The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conclusions he wants the Vienna talks on the Syria crisis to reach.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We hope that the 30 October Vienna meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2015 to Question 17679, for what reasons the maintenance costs for FDTC Grantown-on-Spey cannot be broken down; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Julian Brazier
Maintenance costs for Grantown-On-Spey are accounted within the larger RAF Lossiemouth budget and costs could not be broken down and identified.
More generally, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) gave on 7 December 2015 to Question number 18570. Some costs for some previous years may be available and Ministry of Defence officials are reviewing available data from a variety of sources. The Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask the Care Quality Commission to investigate the project run by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust between December 2014 and February 2015 on the treatment of emergency calls to NHS 111.
Jane Ellison
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and adult social care, advises the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.
The CQC advises it has attended a recent risk summit conducted by NHS England. The decisions or actions arising from the NHS England risk summit will be one of the factors considered in the timing of any forthcoming CQC inspection.
NHS England undertook an external investigation of the project, the report of which was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015.
We are advised that Monitor is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertaken such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.
As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much EU funding was allocated to the operation of carbon capture and storage projects which is not now available for spending on UK projects.
Andrea Leadsom
In 2009 the Don Valley Project was awarded a €180m European Energy Programme for Recovery grant which contributes towards the feasibility and design phase of the project’s development. The award is still in place and ~€125m has so far been claimed. In 2013 the White Rose CCS project was awarded up to €300m in potential NER300 funding. This award, which remains available, is subject to the project being able to successfully store carbon dioxide before the end of June 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on measures to tackle avoidable winter deaths.
Jane Ellison
Work with European counterparts continues to be seen as an important way of reducing avoidable winter deaths and the building of partnerships and programmes will remain an ongoing focus of effort. For example, Public Health England (PHE) produces the annual cold weather plan for England (CWP) a framework intended to protect the population from harm to health from cold weather. The CWP was developed in consultation with WHO Euro.
The global disaster risk reduction and seasonal influenza teams at PHE also work with European counterparts to reduce avoidable winter deaths. Key initiatives include engagement with the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre and the flu surveillance network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greek and Turkish governments on the unification of Cyprus.
Mr David Lidington
The UK remains a strong supporter of a Cyprus settlement. We engage regularly with Greece and Turkey, at a range of levels, as part of our efforts to build support for the UN-led settlement talks. We look forward to continuing to work with Greece and Turkey to help the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunite their island through a just and lasting settlement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the efficiency of the work visa system in enabling UK businesses to have speedy access to the language skills they need for new markets.
James Brokenshire
Our visa system is set up to welcome skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors. In the year ending June 2015, the number of work visas we issued increased by six percent, with skilled work visas up nine percent.
UKVI continually assesses the efficiency of its customer offer. The average combined processing time for Tier 1 & Tier 2 category visas globally was 7 days in the year ending June 2015. In the same period, 97% of visas were issued within the standard 15 working days processing time.
UKVI operates a number of services that make the visa process more accessible for businesses. These include priority and super-priority visa services, prime time opening hours and a business network with dedicated UK visa staff to assist businesses with their visa requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether an assessment has been made of the barriers preventing multiple myeloma patients accessing the most innovative treatments.
Jane Ellison
No specific assessment has been made of the barriers affecting access to the most innovative treatments for patients with multiple myeloma.
It is essential that a robust process is in place to ensure that patients get rapid access to the most innovative drugs that represent value for money to the National Health Service. The Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 84,000 people to access the life-extending drugs they need, and NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are currently consulting on the future shape of the Fund to put it on a more sustainable footing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce new sentencing guidelines recommending strict penalties to assist magistrates in prosecuting caces under the Equality Act 2010 where a private hire or taxi driver has refused to provide transport to a visually impaired passenger and their guide dog.
Andrew Selous
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 September 2015 to Question 8187.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) boys and (b) girls aged (i) 11, (ii) 12, (iii) 13, (iv) 14, (v) 15, (vi) 16 and (vii) 17 were held overnight in police cells in each police station in Lancashire in each month between 1 January 2014 and 30 November 2015.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold this information centrally. It may be held by the individual police force.