Tag: 2015

Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total amount spent from government sources on research into (a) stroke, (b) cancer and (c) coronary heart disease.

George Freeman

Spend on research funded directly by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is categorised by Health Research Classification System health categories. NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories is excluded. In 2013/14, the NIHR spent £26.3 million in the category ‘stroke’, £129.9 million in the category ‘cancer’, and £46.3 million in the category ‘cardiovascular’ (including coronary heart disease – CHD).

Research Councils UK has provided the following information on expenditure in 2013/14.

£000s

	Stroke	Cancer	CHD
Arts and Humanities Research Council	–	34	–
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)	323	10,269	1,829
Economic and Social Research Council	1,376	2,177	1,205
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)	–	–	–
Medical Research Council (MRC)	4,140	79,900	26,300
Natural Environment Research Council	–	–	–
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)	–	395	–

The BBSRC does not fund research directly relating to understanding/treating specific human diseases. The underpinning health research that the BBSRC supports seeks to provide a better understanding of what makes a healthy biological system – and the key moderators of this health (both positive and negative) – and also informs strategies to help maintain resilient health across the life-course and reduce the risk of emergence of diseases typically associated with age-related health decline. In the context of stroke/cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer this may include basic bioscience of angiogenesis/tissue repair, inflammation, cell cycle/signalling/molecular transport, and immune system functioning, and how these processes operate and are influenced (e.g. by genetics and environmental factors such as diet and exercise) across the lifecourse. The BBSRC figures provided are based on examples where specific linkages can be made from the basic bioscience to potential applicability to stroke/CVD and cancer research, but there will be a wider body of more indirectly linked bioscience that may also contribute to developing important baseline understanding.

The EPSRC invested £59 million in 2013/14 in research to develop new technologies that have applications across healthcare from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation, and also supports a much wider portfolio of research that underpins advances in medical science. The EPSRC supports basic research which delivers new techniques and technologies, ultimately delivering solutions that underpin the healthcare and life sciences sector, including the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries and the National Health Service. Around 25% of the £4 billion EPSRC portfolio is of relevance to healthcare and the life sciences.

MRC cancer research expenditure shown in the table is taken from National Cancer Research Institute data for 2013.

In addition to the expenditure shown in the table, the STFC also makes support available through its large facilities. For instance, cancer-related research is carried out using ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) in support of the University of Liverpool, who have an EPSRC grant. The grant pays the marginal staff cost and the running cost of the ALICE facility.

In 2013/14 Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency has invested in research concerning stroke, cancer and CHD. The following table details spend for each condition. Figures include research into detection technologies and post-surgery therapies.

£000s

	Stroke	Cancer	CHD
Innovate UK	972	18,728	345

November 2, 2022

Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on the use of reasonable force in the execution of a search warrant.

Mike Penning

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice B governs the searching of premises and the seizure of property from those premises by police officers. This includes the conduct of officers executing a search warrant (see paragraphs 6 to 6.15) and a note on compensation matters (see note 6.A). A copy of the PACE Code of Practice B can be found at GOV.UK.

The execution of a search warrant is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of the force concerned and so too is the consideration of damage claims which, as PACE Code B makes clear, will depend on the circumstances in each case.

The Department does not hold or collect data concerning the number of awards of damages paid out by police forces.

November 2, 2022

John McDonnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many forms or documents need to be completed by people applying for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Mike Penning

According to latest figures, in the financial year 2013-14 we made payments totalling more than £242m to victims of violent crime.

We also aim to make our application process as simple as possible. Applicants need only complete one form when applying to Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and we have an online application service. Those who have no access to online services, or who need additional support, can apply by phone. Depending on the nature of the claim, applicants may be asked to provide evidence to support their claim, for example: medical reports or employment information.

In the last financial year 94 per cent of applicants we surveyed after receiving their decision, including people who were refused compensation, said they were happy with our service.

Where necessary, CICA will ask applicants to provide basic medical evidence to support their claim. Applicants are expected to meet the cost of a medical report up to the value of £50. If additional medical information is required this will be paid for by CICA. If an applicant cannot afford to pay for the initial medical report, CICA will pay and deduct this from any award of compensation made. There are no other charges associated with making a claim.

An application received in one financial year may not necessarily be resolved in the same financial year. Although we aim to make compensation payments as quickly as possible, we have a duty to the taxpayer to investigate claims properly while ensuring that the applicant gets the level of compensation they deserve. In some cases it may not be in the best interests of an applicant to finalise a claim before the long term implications of an injury can be properly assessed.

Question

2013

2014

(224448)

How many victims were granted compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

21,846*

16,238*

(22449)

How many people applied for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

33,574

32,297

*This is the total number of victims compensated and their claims concluded within those calendar years.

November 2, 2022

Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what guidance his Department provides to its managers on how many days training should be made available to staff.

David Mundell

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies. Some of those employing bodies specify the number of days per annum that should be devoted to training. However, all Scotland Office managers are given guidance that their staff should have learning targets to be monitored through their objectives, as part of their annual reviews and through regular meetings.

November 2, 2022
Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of (a) awards under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme and (b) benefits recovered from payments made under that Scheme by the Compensation Recoveries Unit in the period from the commencement of that Scheme to 11 February 2015.

Mr Mark Harper

The information requested is not currently available. However, information from the commencement of the Scheme up to 31 January 2015 is available and is provided below.

a) The gross value of awards under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme between April 2014 and the end of January 2015 is approximately £24,700,000¹.

b) The value of benefits recovered from gross payments made under the Scheme by the Compensation Recovery Unit for the same period is approximately £5,300,000¹.

Notes:

¹ Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000.

November 2, 2022
Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what criteria his Department compiled the list of people and organisations to whom his Department’s consultation, Universal Credit data sharing between his Department and local support providers, published on 10 December 2014, was initially sent.

Mr Mark Harper

This was an open consultation hosted on GOV.UK, to which anyone, individual or organisation could respond. DWP also sent it to organisations with whom we have been working to develop proposals for local support.

November 2, 2022
Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2015-02-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have taken any steps to reduce the time taken to process applications for student loans.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Student Loans Company is currently undergoing a business-wide Transformation programme intended to make it a digital centre of excellence, in line with the Government Digital Strategy. This includes an overhaul of its online assessment and application portals, in order to make them more efficient, customer-focussed and digital in design. All of these changes will enable significant improvements in the processing time of student loan applications. Recent improvements, for example, have increased immediate income-verification rates for sponsors from 75% last year to 81% in 2014-15.

Moreover, the Government plans to modify the Student Support Regulations to allow the use of electronic signatures for student loan applications. This means that students will no longer need to print, sign and return the completed loan contract by post, or wait for confirmation of its receipt. In the future, many applicants will be able to complete the entire application process and have an approved loan in a single sitting.

November 2, 2022
Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Operation Triton to save the lives of those at risk in the Mediterranean; and what proposals they will make to assist Spain, Italy and Greece in dealing with the flow of migrants and refugees.

Lord Bates

The EU’s external border agency, Frontex, has stated that since the launch of Operation Triton in November 2014 they helped to save 6,000 migrants on their way to Italy. The UK has responded positively to requests from Frontex to deploy two debriefers and a nationality expert to support Operation Triton, with further support committed for 2015. We have made clear that we are willing to consider any further requests from Frontex for UK support.

The recent deaths are a tragic reminder of the great risks to migrants attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean in unseaworthy and ill-equipped vessels. During Italy’s Mare Nostrum operation in 2014 many thousands of migrants were intercepted and brought to Italy, but over 3,000 died at sea.

While EU Ministers have previously agreed that the principal responsibility for migrants and refugees rests with the Member State whose territory they arrive in, the Government continues to provide concrete support to those Member States under particular pressure both through the EU agencies and directly.

We are also investing in joint EU efforts to mitigate pressures on these Member States through work in key countries of origin and transit, including efforts to tackle the root causes of these dangerous journeys and the organised criminal gangs behind them, and to increase support for protection for refugees in North and East Africa and in the Middle East.

In particular we are we are playing a leading role in the new ‘Khartoum Process’ launched at a Ministerial Conference in Rome on 28 November, aimed at combating people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa. We are also supporting the EU’s Middle East Regional Development and Protection Programme, which is seeking sustainable regional solutions for those fleeing the Syrian crisis, as well as providing over £700 Million in UK humanitarian aid.

November 2, 2022
Lord Myners – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2015-02-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the terms of the agreement between HM Revenue and Customs and its French equivalent relating to HSBC Suisse was shown to the Board of HM Revenue and Customs or discussed at a HM Revenue and Customs Board meeting.

Lord Deighton

Information provided to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC^{^[1]} and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time^{^[2]}^.

The Mutual Assistance Directive had been in force since 23 December 1977. The Double Taxation Convention has been in force since 18 December 2009, replacing an earlier convention which had been in force since 1969.

Since their entry into force each of these agreements has been a matter of public record.

There was, therefore, no new agreement for the Board of HMRC to negotiate or consider in connection with the provision of the information by the French tax authorities.

HMRC does not share copies of Board papers and minutes with HM Treasury. However, senior HM Treasury officials are standing invitees to HMRC’s monthly Executive Committee meeting, which is the Department’s main executive forum and the primary place where decisions are taken with regards to setting and delivering strategy and improving performance in key areas, and as such they have routine access to relevant committee meeting papers and minutes.

Each HMRC Executive Committee member also takes responsibility for the management of activities within a specific portfolio, including enforcement and compliance and business or personal tax customer services; HM Treasury officials do not have access to this level of information which ‎contains operational compliance and taxpayer confidential information.

[1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799

[2] http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/france.pdf

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November 2, 2022
Chris Ruane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) Crown and (b) sub-post offices have been (i) temporarily and (ii) permanently closed in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson

The Government understands the important role that post offices play in communities across the country and since 2010 has committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect a network of at least 11,500 branches that continues to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the population nationally living within three miles of a post office outlet.

This Government has also committed that there will be no programme of Post Office closures and there are currently around 11,700 post office branches in the UK, with the Post Office network at its most stable for over two decades.

As the provision of post offices and the investment made under its network transformation programme are the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

November 2, 2022