it may deal with correspondence from outside the immediate geographical area.

    Officials are reviewing how teams are described externally in response to feedback from customers.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Secretary of State has an approval role under the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement for changes to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage. The Association of Train Operating Companies is responsible for the management of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and it is for them to propose changes to the Secretary of State for approval.

  • David Burrowes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Burrowes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which single or multiple technology appraisals for pharmacological treatments for cancer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has considered the sequential use of the appraised technology with another available treatment; and whether in each such appraisal this resulted in a recommendation on sequential use in each year since NICE was established.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that providing all the information in the format requested would incur disproportionate cost.

    Information about technology appraisals where NICE has recommended a technology only in circumstances in which a patient has not been treated with a previously recommended technology can be found within each published technology appraisal on NICE’s website at:

    www.nice.org.uk

    Information about where NICE has considered or made recommendations regarding the sequential use of technologies can also be found within each published technology appraisal on the website.

  • Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    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.

  • Mark Hoban – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hoban – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    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.

  • Andrew Selous – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Andrew Selous – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    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.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    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.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    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.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    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.

  • Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Harrison – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    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.