Tag: 2014

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of being able to access a GP appointment within 48 hours on levels of patient satisfaction.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing a general practitioner (GP) appointment at a convenient time, ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.

    The Government recognises the importance of timely access to general practice. The PM Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give GPs the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population.

    In addition, the new GP contract introduced a new Enhanced Service, which includes a commitment to same day phone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied migrant children have been forcibly removed to another country in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    No unaccompanied child under the age of 18 can be forcibly removed from the UK
    unless adequate care and reception arrangements are in place in their country
    of origin. The difficulty of setting up suitable reception arrangements has
    meant that, with the exception of transfers to other European Union countries
    under the *Dublin Regulations, the Home Office does not routinely enforce the
    return of unaccompanied children to any country. The majority of unaccompanied
    children whose asylum claims are rejected are granted temporary leave which is
    reviewed when they reach 17½ years of age. We believe that the vast majority of
    enforced returns of unaccompanied children undertaken between 2006 and 2010
    were transfers under the Dublin Regulations.

    Table 1: Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children removals 2009 to 2013

    Date of Removal

    Total

    2009

    31

    2010

    12

    2011

    2

    2012

    6

    2013

    2

    Grand Total

    53

    ‘Migrant children’ have been interpreted as unaccompanied asylum seeking
    children (UASC) in answering this question.

    * The Dublin Regulation EC No. 343/2003 is a binding measure of European
    Community law to determine which State should be responsible for examining an
    application for asylum made within the EU territory.

  • Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and if he will make a statement.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Coal Authority is responsible for dealing with reported cases of escaped gases from disused mine workings, including monitoring concentrations where necessary. Consequently, Defra has made no assessment of the impact on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to relieve congestion on roads.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    This Government is committed to investing in infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion. This means spending £24 billion on strategic roads over this and the next Parliament, and accelerating the pace of delivery so that people affected see a difference more quickly.

    This includes a £500 million programme of pinch point schemes specifically targeted at tackling congestion on both the strategic and local road network, and a further £800 million being invested in 25 local major road schemes.

    We have previously announced £183.5m for road repairs following the severe weather this winter and in the recent Budget, the Chancellor announced a further £200 millionfunding for pothole repairs. Of this, £168m will assist Councils in England, with the remaining £32m allocated to the devolved administrations.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many HSA4 certificates his Department has returned to terminating doctors pending completion in the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    It is estimated that between 2009 and 2013 approximately 49,000 forms were returned to registered medical practitioners (RMPs) for further information and clarification.

    Form HSA4 already requires information to be provided as to whether the two certifying RMPs saw and/or examined the pregnant woman.

  • 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, how many staff his Department has employed in data entry roles relating to universal credit in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire in each quarter since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    There are no dedicated data entry roles and accordingly no cost to the department can be reliably estimated.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which infrastructure projects have accessed the UK Guarantees scheme; and how much funding was issued in each such case.

    Danny Alexander

    Three guarantees and one Stand-by Facility have been signed under the UK Guarantees Scheme with a total value of £1,090,800,000. This includes Drax Power (£75m), Sustainable Development Capital – UK Energy Efficiency Investment Funds (£8.8m), Northern Line Extension (£750m) and Mersey Gateway Bridge (£257m).

    Any guarantees signed are reported to Parliament as required by the legislation, Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012, underpinning the Scheme and can also be found on the gov.uk website.

  • Mrs Mary Glindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Mrs Mary Glindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Mary Glindon on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of people employed in the public sector in Northern Ireland.

    Mr Andrew Robathan

    The Government is committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy in favour of the private sector which we, and the Executive, believe is the best way to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future. Over the last year, private sector jobs in Northern Ireland have increased by 10,490 and public sector jobs by 1,790.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Arts Council has spent per head of population in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Arts Council England (ACE) makes its funding decisions independently of Government and as such we do not hold the information requested. However, the following information has been provided by ACE:

    Value of ACE awards to applicants resident in ASHFIELD Constituency 2009 2014

    Decision Year

    Value of Awards

    Per-Capita*

    2009/10

    £9,706

    £0.10

    2010/11

    £9,712

    £0.10

    2011/12

    £13,500

    £0.13

    2012/13

    2013/14

    * based on Mid-2011 population estimate (ONS) 101,914.

    In addition, ACE made two other awards totalling £3.8m from which Ashfield can benefit

  • Lord Blencathra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Blencathra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take steps to recover legal aid payments to the firm Public Interest Lawyers following their statement on 20 March that there was no evidence that British soldiers had murdered 20 Iraqis.

    Lord Faulks

    Legal aid is not funding the Al-Sweady Inquiry. There are therefore no plans to recover payments made from legal aid to Public Interest Lawyers following their statement on 20 March.

    On 20 March, at the Al-Sweady Inquiry into the most serious allegations against British soldiers in the Iraq War, lawyers representing Iraqi families withdrew their claim that the troops had killed unarmed civilians they had captured and brought back to an army base.

    The inquiry continues and the statement on 20 March does not mean that the inquiry has been abandoned.

    Legal aid was provided for an action prior to the Inquiry. Legal aid was provided to Iraqi applicants to seek an independent and effective investigation into deaths and torture or inhumane and degrading treatment in relation to the incident at checkpoint Danny Boy in Iraq in May 2004. As a result of these proceedings, the Secretary of State for Defence decided to hold the Al-Sweady Inquiry. This action was therefore successful in its aim.

    The Inquiry is not yet complete and the Chairman’s report is not due to be published until later in the year. Public Interest Lawyers’s statement refers to part only of the allegations made and the Ministry of Justice awaits the Inquiry Report before commenting further.