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Tag: 2015

  • David Winnick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Winnick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason officials in her Department told the hon. Member for Walsall North that she would not be accompanied by a prospective parliamentary candidate on her visit to an academy in that constituency on 9 February 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Departmental officials organise official government business including visits. They would not be expected to be involved in arrangements with Prospective Parliamentary Candidates.

    Rivers Primary Academy was first informed that the Secretary of State for Education was planning to visit on 5 February 2015. The arrangements were then made and confirmed on 6 February 2015, on which date the Department also alerted the hon. Member to the planned visit.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British nationals are under sentence of death in Pakistan; and what assistance his Department is providing to each such nationals.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As of 11 February we are aware of 2 British nationals who have been sentenced to death in Pakistan. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides consular assistance to all British nationals sentenced to death, unless they decline this. This includes making representations at all appropriate levels in line with our opposition to the death penalty and welfare support. We also refer British nationals to specialist non-governmental organisations that are able to provide additional support to them.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 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 David Lidington

    Between January 2010 and January 2015 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has let the following contracts over £10,000 with private sector providers in each calendar year.

    2010 £ 263.0m

    2011 £ 84.6m

    2012 £ 103.2m

    2013 £ 263.7m

    2014 £ 102.5m

    2015 £ 3.7m

    Since authority to enter into contracts is devolved to directorates in the UK and our network of posts, we cannot provide data for contracts under £10,000 without incurring disproportionate cost.

  • Wayne David – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Wayne David – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the strategy for combating liver disease referred to by the Prime Minister on the 10 Downing Street website on 28 July 2011 has not been published.

    Jane Ellison

    Whilst NHS England is responsible for the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes for people with liver disease, Public Health England (PHE) is working with the Lancet Commission on Liver Disease. This work involves regular meetings with Professor Richard Williams, (Lead, Lancet Standing Commission into Liver Disease in the UK), and attending action planning meetings.

    PHE is working with NHS England and liver charities to respond to the key recommendations of the Lancet Commission and will produce a Liver Disease Framework in summer 2015 outlining the scope of its activities.

    This will cover PHEs extensive programme of activities to tackle the three main risk factors for liver disease: alcohol, obesity and Hepatitis B & C; work with the Lancet Commissioners and GPs to strengthen detection and interventions for early stage liver disease and for identification of high risk patients; support a national needs assessment for liver disease services in the NHS.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 221865, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on future cancer patient outcomes of using alternative cancer drugs fund drugs and conventional treatments instead of any of the treatments due to be delisted.

    George Freeman

    The Department has not made any such assessment. NHS England considers that the changes it is making to the drugs available on the Cancer Drugs Fund national list will deliver the greatest benefit to cancer patients and ensure that more patients will be able to access the latest drugs that provide better outcomes for their cancers.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many teenage girls and women died in each of the last five years from toxic shock syndrome caused by tampon use.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what account she took of the recommendations of (a) the Report of the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review presented to her on 16 December 2013 and (b) the report from the Joint Committee on the Draft Modern Slavery Bill published on 3 April 2014, HC 1019, when establishing the review of migrant domestic worker arrangements.

    Karen Bradley

    Both reports were considered carefully when establishing the review of the
    Overseas Domestic Worker visa. That is why the review will focus on all aspects
    of this visa regime, including the support available to those who are subject
    to modern slavery offences whilst holding these visas. The Government is
    determined to ensure that our visa regime does not encourage or facilitate
    abuse. James Ewins was asked to conduct the review in light of his significant
    background in tackling modern slavery, including as specialist adviser to the
    pre-legislative scrutiny Committee and as a member of the steering committee
    for the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review Panel. The Review will report by
    the end of July 2015.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of local magistrate advisory boards are (a) sitting magistrates and (b) non-magistrates.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    I have interpreted ‘Local magistrate advisory boards’ to mean Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace, the bodies responsible for recruiting and selecting magistrates in England and Wales.

    To enable their work to be informed by a range of knowledge and experience, Advisory Committees are composed of both magistrates and non-magistrates. At least one third of each Committee’s members should be non-magistrates.

    The attached table contains the names of each Committee’s members and indicates which of those members are magistrates.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with bidders for the Northern Rail franchise covering the Colne to Blackpool South service via Preston on the replacement of Pacer trains with rolling stock that has not previously been used on London Underground.

    Claire Perry

    The Department has held discussions with bidders for the Northern franchise to discuss and receive feedback on a range of specification areas, including rolling stock and the intended service specifications across the new franchise.

    Our specifications for the Northern franchise will be set out in the Invitation to Tender document, which will be published shortly.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recruitment process was used when hiring Simon Baugh, Group Director of Communications for his Department; and what role Mr Baugh will have in his Department after the Airports Commission has made its recommendation on airport expansion in the South East.

    Claire Perry

    The recruitment process for this role followed the legal principle that a person’s selection must be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The process was overseen at all stages by a Civil Service Commissioner and managed by executive search firm Odgers Berndston. The role was advertised nationally in September 2014, and the process that then followed comprised longlisting, shortlisting, psychometric testing and final interviews by a panel. The panel was chaired by the Civil Service Commissioner and otherwise comprised Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport; Alex Aitken, Executive Director of Government Communications, Cabinet Office; David Prout, Director General, High Speed Rail, Department for Transport; and Alison Rumsey, Group HR Director, Department for Transport. Prior to final panel interviews the shortlisted candidates met the Permanent Secretary and the Secretary of State for conversations in which the candidates had the opportunity to ask questions about the Department. The meetings with the Secretary of State were observed by representatives from the Civil Service Commissioner’s office in line with Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. As Mr Baugh was previously employed by Heathrow Airport Ltd, he will not be involved in advising Ministers on issues relating to the work of the Airports Commission for the 6 months following his appointment, which starts on 30 March 2015.