Tag: 2014

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he takes to monitor whether Work Programme prime providers fulfil their minimum service standards; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has developed a clearly defined compliance monitoring regime which commits to an appropriate level of checking for each of the 40 Work Programme contract package areas.

    The compliance management team work closely with Work Programme performance managers to ensure clear factual information is available for consideration as part of monthly Contract Performance Reviews with providers.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the cost of public enquiries relating to Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The costs for public inquires relating to Northern Ireland published by my Department since 1997 are as follows:

    The Bloody Sunday inquiry £191.5 million

    The Rosemary Nelson inquiry £46.5 million

    The Billy Wright inquiry £30.5 million

    In addition, the Robert Hamill Inquiry has been completed but the Report has not been published due to ongoing legal proceedings. The costs as of February 2011 stood at £33 million.

    No public inquiries have been established by the current government. In 2011 we set up a review into the murder of Patrick Finucane, which reported in 2012 at a cost of £1.1 million.

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

    David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 42W, on in vitro fertilisation, if he will provide specific references to the available evidence that no genomic DNA is found in the mitochondria but only in the cell nucleus; how their consideration that mitochondrial DNA is not part of the genome relates to the presentation of data on the human genome in the ENSEMBL and OMIM databases; what precise genetic modifications are applied to the eggs or embryos that would prevent any nuclear DNA from the egg or embryo donors from being inherited by the resulting child; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    We have been advised by the Wellcome Trust that whole mitochondrial DNA genome sequencing has revealed no evidence of nuclear genomic DNA inside mitochondria and data on the human genome available in the ENSEMBL and OMIM databases confirms that there is no nuclear genomic DNA in the mitochondria.

    Inheritance of nuclear DNA from the donor egg is prevented in the Maternal Spindle Transfer technique through the removal of the spindle from the donor egg. Given that the nuclear DNA in the form of condensed chromosomes is attached to the spindle, nuclear genomic DNA from the donor will be removed and not inherited by the resulting child. Techniques that allow the visualisation of condensed chromosomes in eggs are used to ensure that all the chromosomes are removed.

    For embryos used in the Pronuclear Transfer technique, the nuclear genomic DNA is enclosed within the nuclear membrane of the maternal (egg-derived) and paternal (sperm-derived) pronuclei. The donor nuclear genomic DNA will be removed when the pronuclei are removed.

    There is no universally agreed definition of genetic modification in humans. The Government has adopted a working definition for the purpose of taking forward the draft mitochondrial donation regulations, that genetic modification involves the germ-line modification of nuclear DNA that can be passed on to future generations. Therefore, the Government does not accept that mitochondrial donation amounts to genetic modification.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Child Support Agency cases subject to case closure which have child maintenance arrears based wholly or partly on an interim maintenance assessment; and what steps he is taking to re-evaluate the amount of arrears owed and to inform the non-resident parent and parent with care accordingly.

    Steve Webb

    We have identified around 1,400 cases subject to case closure which have child maintenance arrears based wholly or partly on an interim maintenance assessment.

    The arrears existing on cases coming up for closure will be reviewed, and where necessary revised, to ensure accuracy. Both parents will be informed of the arrears balance prior to their case closing.

  • Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that resources for mental health services meet the requirements of both adults and children.

    Norman Lamb

    Mental health and wellbeing, for both adults and children, is a priority for this Government. Our overarching goal is to ensure that mental health has equal priority with physical health, and that everyone who needs it has timely access to the best available treatment. We have enshrined in law the equal status of mental and physical health in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

    The Mandate to NHS England makes clear that ‘everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence based services’. This will involve extending and ensuring more open access to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, in particular for children and young people, and for those out of work.

    We are also committed to introducing access and/or waiting time standards for mental health. The revised Mandate asks NHS England to develop and evaluate a range of costed options to implement access and waiting standards for mental health services starting from April 2015, with a phased introduction depending on affordability.

    We will hold the National Health Service to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients through the NHS Outcomes Framework. Improvements for people with mental health problems will also be a crucial element of success across the framework as a whole.

    Our action plan, Closing the Gap, which was launched in January 2014, sets our priorities for action and progress in mental health services over the next couple of years, including actions supporting commissioners in allocating resources.

    We are setting up a new, national Mental Health Intelligence Network to provide comprehensive, up to date information about mental health and wellbeing, mental health problems and what the most pressing needs are in each area – which will support commissioning of services.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral Answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 824, what the evidential basis is for the statement that nuclear power is carbon-free.

    Mr David Cameron

    There is a strong consensus in the global scientific community that nuclear energy represents one of the lowest carbon forms of baseload electricity generation.

    The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the life cycle emissions associated with the generation of electricity from nuclear power groups are 16g CO2 per kWh electricity produced. This is very low compared to the equivalent figure for electricity produced by natural gas turbines, which is in excess of 400g CO2/kWh, and similar to the IPCC’s estimate for widespread non-baseload form of electricity generation, such as wind.

    The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report ‘Carbon Footprint of Electricity Generation’ states that the operation of the nuclear power station accounts for less than 1% of the total life cycle emissions of nuclear electricity generation.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that as economic recovery takes hold proportionately more inward investment will be directed to areas beyond the South East.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has overall responsibility within Government for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment across the UK. UKTI works in partnership with each of the Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, and through representatives of each of the Devolved Administrations and London, to maximise the potential of the UK to attract inward investment. UKTI operates under the “UK First” principle, providing foreign investors with all the information and advice necessary to ensure that the UK is the preferred global location for their investment.

    UKTI is supporting cross-government efforts to rebalance the economy in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy. For example, UKTI focuses on promoting the UK’s strengths in industry sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and food and drink, where the opportunities for the UK to compete for foreign direct investment projects are often in areas beyond the South East. In 2012/13, UKTI recorded a total of 1,599 inward investment projects won for the UK including 67 projects in Wales, 38 projects in Northern Ireland, 111 projects in Scotland, 759 projects in England (excluding London) and 584 projects in London.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department’s withdrawal from the Debt Management Plan Protocol guidance group on the development of future non-statutory debt solutions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government is committed to improving standards in the debt management industry to deliver a better deal for consumers and greater transparency for creditors. The Debt Management Plan Protocol played a crucial role in meeting this objective, working in complement with the OFT regulatory framework, and paved the way for more robust regulation of the sector by the FCA.

    From 1 April, responsibility for regulating debt management firms, along with all other consumer credit firms, transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

    Consumers will be better protected under the new regime – the FCA will:

    · police the gateway to the market more thoroughly;

    · proactively identify risks to consumers;

    · focus its supervisory resources on areas most likely to cause consumer harm;

    · approve individuals in influential roles in firms;

    · operate a flexible and responsive regime;

    · use its wide enforcement toolkit;

    · and ensure consumers have access to redress.

    The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process – debt management firms will be amongst the first to require authorisation.

    The FCA has also introduced new requirements for debt management firms, including:

    · Prudential requirements: Debt management firms often hold consumers’ money – the FCA is requiring large debt management firms to hold capital to ensure that consumers don’t risk losing their money if things go wrong.

    · Guidance added that debt management firms should not allocate more than half the money received from customers in debt management plans to meeting their fees and charges.

    With the new FCA regulatory regime in place which will greatly improve consumer protection in the debt management market, the Government decided following discussions with a range of stakeholders that it was the right time to step away from an active role in the Protocol.

    The Government hopes that the stakeholders involved in the Protocol will continue to work together to help the FCA monitor the market and drive best practice in the sector.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason the empty home premium starts when a property first becomes empty rather than when a property is bought with the intention of renovating and occupying it.

    Stephen Williams

    The empty homes premium aims to reduce the total length of time for which properties are empty, not the length of time for which they are empty under a particular owner.

    Since the power came into effect on 1 April 2013, 239 councils in England have introduced the empty homes premium. The number of long-term empty homes fell by 38,009 between October 2012 and October 2013.

    Properties that are left empty due to the death of the occupier are exempt from council tax for up to six months after the granting of probate, or after letters of administration have been signed.

  • John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of additional catering staff needed in schools to deliver the extension of free school meals to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in September 2014.

    Mr David Laws

    This information is not held centrally.

    In his autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced over £1 billion revenue funding for universal free school meals for pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 between 2014 and 2016. This funding, which includes special provision of £22.5 million for small schools in 2014-15, will be used by schools to pay for the cost of producing school lunches for newly eligible pupils, including any additional staff required.