The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 4418, which women’s (a) rugby, (b) cricket and (c) football matches she has attended in an official capacity since taking office.
Caroline Dinenage
I have not yet attended any women’s rugby, cricket or football matches in an official capacity since taking office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 1 December (HL3644), which UK members and UK associate members attended the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Cheltenham on 16 and 17 November.
Lord Dunlop
The Northern Ireland Office is not responsible for the administration of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
However, I am advised by the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly secretariat that the following full members of the UK delegation to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly took part in the Assembly’s plenary session held in Cheltenham from 15 to 17 November 2015:
David Anderson MP
Lord Bew
Baroness Blood
Andrew Bridgen MP
Deidre Brock MP
Oliver Colvile MP
Lord Dubs
Mark Durkan MP
Paul Farrelly MP
Lord Glentoran
Helen Jones MP
Danny Kinahan MP
Rt Hon Lord Mawhinney
Conor McGinn MP
Nigel Mills MP
Laurence Robertson MP
Andrew Rosindell MP
Lord Skelmersdale
Robin Walker MP.
In addition, a number of full and associate members who had initially committed to attend the plenary session withdrew at short notice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England on spending on mental health services during 2015-16.
Alistair Burt
In total, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have set plans for 2015/16 which reflect an increase in mental health care expenditure in excess of their increase in allocation for the year. NHS England is tracking actual expenditure against those plans and it will report to the Secretary of State at the end of the year on whether those plans have been met.
Departmental Ministers meet the Chief Executives of NHS England and Monitor regularly and discuss a wide range of issues, including funding for mental health services.
NHS England was formally established on 1 April 2013.Expenditure by NHS England on Specialist Mental Health Services for 2013/14 was £1.780 billion and £1.795 billion in 2014/15. NHS England’s planned expenditure on Specialist Mental Health Services for 2015/16 is £1.859 billion.
NHS England has published CCG level expenditure on mental health for 2013/14, which was estimated to be £8.1 billion. CCGs are currently in the process of preparing estimates of expenditure for mental health services in 2014/15. Estimates for 2015/16 are not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government sought assurances from Royal Mail that local collection offices would not be closed after the sale of that company.
Anna Soubry
Decisions on whether to close and re-locate local collection offices have always been operational matters for Royal Mail. The Government played no role in such decisions prior to the sale of Royal Mail.
Regardless of ownership, Royal Mail, as the United Kingdom’s designated universal service provider, is required to provide a universal postal service that meets the minimum requirements as set out under the Postal Services Act 2011.
It is the responsibility of the postal regulator, Ofcom, to ensure that Royal Mail provides sufficient access points to meet its universal postal service obligations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency that have access to superfast broadband.
Mr Edward Vaizey
UK Government has allocated £122 million for the two Scottish SuperfastBroadbandprojects, which focus on areas where commercial coverage does not exist or is not planned.
DCMS estimates that commercial coverage will provide superfast broadband availability to 83% of premises inEast Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, and theDigital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme will add a further 12% premises to the commercial coverage following completion of the first phase of the project.
In addition the Government is supporting seven pilot projects to explore options for delivering superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the planning protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and if he will make a statement.
James Wharton
The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is for decision makers to apply that policy and related legislation. The local planning authorities have responsibility for determining planning applications and developing local plan policies in the first instance.
The strong protection for these valued areas is supported by planning guidance. We keep this guidance under review to ensure it reflects up-to-date planning policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many lipid clinics there are in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group.
Jane Ellison
This information is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what review he has conducted of the operational capacity of Islamic State in Libya; and if he will make a statement.
Penny Mordaunt
We are extremely concerned about and closely monitoring the growing threat from extremist groups in Libya, including groups affiliated with Daesh. These groups threaten Libya, her regional neighbours and UK interests in the region. We have seen barbaric and appalling acts of terror inside Libya, including the targeting of others because of their faith. Daesh continues to commit appalling atrocities, including, most recently, in Sirte.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage competition and switching between providers in consumer markets.
Nick Boles
The Government is determined to encourage more consumers to vote with their feet in key markets like energy, banking and telecoms. We are currently conducting a Call for Evidence on a set of six “switching principles”. Once fully implemented, these will make the process quicker and easier for consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what change there has been in the number of jobs in the solar industry in Northern Ireland since January 2015.
Andrea Leadsom
The Size and Performance of the Low-carbon Economy (2015) report by the Department of Business, Innovation, and Skills estimated the number of low-carbon jobs in Northern Ireland in 2013.
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