The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to meet the requirements of the Equine Identification Regulations in anticipation of requirements arising from EU regulation to monitor the importation and exportation of horses by 1 January 2016.
George Eustice
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 23 November 2015 to PQ UINs 16593, 16594 and 16595.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 11834 to the hon. Member for Salford and Eccles, on what date he plans to announce the consultation on reform of the scheme for support for people affected by contaminated blood products.
Jane Ellison
The Department is currently awaiting the conclusion of the Spending Review and so we cannot provide a date for the full consultation at this time. However, it remains a priority and will be publicly announced.
The consultation will allow individuals who are affected by this tragedy the opportunity to express their views on what support they would value in a reformed scheme. The details of the consultation will be published on the Government’s website, including details of how those who are interested can respond.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures he plans to include in the forthcoming Order under section 60 of the Health Act 1999 to amend the legislation governing the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Ben Gummer
The Section 60 Order will remove statutory midwifery supervision from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC’s) governing legislation.
The Department is also in discussions with the NMC on what other reforms may be achieved through the Order.
The Order will be subject to a full public consultation early next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) salary and (b) contract length is of each member of the HS2 Independent Design Panel.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The independent Design Panel will advise and inspire HS2 Ltd to design and deliver a transformational railway for the nation.
Design Panel members will only be paid for the days they work for HS2. On average, that commitment will be between 4 and 5 days per year. This would mean a salary of between £1,600 and £2,000 per year.
Their contract length is two-years with the option of a one-year extension.
The Design Panel Chair is on a £590 daily rate and currently works six days a month, dropping to four days a month from April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to make greater use of flexible speed limits with electronic signs.
Andrew Jones
Average speed limits do not exist but Highways England uses variable speed limits on smart motorways to smooth traffic flow, reduce congestion and enhance safety. The variable limits are set locally in response to traffic flow levels or to help manage incidents.
The Department issued revised guidance in January 2013 aimed mainly at local traffic authorities who are responsible for setting speed limits on local roads. It includes guidance on the use of variable 20 mph speed limits with electronic signs. It has been designed to help explain to everyone why and how local speed limits are determined. This guidance was revised following full public consultation in Summer 2012 and is available online on GOV.UK
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department last audited the amount of unused space within each Jobcentre Plus.
Priti Patel
The Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its estate under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under this PFI, the Department leases fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. The Department pays an inclusive unitary price for the space occupied. The Department does not own any of the buildings that it occupies. As such, we continually review our space and utilisation within Jobcentre Plus.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus offices have space in their building that is available for use by voluntary groups, social enterprises and mutuals to help equip claimants with the skills they need to use the internet.
Priti Patel
The Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its estate under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under this PFI, the Department leases fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. The Department pays an inclusive unitary price for the space occupied. The Department does not own any of the buildings that it occupies.
The Department constantly reviews its estate to ensure the effective use of space. Jobcentre Plus works closely with local partners and providers across our network and we have a wide range of stakeholders in our buildings including local authority colleagues, employers, service providers and voluntary organisations. We also work from a wide range of partners’ premises, for example community hubs, libraries as well as co-locating our services in local authority sites.
The Department has provided public internet access devices across our Jobcentre Plus offices, and deploys staff to support those claimants who may need assistance in building the skills they need to make claims on-line and with job search.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential savings to the budgets of Clinical Commissioning Groups from the use of the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration instead of ranibizumab.
Lord Prior of Brampton
No assessment of the potential savings to clinical commissioning group budgets has been made as there are two other effective licensed treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and (b) black and minority ethic people were diagnosed with mental health problems in (i) the UK, (ii) London, (iii) each London borough and (iv) each health trust in London on 1 October (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012, (D) 2013, (E) 2014 and (F) 2015.
Alistair Burt
The data is not collected in the format requested.Data is not available for the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community.
The attachment ‘black and minority ethnic mental health contact’ contains the latest data available on the number of people from black and minority ethnic groups who have been in contact with mental health services in London-based providers between 2011/12 and 2014/15 and clinical commissioning groups between 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the Comprehensive Spending Review of the number of schools in which asbestos is present in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.
Lord Nash
An assessment of the number of schools where asbestos is present in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse has not been made as part of the Spending Review.
The Department expects schools and responsible bodies to address a range of building-related issues, including asbestos, through the more than £4 billion in condition funding over the next three years.
The amount of condition funding that responsible bodies receive is partly based on the Property Data Survey, which gathered information about the condition of buildings at 19,000 schools, meaning that our investment can now be targeted where it is needed most. The condition of a school building is likely to influence the level of hazard posed by any asbestos it contains and the information from the Property Data Survey has been considered as part of the Spending Review.