The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of the annual cost of mesothelioma to the welfare budget.
Baroness Altmann
The information is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-15.
To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the effect of reductions in the number of hon. Members in 2020 on its Estates planning.
Tom Brake
Officials keep the assumptions that guide planning for the Parliamentary Estate under constant review. It is not expected that a reduction in the number of Members from 2020 will have any significant impact on our Estates planning, as it will not be a sufficient number to allow us to release any buildings. It may provide better accommodation for some Members, and alleviate the overcrowding of Members’ staff and House staff in a number of existing office spaces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the quality of education at university technical colleges.
Nick Boles
University technical colleges (UTCs) harness students’ talents, offering them technical learning alongside GCSEs and A levels, and providing them with knowledge and skills which employers value. The programme is still at an early stage. The best UTCs, such as UTC Reading, are providing excellent education, which is reflected in their exam results.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Infrastructure Commission has made in its work as it relates to Northern Ireland.
Greg Hands
The National Infrastructure Commission has been established to provide expert impartial analysis of the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs. To do this the commission will conduct an infrastructure needs assessment every five years, with its findings articulated in the National Infrastructure Assessment. As part of the infrastructure needs assessment the commission will review areas of Northern Irish infrastructure that are the responsibility of the UK government, and its findings will be made public once the report is completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that reductions in energy prices are passed on to consumers by energy companies.
Andrea Leadsom
The government expects and has regular discussions with suppliers to make sure any reductions in the costs of supplying energy are passed to consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative assessment of the potential economic benefit of High Speed 2 plans and the proposals by Transport for the North.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 will dramatically improve connectivity from north to south. Northern Powerhouse Rail will do the same from east to west. These two ambitious programmes, developed side-by-side, will help to rebalance the economy by transforming rail travel to, from, and within the North.
The Department and Transport for the North (TfN) are currently developing options for delivering the transformational rail connectivity in the north of England set out in the Northern Transport Strategy, and aim to have an understanding of the relative scale of costs and benefits of these options in autumn 2016.
As outlined in the recent HS2 Economic Case published in November 2015, the benefits of the full HS2 Y-Network are estimated to be £72.8bn (2011 prices, PV). This analysis calculated that the benefit cost ratio (BCR) of HS2 is 2.2 for the full Y-network, including wider economic impacts. Therefore, over £2 worth of benefits are expected for every £1 spent which represents high value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in other European countries on the imposition of tighter border controls across Europe and the effective screening of Syrian refugees for connections to ISIS.
James Brokenshire
Effective management of European external borders is vital as part of a comprehensive response to the migrant situation and the UK continues to engage with European partners on measures to improve the security of borders and to identify those who may a pose a threat to our countries.
As set out in the response to PQ11691 answered on 19th October 2015, security is taken extremely seriously in cases referred to us for resettlement. We work closely with the UNHCR who have their own robust identification processes in place. When Syrian cases are referred by the UNHCR for our consideration under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement scheme they are screened and considered by the Home Office for suitability for entry to the UK: we retain the right to reject individuals on security, war crimes or other grounds. For reasons of national security, we cannot provide further on the details of the screening process itself.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what qualifications are required of case managers employed by the Fit for Work service.
Justin Tomlinson
Fit for Work is delivered by health professionals who have an occupational health qualification; occupational health experience; or are able to demonstrate experience and skills appropriate to working in an occupational health context. Health professionals must be registered with the relevant regulatory and/or professional body on the appropriate part(s) of its registers. Fit for Work has an accredited Specialist in Occupational Medicine to provide clinical supervision of the service and provides appropriate supervision from more experienced professionals from whom they can seek advice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his official engagements were on (a) Monday 12 October and (b) Friday 20 November 2015.
Jane Ellison
On 12 October and 20 November my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State was fully focused on his priorities for the health service, which included securing a Spending Review settlement that backs the NHS’s own Five Year Forward View with an additional £10 billion a year above inflation by 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rate of allegations against a spouse of domestic violence or rape by women who have entered the UK on a spousal visa in each of the last five years.
Lord Bates
Allegations of rape or domestic violence are a matter for individual police forces and not recorded in statistics relating to immigration control.
Information on grants of settlement due to domestic violence after leave to remain granted as a spouse, is given in the link below, table se_04, Immigration Statistics July-September 2015) and are available from the library of the House: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/list-of-tables#settlement