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Tag: 2015

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.82, page 94 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what progress his Department has made on introducing flexible season tickets on the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise.

    Claire Perry

    The introduction and roll-out of part-time season tickets will give people who commute part-time a better deal than they currently have access to. We have challenged the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible season tickets for those who work or commute part-time which could also attract new customers onto the railway.

    Progress on delivery of more flexible tickets is beginning to be made. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have a franchise commitment to introduce carnet style tickets on their smartcards which is subject to the Secretary of State’s approval.

    A number of costed options are being reviewed and a pilot programme has been developed, benefitting from and delivering the Key smart ticketing capability, this is expected to be introduced in May 2016.

  • Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent representations she has received on the potential effect on jobs and investment in the solar industry of reductions in feed-in tariff subsidies.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We ran a consultation on the feed-in tariff review from 27 August to 23 October. We strongly welcomed evidence from the sector during this review consultation, and we will set out our response in due course.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of benefit fraud that led to convictions were prosecuted in (a) Wales and (b) Wrexham in each of the last five years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The table below represents the number of successful convictions in Wales since April 2012.

    Year

    No of Convictions

    2012 – 2013

    1616

    2013 – 2014

    1512

    2014 – 2015

    992

    The data held for the number of convictions prior to 2012 is not available for publication.

    The information requested for Wrexham is not readily available. This is because the data is not collated in a format for Wrexham only. This information could only be provided by examining individual investigation files. This could only be conducted at disproportionate time and cost.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of GP retention in the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group area; and what steps he is taking to improve GP retention.

    Alistair Burt

    We are advised by NHS England that it commissioned the Essex GP Workforce Audit in autumn 2014 to define the extent of the general practitioner (GP) recruitment and retention problem in Essex, including the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area.

    In response to the audit’s findings, the Essex Primary Care Inter-Professional Centre for Workforce Development was launched in September. This has been developed by the Essex Workforce Group (comprising NHS England, local CCGs and Health Education England) to address the ongoing difficulty in recruiting, developing and retaining GPs, practice nurses and primary care staff in Essex. The centre will act as a ‘resource, networking and support hub’ and has a website allowing primary care staff to access training opportunities and mentoring opportunities through which they can develop their skills and careers.

    Nationally, we understand that NHS England is working with partners, including the Royal College of GPs and Health Education England, to increase GP numbers, reduce bureaucracy and use the skills of other healthcare professionals, such as community pharmacists, to ensure high-quality, and, above all else, safe, patient care.

    On 26 January, NHS England announced a £10 million investment to boost the GP workforce. The money will be used to recruit new GPs, retain those who are thinking of leaving the profession and encourage doctors to return to general practice, to better meet the needs of patients now and for the future.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 16786, what estimate he has made of the (a) total, (b) staffing and (c) resources cost of conducting area-based reviews of post-16 education and training institutions.

    Nick Boles

    The Departments and their agencies will undertake this work with no additional staffing. Additional costs will be minimal. The Departments and agencies have re-prioritised from within existing resources to accommodate the additional work, including providing access to additional advice and support from further education and six form colleges Advisers.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people in Hove have access to GP surgeries offering seven-day primary care.

    Alistair Burt

    We are committed to ensuring that everyone will be able to access a general practitioner (GP) appointment in the evenings and on weekends as part of our plan for a 7 day NHS by 2020.

    Through the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund, 125,000 patients in Brighton and Hove have had access to seven-day primary care through four ‘primary care clusters.’ The local clinical commissioning group are now evaluating this scheme and discussing plans for what to take forward.

    There is also a walk-in centre in central Brighton which is open from 8am to 8pm daily to serve the needs of Brighton and Hove residents. There is no need to be a registered patient with the health centre to use the walk-in service; it is available to everyone in Brighton and Hove. The service offers treatment, information and advice for a range of minor illnesses and injuries.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a comparative assessment of commercial rents for possible HM Revenue and Customs offices in (a) Wrexham and (b) Cardiff.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the planned locations of its future Regional Centres based on a number of key principles that will enable it to deliver more for less. In addition to cost, HMRC has taken account of the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, and the need to retain the staff and skills it requires to continue its transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.

    HMRC estimates that Liverpool will be home to between 2,800 and 3,100 full time equivalent employees. Consolidation into the Regional Centre is expected to begin in 2019-20. HMRC plans to open the Regional Centre in Cardiff in 2019-20. It is likely that the office at Plas Gororau in Wrexham will close in 2020-21. HMRC will be holding one-to-one discussions with each of its people to discuss the next steps.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Hodge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 5430, whether similarly effective systems for central registries of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories includes legitimate public access in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the Right Honourable Lady to my Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to his answers of 16 October 2015(PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which set out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of using the facewatch application to reduce the number of fire engine call outs to false alarms.

    Greg Clark

    We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of using Facewatch to reduce call outs to false alarms. Decisions on operational matters, including how to reduce and respond to false alarms, are best taken at the local level by fire and rescue authorities and their principal officers in the light of individual circumstances.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian government on its steps to hold to account and prosecute state officials and other people who violate the safeguard for religious freedom in that country’s constitution.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities.

    I welcome Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to be the "servant of all Indians". He has clearly reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution and “the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence”. Should any individual break the law in India, it is a matter for the Indian law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute.

    The High Commission in New Delhi also maintains regular contact with the union and state government, civil society organisations and senior faith leaders working on religious freedom across India.