Tag: 2015

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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
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.

November 2, 2022
Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls were made to (a) The Pension Service, 08456060265, (b) Personal Independence Payment, 08458503322, (c) Carer’s Allowance Unit, 08456084321, and (d) Bereavement benefits, 08456088601, in each of the last five financial years; how much revenue was generated from calls to each of those numbers; and when he plans to end the use of those numbers.

Esther McVey

Please see the attached table – PQ224822 Selected Volumes- detailing volume of calls made to (a) The Pension Service, 08456060265, (b) Personal Independence Payment, 08458503322, (c) Carer’s Allowance Unit, 08456084321, and (d) Bereavement benefits, 08456088601, in each of the last five financial years. (Metric definition and limitations included within the attachment)

For the financial years 2014/15, 2013/14 and 2012/13, DWP received no revenue for the telephone number 08456060265. For the financial years 2014/15 and 2013/14, DWP received no revenue for the telephone number 08458503322. For the financial years 2014/15, 2013/14 and 2012/13, DWP received no revenue for the telephone number 08456084321. For the financial years 2014/15, 2013/14 and 2012/13, DWP received no revenue for the telephone number 08456088601.

DWP is already in the process of replacing all its 0845 number prefixes in use for its national helplines.

November 2, 2022

Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

Andrea Leadsom

The table below shows how much HM Treasury spent on training in the last six full financial years, and the training budget for each of those years.

Financial Year	Total staff training costs	Training budget
2013/14	£774,689	£1,494,452
2012/13	£656,790	£1,697,037
2011/12	£819,847	£2,147,479
2010/11	£1,169,237	£1,793,392
2009/10	£2,369,560	£2,908,638
2008/09	£2,282,714	£3,125,260

Records on number of staff training days are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

HM Treasury provides guidance to staff including managers that all civil servants are entitled to a minimum of 5 days a year for learning which can include training, seminars, mentoring, and other professional and job-based development.

November 2, 2022