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Tag: 2015

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

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to secure funding for research into mesothelioma over the last two years.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The usual practice of the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and of the Medical Research Council is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Both funders welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mesothelioma. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition.

    The NIHR launched a ‘themed call’ for mesothelioma research proposals in 2014. Fifteen individual applications have been received, of which two have been approved for funding to date, two are under review, and eleven have been rejected.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many legally owned .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles have been used in terrorist offences in the last 10 years.

    Mike Penning

    The National Ballistics Intelligence Service regularly assesses the volume and type of legal and illegal firearms in criminal use in the UK. The information is operationally sensitive and is not suitable for release.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to enable more looked-after children to go on to further and higher education.

    Edward Timpson

    This government believes that all children and young people in care should be provided with the support that they need in order to fulfil their potential.

    That is why we require local authorities, as corporate parents,to fulfil a legal duty to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after, including supporting them to progress into further and higher education.All local authorities are required to appoint a Virtual School Head to ensure that that duty is discharged, and that each looked-after child has a personal education plan which sets out how their aspirations and educational needs, particularly around transition points, will be supported in the short and longer-term.

    In addition, the government provides enhanced pupil premium funding of £1,900 each year for pupils who have been looked-after and we also ensure that looked-after children are given priority in school admission arrangements. Looked-after children and care leavers are also a priority group for receiving the 16-19 Further Education Bursary of £1,200 per annum.

    For care leavers, local authorities must offer a personal adviser and a pathway plan if they are in education or training up to the age of 21 or up to 25 if they wish to resume their education and training. Care leavers who pursue a recognised course of higher education are also entitled to a one-off £2000 bursary, given by their local authority, as part of the package of support they receive on leaving care.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Irish Government since the attacks in Paris in November 2015 on ensuring that the two governments share intelligence effectively on all potential terrorist threats.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Home Office is the UK Government Department responsible for dealing with the threat from international terrorism and regularly engages with international partners.

    I also regularly meet Ministers from the Irish Government, including with Frances Fitzgerald, the Justice and Equality Minister, to discuss a range of issues. There continues to be strong co-operation on security between the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on costs to consumers of the contract for difference awarded to Hinkley Point C.

    Andrea Leadsom

    As stated in my answer to PQ 15115, under the CfD consumers won’t pay anything for electricity until the plant is powering their homes and businesses. Payments under the CfD are expected to make up around £10 (real 2012 prices) of the average household energy bill in 2030. This should be seen in the context of Hinkley Point C meeting 7% of the UK’s energy needs, and set against our estimate that a new nuclear programme could reduce average household bills by up to around £30 in 2030 (again in real 2012 prices). This is calculated by comparing the costs for consumers in a modelled scenario for the future electricity mix with Hinkley Point C and a further role out of the new nuclear programme with the cost for consumers in a scenario where there are no new nuclear power stations by 2030. Savings could be higher or lower depending on changes in the cost of alternative generation technologies and what mix of technologies would ultimately be used.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding (a) in total and (b) by region of Road User Satisfaction Report was paid to AECOM from the public purse for those reports published by the Highways Agency on 11 December 2015.

    Andrew Jones

    The total contractual amounts Highways England pays are as follows:

    • £274,129 for the National Road User Satisfaction Survey from April 2015 to March 2016.
    • £376,846 for the Area Road User Satisfaction Survey from April 2015 to March 2016.

    Costs are not split by region.

  • Patrick Grady – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the governments of India and Nepal regarding protests and disruption at border crossings between those countries.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2015 (PQ 15614).

    In addition to this answer, I discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Foreign Secretary during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United Kingdom.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what ways he plans to expand the Fit for Work service.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Fit for Work is now fully rolled out across Great Britain. All employers and GPs are able to refer employees who are on sick leave for four weeks or more, to get a work-related health assessment and help them return to work sooner.

    The Department does not routinely publish funding allocations. However, Fit for Work has been provided with sufficient funding to meet its demands for 2015/16, this financial year. Outturn spending will be detailed in DWP’s published Annual Report and Accounts. Departmental funding for future years has been settled by HMT.

  • Royston Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to maintain the in-year budget for public health provision allocated by Southampton City Council.

    Jane Ellison

    On 4 June as part of wider Government action on deficit reduction announced by the Chancellor, the Department was asked to deliver in year savings of £200 million in 2015/16 through reductions to the Public Health Grant to local authorities.

    The Department launched a consultation exercise on 31 July to engage with local authorities on how best to deliver these savings in a way that minimises any impact on services. As a result of the consultation, 6.19% savings was applied to all local authorities in year public health budgets.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18747, whether people are made aware of advance Universal Credit payments being made available to them at the initial work search interview.

    Priti Patel

    To be eligible for a Universal Credit (UC) Advance payment, the claimant has to have an underlying entitlement to UC, be in financial need, and be able to afford to repay the Advance. These criteria are contained within the Social Security (Payments on Account of Benefit) Regulations 2013.

    If during the initial work search interview, a work coach identifies a claimant is in financial need, or cannot manage until they receive their first UC payment, they will advise them about advance payments.