Tag: 2015

  • Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many UK microbiology laboratories use the UK SMI B58 or equivalent test for detecting group B strep carriage.

    Jane Ellison

    UK microbiology laboratories that do not use Standards for Microbiological Investigations (SMIs) should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body. Public Health England is not an accrediting body in these circumstances therefore we do not hold information as to what tests are deemed to be equivalent to UK SMI B58.

    UK SMIs are not mandatory and Public Health England does not have data as to how many laboratories, National Health Service or otherwise use UK SMI B58 or equivalent testing for detecting Group B Strep.

    SMIs are intended as a general resource for practising professionals operating in the field of laboratory medicine and infection specialties in the United Kingdom.

    SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total value of fines (1) issued by the courts, and (2) collected, in 2014–15.

    Lord Faulks

    The total value of fines issued and collected in 2014/15 was:

    Fines imposed 2014/15

    Value of Fines imposed in 2014/15 collected in same year of imposition

    Total fines collected in 2014/15 (regardless of date of imposition)

    £250,740,040

    £84,688,512

    £161,930,070

    The ‘total fines collected’ figure includes the £84.7m collected in the same year of imposition. These figures relate to fines only and not any other financial imposition types.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to Senior Civil Service posts in her Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The table below confirms DFID’s spend on using external agencies for recruitment to Senior Civil Service posts in the last five years.

    Year

    Spend

    2012/13

    £14,760

    2013/14

    £40,500

    2015/16

    £38,000

    As part of its long-term economic plan, this Government has reduced the size of the Civil Service by 22%, adjusting for Machinery of Government changes that moved staff into and out of the Civil Service since the 2010 General Election, representing a significant increase in efficiency and productivity that helped save taxpayers £2.8 billion last year alone.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Whitaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which authorities are responsible for the monitoring of urban air.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    In England, overall responsibility for monitoring ambient air quality lies with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In addition the Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring emissions from large and complex industrial processes in England. This function is undertaken by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales in Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland. Under the Local Air Quality Management System, local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing ambient air quality.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2015 to Question 16679, on railways: telecommunications systems, how much was spent from the public purse on the Quicksilver project before it was terminated.

    Claire Perry

    Project Quicksilver was a Network Rail programme that was initiated prior to the reclassification of Network Rail as a public body and was conducted from 2011 to 2015. Project Quicksilver covered two discrete programmes of work but was run by a single team – focused on mobile connectivity and commercial exploitation of the network. These two elements cannot be disaggregated.

    The industry was not able to find a solution that satisfied the commercial requirements of all parties to deliver the mobile connectivity improvements. As a result, Network Rail terminated the procurement.

    The total cost recorded by Network Rail was £6.86m.

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they give to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board about best practice with respect to keeping open indefinitely cases relating to claimants who allege that they have been abused as children.

    Lord Faulks

    The criminal injuries compensation scheme recognises that children who have suffered injuries as a result of crime may require greater support in making an application for compensation. The scheme allows those injured as children to make an application up to their 20th birthday, or if the crime was reported after their 18th birthday a period of 2 years from that report in which to do so, providing the applicant includes supporting evidence which allows the case to be concluded without further extensive enquiries. These periods may be extended in exceptional circumstances, also subject to sufficient supporting evidence in respect of the claim being provided.

    In addition, an applicant can also apply at any point to have their case medically reopened, should their condition change to such an extent that it would be unjust not to make a further award. A request to medically reopen the case should be made within 2 years of the case being finalised, but can be considered after this time, providing the applicant includes supporting evidence which allows the case to be concluded without further extensive enquiries.

    This Government is committed to supporting victims of sexual abuse. As part of this the Ministry of Justice has instructed the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to abide by an embargo on the destruction of files to ensure retention of anything that might be of relevance to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to Senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The actual Departmental cost of using external agencies for recruitment to Senior Civil Service posts in each of the last 5 years is:

    Financial Year

    Cost (£)

    2010/11

    3,944

    2011/12

    0

    2012/13 ¹

    394,511

    2013/14 ¹

    362,616

    2014/15 ¹

    141,232

    ¹ Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012.

    Data excludes NDPBs

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work his Department has commissioned to identify the distribution across the nations and regions of the UK of exchange-only lines on the telecom network that are incompatible with fibre to the cabinet broadband technology.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The vast majority of phone lines across the UK connect to the nearest telephone exchange via a street cabinet, which can be upgraded to deliver fibre broadband. Estimates are not available of the number of premises served by exchange only lines which connect directly to the local exchange rather than via one of BT’s street cabinets. There are a variety of reasons why exchange only lines are created. For example, for rural exchanges serving few premises where there was no need for cabinets, or for urban exchanges where it may have been a more cost-effective. Exchange only lines present a greater engineering challenge to deliver fibre broadband than those connected via street cabinets but technical solutions are available. One solution is to rearrange the existing network, lay new cables to reroute lines to new cabinets. This technique was developed as part of the BDUK Superfast Broadband Programme, and the number of exchange only lines is reducing all the time as roll out under the programme continues.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the Kurdistan Regional Government about the case of Niaz Aziz Saleh.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not made representations to the Kurdistan Regional Government on this particular case. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials at our Consulate General in Erbil regularly raise human rights concerns with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how many working hours of facility time are taken by such civil servants; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that facility time to his Department.

    Matthew Hancock

    The number of civil servants who are trade union members is a matter for individual trade unions.

    The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest published data is for Quarters 1-4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

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