The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the money allocated by his Department to improve birthing environments was spent in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Information on the breakdown of the money allocated by the Department to improve birthing environments in 2012-13 and 2013-14 has been placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings HM Revenue and Customs has conducted with Network Rail on the development of new parking facilities at Dover Priory railway station in the last six months.
Mr David Gauke
No meetings have taken place between HM Revenue and Customs and Network Rail regarding the development of new parking facilities at Dover Priory railway station in the last six months. However, Network Rail have been in contact with Mapeley as owner/managers of the site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK position is on the future status of Jerusalem.
Hugh Robertson
The Government considers that Jerusalem has the status of a corpus separatum as defined by the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Although we accept de facto Israeli control of West Jerusalem we do not recognise Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which we consider to be occupied territory. Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
We believe that a solution to Jerusalem must be sought as part of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the solution must allow for all those people for whom Jerusalem means so much to access and enjoy it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Frank Field on 2014-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households which claim housing benefit do not have access to a kitchen.
Steve Webb
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that hepatitis C services are prioritised at local level.
Jane Ellison
Commissioning of local hepatitis C services is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England expects that decisions made by local CCGs will be based on clinical insight and take account of the needs of the local population overall.
Public Health England supports work on local prioritisation of hepatitis C services by producing factsheets for local government, publishing a template to support commissioning by estimating the number of people infected with hepatitis C locally and the costs of treatment. Public Health England is also developing local liver profiles (to be published) at local authority level which includes key local statistics and prevention guidance on hepatitis C and questions which should be asked locally by local authority Health and Wellbeing Boards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail services in the Brighton travel to work area; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Hammond
The new TSGN franchise, as well as using the new rolling stock which will be phased into service from 2016, will require the franchisee to meet ambitious targets to improve punctuality and reliability performance, service quality and passenger satisfaction. We have also made clear to bidders that they can receive extra evaluation credit for submitting proposals that exceed our specified train service and quality requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 377W, on Sri Lanka, what assessment he has made of the suitability of President Rajapaksa to serve as Chairperson in Office of the Commonwealth.
Mr William Hague
The position of Chair in Office, which is occupied by the host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for two years after the event, was formally created in 2009. No formal guidance exists on the role. The decision for Sri Lanka to host CHOGM, and become Chair in Office thereafter, was taken at CHOGM in 2009. There has been no consensus amongst member states to revisit this decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2014-03-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 26 March (WA 121), whether local education authorities are required to record details of children with disabilities as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Lord Nash
Local authorities have a duty to open and maintain a register of disabled children and young people under section 17 (part 1 schedule 2) of the Children Act 1989. This duty uses the Children Act definition of disability which differs from the Equality Act definition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women received statutory maternity pay for how long in the latest period for which figures are available.
Steve Webb
The total number of women that started receiving Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) in 2011/12 was 355,000 and the average number receiving SMP at any point in time during the year was 273,000. These figures are estimated based on a 1% sample of National Insurance records.
This figure is for Great Britain only. Northern Ireland figures are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.
The duration of SMP claims cannot be estimated from National Insurance records, as these only contain information on the amount of SMP paid across the year and not when SMP claims begin and end. However the Department publishes the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey, which provides an indication of SMP claim durations, with the latest publication being in 2009/10. In 2008, about half of women eligible for SMP took maternity pay for the statutory number of weeks (39 weeks). Findings can be accessed at the link below (Section 3.3 and Table 3.5 contain information on SMP durations):
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Barnett on 2014-03-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that an agreement between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Governor of the Bank of England overrides the reserve powers given to HM Treasury in section 19(2) of the Bank of England Act 1998.
Lord Newby
The powers set out in section 19 of the Bank of England Act 1998 cannot be removed or amended except by further legislation approved by Parliament which amends that section of the 1998 Act.
The Treasury may only make an order giving directions under section 19 after consultation with the Governor of the Bank of England, if the directions are required in the public interest and by extreme economic circumstances.
Since the Monetary Policy Committee was given operational independence in 1997, covering the worst financial crisis in generations leading to the deepest recession since the Second World War, these powers have never been used.