Tag: 2014

  • Gordon Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gordon Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Brown on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reason is for the time taken for his Department to publish COMPARE’s report on radium contamination at Dalgety Bay.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has been engaged with the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment throughout the production of its report on Dalgety Bay, andour priority throughout has been to make sure that it is comprehensive, accurate and up to date.

    During this process information was provided to the Committee for due consideration prior to final publication.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of employees in his Department of each (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.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has a Flexible Working policy which allows its staff to apply to work through a range of flexible working options. These include part time working, job sharing, compressed hours, as well as working from home on an occasional or more regular basis or as part of a formal arrangements where staff are officially based at home. DECC does not hold central records of those staff who have made a statutory application for flexible working.

    Information relating to staff who work part time is recorded centrally and the proportion of those by (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender is set out in the tables below.

    Civil Service pay grade

    Full Time

    Part Time

    AO

    89%

    11%

    EO

    93%

    7%

    HEO

    96%

    4%

    FASTSTREAM

    100%

    0%

    SEO

    95%

    5%

    G7

    91%

    9%

    G6

    86%

    14%

    SCS

    91%

    9%

    Grand Total

    92%

    8%

    Gender

    Full Time

    Part Time

    Female

    86%

    14%

    Male

    98%

    2%

    Grand Total

    92%

    8%
  • Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the proportion of the Demand Side Balancing Reserve that will comprise of active demand reduction rather than switching on generation assets.

    Michael Fallon

    The Demand Side Balancing Reserve is operated by National Grid independently from Government. Once National Grid has concluded the procurement of the reserve in the autumn it will be possible to identify the proportion of the reserve that comprises ‘load reduction’ rather than the export of additional generation onto the grid (though initial expressions of interest to National Grid suggest that around 75% of the reserve may be provided by load reduction). However, it will not be possible to determine whether this load reduction is achieved through a reduction in demand, or by turning on local back up generation to meet local needs.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    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 steps she has taken to ensure the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme delivers a cost effective network that meets the standards of security and resilience essential for mission-critical communications.

    Damian Green

    The Programme has undertaken an extensive market engagement exercise to help
    determine the technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed Emergency
    Services Network (ESN). The results of these industry soundings indicate that
    it should be possible to move to Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution based
    technologies that will be more cost effective and will allow the Emergency
    Services communications to evolve in line with developments in the consumer
    market. The outline business case, approved in March 2014, included costs for
    the security and resilience enhancements required to provide the appropriate
    service levels for ESN users.

  • Roger Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Williams on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK’s sanitary and phytosanitary rules in food production are not affected by the agreement of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

    George Eustice

    The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could be worth £10 billion a year to the UK economy, with potential to deliver significant opportunities for the UK agriculture, food and drink sectors. Sanitary and phytosanitary issues are likely to be critical to a successful agreement. I am pursuing these in consultation with industry and other interested parties to ensure progress is made, based on sound science and consistent with our biosecurity and food safety standards.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Brighton and Hove City Council on the condition of roads in that area; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Officials at the Department for Transport discuss highways maintenance matters with local authorities as and when issues are raised with them. Brighton and Hove City Council also registered to attent the recent "Gearing up for Efficient Highway Delivery and Funding from 2015 Roadshow" where the Department sought views from the sector on the future of funding arrangements for highways maintenance and on improvements to the value for money of the local road network programme.

    The Department for Transport provides capital funding to local highway authorities from the local maintenance highways maintenance capital block grant and over the four year period from 2011 Brighton and Hove City Council’s allocation is £13.9 million.

    The Department has also allocated additional highways maintenance funding to authorities to help repair roads damaged due to severe weather events. For Brighton and Hove City Council this includes £0.152 million in 2010/11, £0.412 million in March 2011 and more recently £0.295 million in March 2014.

    A £200 million Pothole Fund was announced in the recent Budget. From this, £168 million is being made available to councils in England through a bidding exercise. Further details of the fund were made available on 24 April, and can be found at:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/pothole-fund-2014-to-2015-application.

    Any local authorities wishing to apply for a share of the funding are required to submit an application to the Department for Transport by 22 May 2014.

    “

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in China.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We do have concerns about restrictions to civil and political freedoms in China, particularly around ethnic minority rights; the death penalty; and freedom of expression, association and assembly.

    The climate for human rights defenders and civil society is very difficult, and security in areas with ethnic minorities remains tight.

    Ministers regularly raise human rights issues with Chinese counterparts, and we highlight our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

  • Andrea Leadsom – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrea Leadsom – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Leadsom on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the findings of the Green Paper on improving the safety and reducing risks to young drivers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The safety of young people on our roads is very important to us. Too many young people die, too often; we are wrestling with how to make things safer, while not unduly restricting the freedom of our young people. We want young people to be able to get to work and training, to education and to leisure activities, and we want them to do so safely. We are finding this a difficult balance, with passionate voices on both sides.

    On 27 January 2014, we held a meeting with the insurance industry and agreed the Department would commission new research into how telematics can change the behaviour and attitudes of learner drivers. We look forward to insurance companies sharing their data so that we can undertake this research.

    We are also in the process of undertaking some focus groups with parents, young people and employers to get a better understanding of the issues from their perspective.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    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 comparative assessment he has made of the rates of mental ill health caused by (a) working long hours and (b) being unemployed.

    Norman Lamb

    Numerous studies, including the Marmot Review into health inequalities in England (published in 2010) draw attention to the impacts of unemployment, and particularly long-term unemployment, on mental health.

    Research also demonstrates that work related stress and mental health problems often go together. Work related stress may trigger an existing mental health problem that the person may otherwise have successfully managed.

    However, common mental health problems and stress can exist independently. For example, people can have work related stress leading to physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, without experiencing anxiety and depression. They can also have anxiety and depression that is unrelated to stress.

    Gainful employment promotes mental well-being. Unfortunately, the workplace can also be the source of nonproductive stress leading to physical and mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and behaviours and suicide.

    A number of studies demonstrate an association between the areas of England worst affected during the recent financial crisis and increased suicide rates. Between 2008 and 2010, there were approximately 800 more suicides among men and 155 more among women than would have been expected based on historical trends. This was supported by a recent review of the international impact of the global economic crisis. A rise in poor health status associated with the recession has also been found not only for the unemployed, but also among people who remain employed.

    People come into contact with the welfare system at a time when they may be vulnerable because of unemployment and its associated consequences. The Department for Work and Pensions provides guidance and training for staff to help them identify and support people who are vulnerable, including those who may be at risk of suicide or self-harm.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the three year wage subsidy for former Remploy disabled employees transferring to a new employer was not available for new businesses set up for the purpose of employing disabled people formerly employed by Remploy.

    Mike Penning

    The Government agreed to a transitional time limited wage subsidy, for all disabled workers that TUPE to a new employer as part of Remploy’s commercial process, to support the ongoing employment of Remploy disabled workers.

    For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government agreed that the best support to help them find a job was to put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP) providing help for up to 18 months. As at 21 March 2014, 1,513 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and 716 are in work.

    The PHSP includes one to one support from a Personal Case Worker to identify suitable help to find work including access to advice and support to set up a business. This includes the Community Support Fund, which has provided financial support for former disabled Remploy workers to help them use existing skills and expertise to set up three new small businesses in Aberdeen, Stoke and Worksop. In addition, three other Community Support Fund projects are being used to set up small businesses in Birkenhead, Leeds and Newcastle.