Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that health facilities in countries affected by ebola are strengthened to ensure that they can prevent or contain a future outbreak.

    Grant Shapps

    The UK has committed £240m over two years in support of the Government of Sierra Leone’s Ebola Recovery Strategy, including major investment in health. Our interventions will aim to increase the capacity of district and national structures to identify and respond swiftly to future outbreaks of Ebola or other communicable diseases. We will build on the surveillance, command and control systems established during the response.

    In Liberia, DFID has committed £6 million to the Health Sector Pool Fund over two years, to support access to safe, quality health services. The UK indirectly supports Guinea’s recovery through its contributions to WHO and other multilateral organisations. Globally, DFID and the Department of Health are seeking greater commitment from countries to implement the International Health Regulations, the internationally-agreed framework for national systems to prevent and respond to public health crises.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many jobs his Department expects to be created by the HS2 project in (a) Bradford, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 will support up to 100,000 jobs around HS2 stations when operational.The balance of benefits will be in the Midlands and North; seventy per cent of jobs supported by HS2 are expected to be outside London, including an estimated 13,000 – 20,000 jobs around Leeds station. HS2 will support nearly 25,000 jobs during construction and 3,100 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance once it is open.

  • Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role she has in authorising interception of hon. Members’ communications.

    Mrs Theresa May

    All warrants for the interception of communications are authorised by a Secretary of State. I am not going to comment on any individual instances of interception.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support UKTI is giving to British firms wishing to invest in Sri Lanka.

    Anna Soubry

    UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) team in the High Commission in Colombo (who cover Sri Lanka and the Maldives) provide advice to and support actual and potential UK investors. This can include advice on market opportunities, local partners and legal and regulatory requirements. They also offer the full range of UKTI services and support to British companies selling or looking for opportunities to sell goods and services in Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner regularly supports British companies, including by hosting and speaking at events and lobbying for them. The High Commission team works closely with the independent Council for Business with Britain, a trade grouping that many British investors in Sri Lanka are members of, to encourage and support continuing growth in business relations between the UK and Sri Lanka.

    The UK is consistently a top ten investor in Sri Lanka, ranking 7th in 2013, the latest year for which official figures are available. These investments range widely, from financial services to education, from traditional industries to cutting edge IT development.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-09-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many diesel power stations will take part in the next Capacity Market auction after being fully or part-funded through the Enterprise Investment Scheme.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and ‎Customs (HMRC), which administers the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), does not keep a record of the number of diesel power generation companies receiving capacity market payments that have received investments under the EIS.

    HMRC does not disclose details of companies that have raised investments under the EIS.

    No estimate has been made of the number of diesel power stations taking part in the next Capacity Market Auction that may receive investments under the EIS. Whether a company qualifies for EIS depends on its individual circumstances.

    The Government keeps all tax schemes under review, to ensure that any reliefs continue to encourage investment in a well-targeted and effective manner.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid in spectrum charges in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence paid the following amounts in radio spectrum fees:

    2010-11 £63,382,464

    2011-12 £154,878,400

    2012-13 £154,878,400

    2013-14 £154,878,400

    2014-15 £154,878,400

  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the fixed charge system outlined in the Smart Energy Code on the ability of small energy providers to access the services of the Data Communications Company.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Data Communications Company (DCC) charges for access to the DCC’s services in proportion to suppliers’ market share, calculated on a meter point basis, rather than an equal amount per supplier. This is designed to strike a balance between ensuring a fair contribution from all parties who will have access to the DECC services, and not disadvantaging those parties that are likely to use these services less than others.

    The amount small energy providers will pay in fixed charges is therefore directly reflective of their smaller customer base and likely more limited use of the system that results from their lower market share.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating patients with glaucoma in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

    Alistair Burt

    Cost information is shown in the following table from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. The table shows the costs of a surgical procedure covering one episode of care under one consultant in an admitted patient or outpatient setting and does not include other elements of the patient pathway such as general practitioner consultations or outpatient appointments. It is not possible to separately identify the costs of glaucoma in non-surgical appointments.

    Costs associated with glaucoma procedures, 2011/12 – 2013/14

    Healthcare Resource Group (HRG)

    Activity

    National average unit cost £

    Estimated total cost £million

    2011/12

    Major Glaucoma Procedures

    2,248

    £1,440

    £3.2m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures

    33,842

    £387

    £13.1m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures

    17,194

    £293

    £5.0m

    Total

    £21.3m

    2012/13

    Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    1,206

    £1,665

    £2.0m

    Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    2,622

    £885

    £2.3m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    3,167

    £1,250

    £4.0m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    17,410

    £451

    £7.9m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    2,014

    £773

    £1.6m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    19,243

    £198

    £3.8m

    Total

    £21.6m

    2013/14

    Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    1,709

    £1,689

    £2.9m

    Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    3,129

    £884

    £2.8m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    3,384

    £1,236

    £4.2m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    9,297

    £772

    £7.2m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    2,142

    £680

    £1.5m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    24,688

    £181

    £4.5m

    Total

    £23.1m

    Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

    Notes:

    1. The HRG classification groups procedures into categories such as major, intermediate and minor, according to their complexity.
    2. Complication and comorbidity scores describe the illness severity and complexity of patients, and the additional resources required for their treatment.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she plans to have with Ministers of the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive when assessing which refugees from the Middle East will be settled in the UK.

    Richard Harrington

    The Prime Minister and First Minister of Scotland have exchanged correspondence on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. We are working closely with the Scottish administration on the arrangements for resettling refugees, with a Home Office official attending the Scottish refugee taskforce. Discussions have taken place with representatives of the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is giving to strengthen democracy and parliamentary oversight in Sri Lanka.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID does not have a bilateral aid programme with Sri Lanka. We do support work in Sri Lanka through a Programme Partnership Arrangement with The Asia Foundation. This strengthens and expands locally-accepted informal justice systems that deal with around 9000 cases per year in the North and East of the country.