The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions emergency services have attended schools because of snow or ice related incidents in each of the last three years.
Edward Timpson
The Department does not collect information on the number of occassions on which emergency services have attended schools because of snow or ice related incidents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress she has made on the establishment of the three person panel to build a strategy to disband paramilitary groups.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Under the terms of the Fresh Start Agreement, it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to appoint the three person panel by the end of December 2015. The panel will have the task of bringing back to the Executive a report before the end of May 2016 with recommendations for a strategy to disband paramilitary groups. Before the end of June 2016, the Executive will publish an action plan including all of the above measures, together with timescales for implementation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what long-term plans the Government has to protect and maintain the English coast.
Rory Stewart
Coastal Local Authorities are responsible for developing Shoreline Management Plans which provide a long term framework to manage the risk of coastal change to people and the environment. These plans are overseen by the Environment Agency to ensure a joined up approach to the management of the coastline and that decisions made in one area take account of the impacts on another.
Over the next six years the Government will be investing over £1bn to better protect homes and businesses from coastal flooding and erosion in England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 6809, what progress his Department has made on allocating funding for investment into ultra low emission vehicles and the infrastructure to support such vehicles.
Andrew Jones
The government allocated more than £600 million to support the uptake and manufacture of ultra low emission vehicles in the 2015 Spending Review. This represents an increase of over £100 million on the Government’s previous commitment and means the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) will continue to provide one of the most comprehensive packages of support for ultra low emission vehicles in the world.
On 17 December the Government announced it has allocated £400 million so that the Plug-in Car Grant will continue to at least 2018, well beyond the previous guarantee of February 2016, and which will mean more than 100,000 people will benefit over the coming years – double the number who have already claimed the grant since 2011. The Government also announced the continuation of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which will provide £500 towards the cost of installing a domestic chargepoint.
We will provide further details about the wider OLEV programme during the first part of 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Saudi Arabian counterpart calling for the release of Mr Ashraf Fayadh who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia on 17 November 2015 on charges of apostasy.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of, and concerned about, the case of Mr Ashraf Fayadh (who is Palestinian). We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and strongly support freedom of expression in every country. We regularly make the Saudi Arabian authorities aware of our views, and will consider suitable opportunities for raising our concerns over this case.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of patients referred to the Fit for Work service since its launch have since returned to work.
Justin Tomlinson
An evaluation strategy is in place for Fit for Work. As part of this, a formal process evaluation is being undertaken. The formal evaluation will include feedback from employee users of the service, GPs and employers. Return to work will also be covered. Monthly performance group meetings take place between the Department and the providers in both England/Wales and Scotland together with weekly meetings to discuss management information and performance issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the effect of macrolide antibiotics on the risk of heart failure.
George Freeman
Heart rhythm disturbances are a known potential side effect of macrolide antibiotics. Several observational studies have found a possible association between macrolide antibiotics and heart events. Product information for healthcare professionals and patients includes warnings about the risks of heart rhythm disturbances.
In 2015, European regulators concluded from a review of all available evidence that the risk of heart events was small. As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continually monitors the safety of macrolide drugs and will evaluate any new data, seeking independent scientific advice from the Commission on Human Medicines and its Expert Advisory Groups as appropriate, to ensure that the balance of risks and benefits remains positive for this important class of medicines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of sponsored academies that were rated inadequate by Ofsted on conversion remained inadequate at their next inspection, and what percentage of maintained schools that were rated inadequate by Ofsted at their previous inspection, but remained maintained, remained inadequate at their latest inspection.
Earl of Courtown
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many (a) Saturdays, (b) Sundays and (c) Bank Holidays he has attended meetings, receptions or other official functions in his capacity as Secretary of State.
Jane Ellison
My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the National Health Service, and is on call and briefed on relevant events seven days a week, including public holidays. He routinely works on Departmental business at the weekends, which includes attending meetings, visiting frontline services and carrying out official engagements where relevant.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian impact of cutting aid to India from 2016.
Baroness Verma
We selected this three year transition period specifically so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial aid projects and ensure government partners were able to build the capacity needed to meet development needs after our support ends.