Tag: 2015

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the occupations most at risk from mesothelioma.

    Baroness Altmann

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) maintains a register of all death certificates in Great Britain which mention mesothelioma within the cause of death. Analyses of the occupations recorded on such death certificates show that former construction workers, including carpenters, plumbers and electricians, and those who worked in shipbuilding are those most at risk of developing mesothelioma today.

    A research study to look in more detail at the sources of mesothelioma risk in Britain carried out by Professor Julian Peto supported these conclusions, and estimated that nearly half of male mesothelioma deaths were attributed to building-related jobs including carpenters, plumbers and electricians. These risks are a result of high past asbestos exposures during the period when asbestos was being very widely used within the building industry.

    Workers today who are potentially at higher risk of mesothelioma in the future – and who are now the focus of strict control measures – are those most likely to come across asbestos during their work, including building maintenance and asbestos removal workers.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many members of (a) the House of Commons and (b) the House of Lords have offices within the historic core of the Palace of Westminster.

    Tom Brake

    193 Members of the House of Commons have their offices located in the Palace of Westminster. Provision of offices for Peers is not a matter for the Commission but is the responsibility of the House of Lords.

  • Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were (a) enrolled and (b) funded at each free school at the start of the 2015-16 academic year.

    Edward Timpson

    The number of pupils on roll for the academic year 2015/16 is not yet available.

    Each October, we publish the number of pre-16 pupils funded in schools which were open as of the start of that financial year. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466234/Annex_A_-_Schools_block_Allocations_data_file_2015-16.xlsx. Data for schools which opened after the start of the 2015-16 financial year is due to be published in October 2016.

    The number of post 16 pupils funded in each school for the academic year 2015/16 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468295/YP_FASS_Published_Allocation_Dataset_2015_to_2016-1.xlsx.

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  • Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in establishing the four-member international body to report on progress towards ending paramilitary activity connected with Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The establishment of a new body to report on progress towards ending paramilitary activity is a commitment in the Fresh Start Agreement. The Agreement provides that the new body will be established by the UK Government and the Irish Government. My officials are engaging with Irish Government officials on a treaty to establish the new body. The key provisions of that treaty will then be given legal effect in the UK through the passage of legislation at Westminster.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the evidential basis is for the statement in her speech on energy policy at the Institute of Civil Engineers on 18 November 2015 that nuclear power is safe.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government views safety at nuclear sites as paramount. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has regulatory and operational independence and is staffed with nuclear safety experts. It carries out inspections across the nuclear estate and has a wide range of enforcement powers with which to hold duty holders to account and secure sustained compliance with the law. Further, safety is kept under regular review in line with international best practice.

    The Chief Nuclear Inspector’s Statement about the nuclear industry can be found in the 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts (pages 26-44), which clearly sets out further the work undertaken by the ONR to ensure that industry meets the safety requirements:

    http://www.onr.org.uk/documents/2015/annual-report-2014-15.pdf.

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  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential economic benefit to the north of England of faster rail links between north and south and better connectivity within the north of England.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department and Transport for North (TfN) are currently developing options for delivering the transformational rail connectivity in the north of England set out in the Northern Transport Strategy, and aim to have an understanding of the relative scale of costs and benefits of these options in autumn 2016.

    As outlined in the recent HS2 Economic Case published in November 2015, the benefits of the full HS2 Y-Network are estimated to be £72.8bn (2011 prices, PV). This analysis calculated that the benefit cost ratio (BCR) of HS2 is 2.2 for the full Y-network, including wider economic impacts. Therefore, over £2 worth of benefits are expected for every £1 spent which represents high value for money.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the African Union about steps to ensure that a Pan-African and Continental Free Trade Area will be introduced on schedule in 2017.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK supports the vision of an African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) as a key step to supporting African prosperity. We provide capacity building support to the African Union (AU) Commission to strengthen its ability to negotiate and implement trade agreements, including analysis to ensure the potential costs and benefits are fully understood. We will continue to work with the AU to ensure progress towards the CFTA is maintained, and I intend to raise this with AU colleagues at the January AU summit.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to case managers employed by the Fit for Work service.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Case managers receive comprehensive training relevant to the duties they are required to deliver through the Fit for Work service. Health professionals have supervision from experienced professionals from whom they can seek advice. Fit for Work has in place a clinical governance framework to provide oversight of all aspects of clinical service delivery. Fit for Work also ensures health professionals participate in a programme of continuing professional development.

    Continuous training and development occurs on a one to one basis as part of quality assurance.

  • Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Christina Rees – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to consult clinicians on his policy on access to off-patent drugs.

    George Freeman

    Our policy on generic prescribing has been in place for a number of years. The policy helps ensure that patients can access the medicine that best meets their needs and it has been a key driver in the National Health Service making maximum use of off-patent drugs which are also known as generics. We have the best prescribing rate for these drugs in Europe.

    To support clinicians who may want to prescribe a product off-label for a patient to and improve the flow of research evidence into clinical practice, the Department hosted a Roundtable Event in February 2015. Attendees included the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Breast Cancer Now and other charities and discussions helped determine those non-legislative measures that could be undertaken. The Government is committed to this work and is holding a further roundtable event with charities.

  • Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of road vehicles in the UK they expect to be wholly electrically powered by 2030.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has a commitment that nearly every car and van will be zero emission by 2050. Already over 1% of new cars are ultra low emission and we expect uptake to continue to rise over time consistent with this goal. We do not provide interim forecasts or targets as this market is now moving so rapidly. We will spend over £600m 2015-16 and 2020-21 to put the UK on track to meet our ambitious long term target.