Tag: 2015

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which coastal resorts have received support in more than (a) one round and (b) two rounds of coastal communities funding awards.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Coastal Communities Fund has had three bidding rounds to date. A table has been placed in the Library of the House giving details of 164 coastal communities across the UK that have received grants from the Fund in one, two or three bidding rounds. The table covers all grants awarded in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to date.

    In addition to the coastal communities in the table, 22 grants were awarded to projects in local authority areas, and a further five grants awarded to cross local authority projects including two long distance coastal footpaths, where we do not have details of the individual coastal communities they will help.

    Ministers are not involved in the grant application or assessment process. The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for inviting and assessing applications to the Fund and makes recommendations to Ministers on which projects should be supported.

    The Coastal Communities Fund is currently closed for further applications. No decisions have been taken yet on whether there will be further bidding rounds. This will be a matter for the next Spending Review. However, I hope there will be further opportunities to support local schemes which have not benefitted from Government support to date.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the phrase Armed Forces Covenant since January 2012.

    Anna Soubry

    There were no expenses captured centrally. If there are expenses of this kind, they would be at a very local level, and would be extremely difficult to trace.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on (a) the adoption of a new global army plan and defence strategy, (b) other reforms in the security sector and (c) legislation creating specialised mixed chambers.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Efforts to stabilise the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) require a reformed army, police and justice sector that can provide effective security across the whole country and an end to the culture of impunity. It is crucial that the security sector operates under democratic control and follows the rule of law, and it and the justice system are responsive to the needs of the Congolese people. We are committed to engaging closely with the new Government of National Unity appointed by President Kabila in December 2014 on national reforms. The DRC made a commitment to deepen security sector reform as part of the regional agreement, the Peace, Stability and Cooperation Framework, signed in Addis Ababa in 2013. Senior officials at the British Embassy in Kinshasa regularly meet with DRC Government Ministers and officials to encourage further steps to implement the reforms necessary for a more effective, accountable and responsive security sector with greater number of perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses brought to justice.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent conversations he has had with his international counterparts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with US Secretary of State John Kerry on 21 February. I spoke to Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby on 18 February about the need for swift disbursement of pledges made by donors at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients deemed to have critical need are not affected by the time taken by NHS England to draft a new commissioning policy for ultra-rare treatments.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has responsibility for the commissioning of specialised services and is currently consulting on changes to the principles and processes by which it makes decisions on prioritising investment in specialised services.

    NHS England has provided assurance that any prioritisation which is urgent on clinical grounds will continue to be dealt with quickly through their existing procedures. The route for individual funding requests remains in place.

    The consultation can be found at:

    www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/investing-in-specialised-commissioning

    “

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) patients and (b) patients with life-limiting conditions have (i) been assessed by each specialised augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) provider and (ii) had equipment provided by each specialised AAC provider since 5 December 2014.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has advised that information concerning the number of patients either waiting for an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) equipment assessment or who have had an AAC assessment (and subsequently had equipment provided) received is not collected centrally.

    Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning AAC aids for patients with complex disability whose needs require specialised assessment.

    For 2014/15 NHS England identified an additional £22.5 million for AAC and environmental controls (devices which manage functions or appliances in a particular environment, usually the home) and the identification of providers was completed last August last year. The 13 AAC providers selected are currently recruiting the additional specialist therapy staff needed to deliver this service many now have new staff now in post or due to start in the next few months.

    All 13 of the providers have confirmed that they are accepting referrals and multi-disciplinary assessments are being offered to patients. Priority is being given to patients who have a life limiting condition and every effort is being made to clear any backlog of patients waiting for assessments and to improve waiting times.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the transfer of kidney dialysis commissioning to local clinical commissioning groups on future capital funding for maintenance and renewal of dialysis facilities and equipment.

    Jane Ellison

    Significant work has been undertaken by NHS England to analyse current specialised commissioning expenditure patterns at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level. This CCG level monitoring will continue in 2015/16 with the aim of improving commissioning decisions.

    There is no planned transfer of renal dialysis budgets from NHS England to CCGs in either the current financial year or during 2015-16. It is for Ministers to decide, with independent advice, the conditions that should be on the specialised commissioning list.

    Neither NHS England specialised commissioners nor CCGs have control over capital funding for dialysis facilities and maintenance. Capital funding for renewal of dialysis facilities and equipment remains with the incumbent providers. Ensuring that these facilities are of appropriate quality is achieved through the application of detailed service specifications which form part of the contract with providers.

  • Sarah Teather – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been referred to her Department by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for resettlement in the UK through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to date.

    James Brokenshire

    As of 31 December 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had referred 260 people for consideration under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons
    Relocation (VPR) scheme. This data has not previously been published, is based on management information only, and has not therefore been subject to the detailed checks that apply to National Statistics publications.

    In the same period to 31 December, as already published through the quarterly release of Home Office statistics, 143 people had arrived in the UK under the VPR scheme.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value of contracts his Department has with private sector providers was in each of the last five years for which records are available.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Noted below are the values for contracts with private sector providers awarded in each of the financial years, the values show the average annual spend for the financial year.

    2010 – 11

    2011 – 12

    2012 – 13

    2013 -14

    2014 – 15

    £256,880,714

    £568,924,146

    £438,322,765

    £276,327,267

    £1,086,494,704

    The private sector has an important role to play in helping deliver much needed reforms. We remain committed to promoting a diverse market including public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as ensuring rigorous contract management and high standards of behavior.

    We have undertaken a major review of contract management to ensure that we have in place robust and accountable systems. We will continue to improve our commercial capability and share this crucial learning across Government.

    When buying products and services we always seek best value for taxpayers’ money and find savings were possible.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Great Western direct award will specify that guards will be responsible for the opening and closing of doors on the new Intercity Express Programme trains.

    Claire Perry

    Negotiations are continuing between the Department for Transport and First Great Western over the detail of the next franchise Direct Award.

    As a matter of general policy, the Department does not specify numbers of staff or how they should be deployed as this is an operational matter; which the train operator is better placed to manage and understand.

    However, we do support the resilience and efficiency offered by a train fleet and infrastructure which can operate as Driver Only Operation (DOO) as set out in the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) Specification which is in the public domain.