The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of the effects of compulsory school starting ages in Sweden and the UK.
Mr Nick Gibb
The Department for Education has not made any comparative assessment of the effects of compulsory school starting ages in Sweden and the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Public Health England plans to publish its analysis of how the public health grant has been spent by each local authority.
Jane Ellison
Department for Communities and Local Government published full detail of the amounts spent against the public health grant by local authorities in 2013/14, and recorded in Revenue Outturn forms, on 30 November 2014.
Public Health England is planning to publish a more in depth analysis of the figures at a national level during March 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people with diabetes receiving regular checks of their blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
Jane Ellison
Delivery of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended care processes for diabetes continues to be incentivised through the quality and outcomes framework. The latest data shows a 60% completion rate of all the 8 measurable NICE care processes, a 5% improvement on 2010.
The diabetes profiles, published by Public Health England, enable local clinical commissioning groups to compare their performance with others on controlling blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels and so identify where action needs to take place to improve.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Clappison on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department provides to religious minorities affected by the activities of ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
Justine Greening
UK aid is reaching hundreds of thousands of vulnerable displaced people across Iraq and Syria, including those religious minorities affected by ISIL’s activities. All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need. To date, the UK has pledged £800 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region, and a further £39.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received from Jobcentre Plus staff, working on Universal Credit in jobcentres where it has been rolled out, about technical and communications problems associated with Universal Credit.
Mr Mark Harper
The Department routinely seeks and receives insight from Work Coaches and other front-line staff on all aspects of DWP operations.
We use this feedback to ensure our services are operating at an optimal level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding was awarded by the (a) Arts and Humanities Research Council, (b) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, (c) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, (d) Economic and Social Research Council, (e) Medical Research Council, (f) Natural Environment Research Council and (g) Science and Technology Facilities Council to institutions and Reseach Organisations in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) each government office region in England in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15.
Greg Clark
This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Barclay on 2015-02-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates his Department has made of the amount that would be raised from hedge funds, or similar financial institutions, by closing tax loopholes arising from the use of mixed membership partnerships.
Mr David Gauke
As part of the partnerships review legislation was introduced in Finance Act 2014 to prevent tax-motivated allocations of business profits in partnerships where the partners include both individuals and companies (mixed membership partnerships).
During consultation, it became apparent that the use of mixed membership partnerships by hedge funds to avoid tax was widespread. As a result, the yield scored for the measure was increased by £1.92 bn over the scorecard period. All of this additional yield relates to the hedge fund sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that his Department’s proposed Mayoral Development Orders will be subject to the same guidance under the National Planning Practice Guidance as Local Development Orders.
Brandon Lewis
Mayoral development orders will be a new power available to unlock development in London. We will work with the Mayor and London local authorities in developing any guidance in support of the legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel are taking part in the Seedcorn initiative; what the location is of each such member of personnel; with what equipment those personnel are training; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Seedcorn initiative in each of the next two years.
Mr Mark Francois
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2015 to Question 223239, giving the number of personnel, their location, and type of equipment those personnel are training on, as part of the Seedcorn initiative.
The cost of the Seedcorn initiative in financial year 2015-16 is £2.5 million. Funding beyond that date is yet to be determined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2015-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint was made aware of the information forwarded to them by the government of France on alleged tax evasion made possible by HSBC.
Lord Deighton
Due to the longstanding legal requirements for taxpayer confidentiality, Ministers are not made aware of invidual tax cases. At no point were Ministers made aware of any suggestion of wrong doing by HSBC itself.