UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) all UK electricity generators and operators and (b) developers of gas plants are able to compete on a level playing field after the planned increase in interconnector capacity after 2020.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The priority of this government is to ensure security of supply at the lowest cost to consumers. Where there are benefits to consumers of further interconnection, this will be identified through Ofgem’s regulatory regime. In this way, we will ensure the efficient level of interconnection and a good balance between domestic generation and continental imports.

    In relation to the Capacity Market, National Grid advises on a sensible range for de-rating factors for interconnectors in the auction from which the Secretary of State will decide the final number. This mitigates the risk of relying too much on imports and ensures that the efficient amount of domestic capacity will always be secured in the auction.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of begging in the latest period for which information is available.

    Andrew Selous

    The number of people convicted at all courts of offences related to begging in 2014 (latest available) is available at the following link under offence code 182 (begging).

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/428937/outcomes-by-offence-tables.xlsx

    These figures relate to offences under Section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824.

    “

  • Simon Hoare – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Simon Hoare – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hoare on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of Pakistan in securing justice for people killed in the 2007 Mumbai attacks.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a deplorable act of terrorism in which a British national was amongst the 166 innocent people killed. Many hundreds of others were seriously wounded. Given the gravity of those horrific events, the UK Government is deeply concerned by the release on bail of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, one of the alleged planners, in April. Pakistan has committed to bring to justice the perpetrators and sponsors, and we continue to urge Pakistan at the highest levels to follow through on that commitment.

    The UK Government recognises that Pakistan is on the frontline of terrorism, and continues to make considerable sacrifices on a daily basis. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle the scourge of violent extremism which threatens both our interests. It is essential for stability in the South Asia region and for the safety of UK nationals that Pakistan delivers on its commitment to tackle all terrorist groups.

  • 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 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on introducing (a) flexible rail season tickets and (b) rail season tickets targeted at part-time workers.

    Claire Perry

    We have challenged the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible season tickets for people who work or commute part-time, which could also attract new customers onto the railway. Some operators, like Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Arriva Trains Wales, already offer carnet products on selected routes. In addition, GTR and c2c have franchise obligations to offer carnet-based season tickets, and the prospectus for the South-Western franchise includes the expectation that bidders will introduce new, more flexible products that benefit passengers who work or commute part-time.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of TB in the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    The five year Collaborative Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy for England 2015-2020 was launched by the Department, in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in January 2015. It lays out 10 key areas for actions needed to achieve a year on year decrease in TB incidence, a reduction in health inequalities and, ultimately, the elimination of TB as a public health problem in England.

    Since the strategy was launched PHE along with NHS England have formed a TB Strategy implementation team which has facilitated the establishment of seven TB control boards covering all of England. The TB control boards will lead local TB networks in delivering the 10 key changes outlined in the Strategy.

    Over the past three years there has been a year on year decline in the number of TB cases in England, from 8,086 in 2012 (a rate of 15.1 per 100,000 population), down to 6,520 in 2014 (a rate of 12.0 per 100,000 population).

  • Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs staff at Sidlaw House, Dundee will have the same terms and conditions if they are transferred to the new regional centres.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the planned locations of its future Regional Centres based on a number of key principles. 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 they need to continue their transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.

    HMRC plans to open two new Regional Centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a combined total of between 5,700 and 6,300 posts.In Dundee, Caledonian House is planned to close in 2018 and Sidlaw House will transfer to the administering of Universal Credit. HMRC will be holding individual meetings with every member of staff prior to any office closures or moves, to discuss what these plans mean for them and their choices.‎

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the average cost to the NHS of employing a (a) nurse, (b) midwife and (c) doctor; and what forecast he has made of that cost in each year from 2016-17 to 2019-20.

    Alistair Burt

    Information is available for 2014/15 and is set out in the following table:

    Estimated Average Cost per Full-Time Equivalent

    Qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors

    £42,100

    Midwives

    £45,900

    All hospital and community health services doctors

    £96,200

    Notes:

    Separate figures for qualified nurses are not available. Costs include employer national insurance and pension contributions but not other costs such as recruitment and training (which is not collected centrally).

    Source: Department of Health’s Headline HCHS Pay bill Metrics, which are based primarily on earnings statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, supplemented by employer pension and national insurance contributions estimates informed by unpublished and unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse.

    Future costs will depend on the outcome of the Spending Review and pay recommendations of the independent Pay Review Bodies.

  • Lord Allen of Kensington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Allen of Kensington – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Innovate UK will publish its strategy for 2016–20.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Innovate UK intends to publish its Strategy for 2016-20 in the spring. This will be followed by the publication of Innovate UK’s Delivery Plan for 2016-17. This timetable takes account of the timing of the recent Spending Review.

    X

  • Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many transit visas her Department issued to Syrian nationals in each year since 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is provided in the table below:

    Entry clearance transit visas granted to Syrian nationals

    Year

    Granted

    2010

    72

    2011

    42

    2012

    50

    2013

    41

    2014

    20

    2015 January-June

    9

    Source: Immigration Statistics April-June 2015, Home Office, tables vi_06_q_o.

    The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • Lord Freyberg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) how much (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Sweden, (e) the Netherlands, (f) France, (g) Denmark, (h) Belgium, and (i) Italy, spent per capita on cancer services, and (2) the national one-year cancer survival rates as a percentage of new patients for each of those countries, for the most recent year for which comparable data is available.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We are not aware of any comparable international data on per capita spending for cancer services. The National Audit Office estimated that the cost of cancer services to the National Health Service in 2012-13 was £6.7 billion, although precise figures are not available.

    The Eurocare-5 study, published in 2014, compares cancer survival rates across Europe, and includes all patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2007. These are the most recent available comparable data for the countries requested. Therefore, these comparisons are not a measure of current NHS performance and practice, but should be regarded as a long-term benchmark.

    Age-standardised, one-year, all-cancer survival rates for the requested countries are as follows:

    Country Age-standardised rate, one-year all-cancer survival (95% Confidence Interval) for patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2007

    England 67.6 (67.5-67.7)

    Scotland 67.5 (67.3-67.7)

    Wales 66.3 (66.0-66.6)

    Sweden 75.1 (75.0-75.3)

    Netherlands 71.9 (71.8-72.0)

    France 75.1 (74.9-75.4)

    Denmark 69.2 (69.0-69.4)

    Belgium 76.4 (76.3-76.6)

    Italy 75.2 (75.1-75.3)

    Source: Baili, P., et al. (2015). "Age and case mix-standardised survival for all cancer patients in Europe 1999–2007: Results of EUROCARE-5, a population-based study." European Journal of Cancer 51(15): 2120-2129.