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Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Griffiths – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of white British pupils eligible for free school meals achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics, (a) in each local authority area and (b) at each school in each of the last five years.

    Nick Gibb

    The information is not held in the format requested.

    The Department for Education publishes information at regional and local authority level on the proportion of white boys eligible for free school meals. This information, along with information on the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, can be found in tables 3 and 5 of the “GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics: 2014”, available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014

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  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the annual cost to British businesses of the EU’s pollution directive.

    Rory Stewart

    There are a number of EU directives covering a wide range of pollution issues. This answer refers to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), which was transposed into law in England and Wales in February 2013. The Directive requires operators in a range of industrial sectors to comply with certain standards to ensure the reduction of emissions from their activities.

    Prior to transposition of the Directive, our impact assessment estimated that the annual regulatory and compliance costs for the main affected sectors would be £105m for operators of large combustion plants and £0 – £15m for a range of other installations in the waste treatment and wood treatment sectors.

    The impact assessment estimated that the annual human health benefits due to a reduction in emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter from large combustion plants alone would be £188m. Other benefits for human health and the environment were also expected to arise from other pollutants that could not be monetised.

  • Holly Lynch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Holly Lynch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister’s comments on the PFI scheme at Calderdale Royal Hospital, reported in the Halifax Courier on 21 April 2015, what steps he is taking to restructure that PFI scheme.

    Alistair Burt

    This is a matter for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Calderdale Royal Hospital.

  • Sue Hayman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sue Hayman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether refugees offered a home in Britain will be vetted before entry.

    Richard Harrington

    The operation of the UK’s resettlement schemes, including the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Scheme, involves the UNHCR submitting potential cases for our consideration. The cases are then screened and considered by the Home Office for suitability for entry to the UK: we retain the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons were for which each care order was granted to a local authority in England and Wales in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) January to March 2015.

    Caroline Dinenage

    This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they take into account the volume of smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco products when calculating the percentage of the United Kingdom’s population who smoke.

    Earl Howe

    The Government’s national ambition to reduce smoking prevalence among adults in England is measured using data from the Office for National Statistics “Integrated Household Survey”.

    This survey asks the following two questions relating to smoking: “Have you ever smoked a cigarette, a cigar, or a pipe?” and “Do you smoke cigarettes at all nowadays?”

    Background, methodology and other information relevant to this survey is available online at:

    http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/social-and-welfare-methodology/integrated-household-survey/index.html

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps will be taken by NHS England and other national health bodies to encourage the local commissioning of fracture liaison services, in the light of the advice issued by NHS England that the Fracture Liaison Services model represents best practice.

    Earl Howe

    NHS England’s National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, Peter Kay, is currently working in partnership with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), to develop new MSK clinical networks across England.

    The work ARMA has done to date has been very successful in capturing examples of best practice in MSK care across England, bringing together health professionals and commissioners and building a strong consensus on the way forward for models of care for MSK patients across the entire MSK community. Work is ongoing in this area and NHS England and ARMA are in dialogue about the nature of such support.

    NHS England is undertaking a review of the role, purpose and function of the sub-regional infrastructure that it funds, which is focussed on supporting commissioners and providers to improve the quality of services including Strategic Clinical Networks (SCN), Clinical Senates and Academic Health Science Networks. The purpose of the review is to understand how the best value can be secured from the investment in these functions, in support of commissioners and providers in improving quality. This review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of March.

    Regarding plans to introduce MSK networks as part of the SCN programme, NHS England has made clear that as priorities change, or should the work of one of the initial SCNS conclude, it will identify new conditions or patient groups that would benefit from an SCN approach.

    The provision of fracture liaison services (FLS) and falls services is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England advises that it is aware that provision of good FLS is not uniform across the country and it continues to work with CCGs to support them to develop appropriate local FLS services. It also advises that the FLS model recommended by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Osteoporosis society is recognised as best practice and is being promoted.

    In addition to this, the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people sets out best practice for clinicians on the management of patients aged 65 and over who are susceptible to falls.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the United for Wildlife’s follow-up to the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, what representations they are making to ensure that subsistence hunters are not being criminalised or evicted from their lands in the name of conservation.

    Lord De Mauley

    We have not made any specific representations on this issue.

    The UK is one of the global leaders in the response to the illegal trade in wildlife. At the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade held in February 2014 more than 40 Governments committed to action designed to strengthen law enforcement, reduce demand and support alternative livelihoods of communities affected by poaching and trafficking. These Governments recognised the illegal trade in wildlife as a major barrier to sustainable, inclusive and balanced economic development that damages ecosystems, undermines good governance and the rule of law, threatens security, and reduces the revenue and local benefits earned from economic activities such as wildlife‐based tourism and the sustainable utilisation of and legal trade in wildlife. They recognised that sustainable livelihoods will be best supported by engaging with communities living in and around protected areas to reflect their needs alongside those of local wildlife.

    We welcome the leadership of the Botswana Government in hosting the Kasane Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade on 25 March as a follow-up to the London Conference.

  • Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what safeguards he plans to put in place to ensure the security of Scottish NHS data shared with HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke

    Any taxpayer data held by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is subjected to strict safeguards.

    HMRC take their duty of confidentiality very seriously and cannot disclose any information acquired or held unless specifically provided for by law. All HMRC information is subject to stringent data security controls and unlawful disclosure of taxpayer information is potentially a criminal offence.

  • David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Simpson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many women are employed full-time in the Royal Navy.

    Anna Soubry

    As at 1 January 2015, there were 3,060 women employed in the Naval Service.

    This figure represents trained and untrained Regular personnel and those on Full Time Reserve Service, and has been rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy.