The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.
Jane Ellison
The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department assesses the cost per trainee for force development and adventure training; whether costs for force development are assessed separately to those for adventure training; what the cost is for (a) force development and (b) adventure training; and if he will make a statement.
Penny Mordaunt
The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have accessed the Government support package for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar.
Anna Soubry
There are a number of different elements of support for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar. These include:
The Government will not impose solutions from Whitehall and will continue to work closely with the local taskforce to deliver the proposals it has identified as having a real and lasting impact. This includes:
– a £1.7m support fund to enable SSI’s 50 apprentices complete their training
– a £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years
– £16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the effect of replacing the UK’s existing coal fired power stations through a combination of energy conservation, demand side measures and renewable power instead of new gas fired power stations on (a) job creation, (b) carbon emissions, (c) household energy bills, (d) long-term energy security and (e) the UK’s global influence on securing international action on climate change; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department will be launching a consultation in the spring on the closure of unabated coal fired power stations. This will include an impact assessment, and I encourage the honourable lady to examine these documents when published next year
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason UK consular services did not allow medical experts from Gaza to travel to the UK to attend the recent conference at Kingston University on trauma in war zones.
James Brokenshire
In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is, therefore, unable to provide the information requested.
All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what preparatory work his Department has undertaken in advance of sending letters to tax credit recipients on changes to tax credits.
Damian Hinds
HM Revenue and Customs will be ready to notify tax credit claimants of their 2016/17 tax credit award in good time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultants have opted out of routine weekend working through the schedule 3 paragraph 6 of the NHS consultant contract in the last year.
Ben Gummer
This information is not held centrally.
Schedule 3 Paragraph 6 of the 2003 NHS consultant contract allows consultants to refuse non-emergency work after 7pm and before 7am during weekdays and weekends. The definitions section clarifies that this also applies to emergency work for those consultants whose specialty by its nature involves dealing routinely with emergency cases, e.g. accident and emergency consultants.
NHS trusts hold information on consultant working patterns. However, this information would not reveal how many individuals have relied on the clause to not participate in weekend work as part of their contract, or to work them at expensive locally negotiated rates.
In its 2013 report ‘Managing NHS hospital Consultants’ the National Audit Office (NAO) reported that 91% of trusts who responded to its survey paid for additional work using locally agreed rates, with rates of up £200 per hour reported. The NAO expressed the view that “This is likely to be linked to the fact that the contract allows consultants to refuse to work outside 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.”
A subsequent report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts concluded that as a result of the opt out, hospitals struggle to provide the appropriate level of consultant-led care for patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the privatisation of Channel 4 on the independent production sector in the UK.
Mr Edward Vaizey
No decisions have been made on the future of Channel 4. The Government is considering how best to ensure Channel 4’s future sustainability, while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit. It will also be important to consider the impacts of any possible changes to Channel 4 on the independent UK production sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on securing a long-term solution to the situation in Calais.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office is in regular discussions with French counterparts at ministerial and official level on all aspects of the migrant situation in Calais. The French Government is responsible for the care of migrants in Calais, including support over the winter. However, both governments are committed to finding a sustainable solution to the situation in Calais. One aspect of the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August, committed the UK to providing a £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help support a range of work to manage the migrant population in Calais, in particular to provide support and facilities elsewhere in France. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 (€750,000) to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, to transfer them to places of safety; and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.
The UK and French Governments are unified in their response to the migratory phenomenon and both governments recognise the importance of close partnership and collaboration to reach a long-term solution. This is a global challenge, and we will also work together to ensure that other EU states, as well as source and transit countries outside Europe, are doing everything they ought to be to stop people making these dangerous journeys in the first place.