The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2015 to Question 9949, what the (a) total number of working hours Government lawyers have spent advising recipients of Salmon Letters in the Iraq Inquiry and (b) cost to the public purse of that advice is.
Matthew Hancock
Government will account for its costs at the end of the Inquiry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-09-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has held with the Coal Authority and the Department for Energy and Climate Change on proposals for a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland.
Damian Hinds
Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities and ultimately with the Scottish Government. The Treasury has fully considered the two proposals put to them for addressing the shortfall of land restoration on abandoned Scottish coal mines: an exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) tax and a direct grant from the Exchequer. Following discussions with Hargreaves, the UK Coal Authority, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and DECC, the Treasury has had to decline both proposals after thorough consideration. The reasons for this include: – Addressing the shortfall in land restoration is not the responsibility of the UK Government. Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities. – The proposals are unaffordable in the current fiscal climate. They would also set a precedent that would risk discouraging companies and local authorities from making proper financial provision for the cost of site restoration and future environmental liabilities. – A CPS exemption would be an inefficient means of addressing the shortfall of land restoration, as the money would not go directly towards this aim and it would incur significant administration costs. – A CPS exemption would distort the market by making non-exempt coal less competitive, and by discouraging investment in low carbon power generation. I have written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism informing him of this decision and I would be happy to consider any other options put forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ranil Jayawardena on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to ensure that effective regulation is in place to hold fibreoptic cable network companies to account for not providing mobile telephone operators with a resilient base station network and for not remedying network failure swiftly; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Edward Vaizey
In this case, under ‘security requirements’: sections 105A to D of the Communications Act 2003, the legislation that applies to telecoms providers requires them to take measures to protect the security and resilience of their networks and services. Ofcom has the power to intervene if it believes a provider is not taking the appropriate measures. This legislation applies to fibre optic network operators providing back haul to mobile operators.
Generally, commercial agreements between providers will specify service levels to be adhered to, including times for remedying network disruptions. However, in its Business Connectivity Market Review (consultation 15 May 2015 – 31 July 2015), Ofcom stated that it considers BT’s quality of service in providing wholesale Ethernet leased line connections (including mobile backhaul) to be unacceptable, despite improvements that it acknowledges the company has made. Therefore the Regulator has proposed to impose obligations on BT to improve its provision of wholesale leased line services, with minimum standards of certainty of delivery date; provision lead-times; and repair times.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will consult openly on what scheme will succeed ECO and the Green Deal, and in that consultation address the issues of (a) accessibility of funding for community groups, (b) fuel bill levies and (c) quality assurance.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government is committed to working closely with industry and consumer groups on a new value for money approach to the future policy framework for energy efficiency, learning lessons from past approaches. The Government is also committed to keeping energy bills as low as possible as part of a long-term, coherent and affordable policy framework. The longer-term future of ECO will be part of these discussions around a new, better-integrated policy and we will formally consult on changes to ECO regulations at the appropriate moment. In the meantime we have been and will continue to engage with stakeholders about all aspects of a new policy framework including accessibility of funding for community groups. The Government has also commissioned an independent review led by Peter Bonfield to investigate consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement of energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes and to ensure that the system properly supports and protects consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to offer support to the World Health Organisation to ensure that it is transparent, accountable and better able to respond to emergencies such as the ebola crisis.
Jane Ellison
We are working with other relevant Departments across Government, and as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board to drive the reform process. We want to ensure that WHO focuses on what it can do best and is better equipped to address the increasingly complex challenges of the 21st Century.
In response to the Ebola crisis, we have committed up to $10million to the WHO Contingency Fund, to help finance the rapid scaling up of the WHO’s initial response to outbreaks and emergencies with health consequences. We are supporting the establishment of the Global Health Emergency Workforce and are developing plans to establish a United Kingdom rapid response team that would complement this mechanism. Linked to this we are working with WHO to ensure the establishment of a new emergency response platform which will unite and direct all WHO outbreak and emergency response operations within its mandate.
We are also contributing to the member state driven governance reform process, to support ambitious reform of these aspects; including the establishment of a clear and accountable leadership across all levels of the organisation. As members of the Programme Budget and Administration Committee, we are pressing WHO to improve aspects of compliance controls, transparency and delivery of results.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Barron on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the role of community pharmacies in keeping people healthy.
Alistair Burt
We have long recognised that community pharmacy teams play a vital role in improving people’s health, preventing ill-health and helping to reduce health inequalities. Informed by a growing evidence base, we have enabled community pharmacy to deliver a wide range of public health services. We have actively supported the implementation of Healthy Living Pharmacies, with qualified health champions on site reaching out to, and improving the health of, people in their communities.
Public Health England (PHE) keeps under review the progress that pharmacy is making on keeping people healthy and is providing system leadership for pharmacy’s public health role and strategic leadership for the acceleration and spread of Healthy Living Pharmacies across the country. PHE’s vision for pharmacy is one in which community pharmacy teams are fully integrated into the local primary care networks, playing an appropriate and pivotal role in improving the health of people in England. PHE has built a strong relationship with the sector, seeking to utilise its unique offering of access, location and an informal environment, with trusted staff that reflect the background of the communities that they serve. PHE is embedding pharmacy in its priority public health programmes such as prevention, early detection and management of blood pressure, NHS Health Checks and smoking cessation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate the Government has made of the average cost to a claimant, including tribunal fees, time spent on case, travel and communication, and advice and representation, of pursuing an employment tribunal claim for pregnancy-related detriment or dismissal.
Nick Boles
The Government does not have a breakdown of average costs to a claimant of taking an employment tribunal claim for pregnancy-related detriment or dismissal.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had their mobility allowance withdrawn requiring them to immediately return their Motability vehicle to the dealer for disposal in each full calendar month in tax years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16; and how many such people have won an appeal against the withdrawal of mobility allowance allowing them to return to a dealer to purchase a second Motability vehicle to aid their mobility.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Motability is an independent registered charity. It is not sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department works closely with Motability and facilitates the transfer of benefit to Motability on behalf of those claimants who have chosen to join the Motability Scheme. The Scheme purchases vehicles which are then leased to Scheme customers. The purchase of the vehicles is funded by the Scheme and there is no cost to the public purse.
Responsibility for the charity’s policies and operational strategy falls to the Governors and Director of Motability. Motability is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme including collating its own management information. Questions about the number of vehicles returned to Motability and number of vehicles purchased can be sent to: Declan O’Mahony, Director, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5PX.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce avoidable mortality in hospitals.
Jane Ellison
This Government is strongly committed to improving patient safety, including encouraging greater transparency about the performance of hospitals against key indicators for safety.
We are leading an ambitious programme of work to help trusts understand and act on their own mortality rates: the focus of this work is to support improvement at local level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on the introduction of an Islamic bond.
Harriett Baldwin
In June last year the UK became the first country outside of the Islamic world to issue sovereign Sukuk, the Islamic equivalent of bonds, cementing Britain’s position as the western hub for Islamic finance.
The £200 million of Sukuk will mature in 2019. They were sold to investors based in the UK and in the major hubs for Islamic finance around the world.
The Sukuk received very strong demand, delivering good value for the taxpayer. Orders for the Sukuk totalled around £2.3 billion.