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Tag: 2015

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, of 12 October 2015, Official Report, columns 32-36, what discussions she has (a) had and (b) plans to have with (i) her counterparts in other Government Departments and (ii) the pharmaceutical industry on the medical evidence and research that exists on the use of cannabis for medical treatment; and if she will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    The Government’s position on the medicinal value of cannabis remains unchanged and no discussions are planned. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is open to considering marketing approval applications for further cannabis-based medicinal products.

    The Home Office will continue to consider applications for Schedule 1 licences on their merits to enable trials of new medicines, subject to the appropriate ethical approvals where human trials are envisaged. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and regulations made under the Act, continue to facilitate research in this area.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question 10029, which schemes referred to in that Answer have been paused by Network Rail.

    Claire Perry

    The Secretary of State announced on 25 June 2015 the pause of work on Midland Main Line electrification and TransPennine electrification.

    On 30 September 2015 he announced that work on these schemes would resume.

    Whilst Sir Peter Hendy completes his review of Network Rail’s Enhancements programme, the efficient and cost effective delivery of other projects is a matter for Network Rail to manage.

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the accuracy of initial personal independence payment (PIP) decision-making to address the rate of successful appeals of PIP.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department monitors the quality and accuracy of its decision making with a robust quality assurance framework where feedback is given to individual decision makers as required. When a decision is overturned by a tribunal, it does not necessarily mean that the original decision was incorrect. A reason for a decision being overturned could, for example, be the provision of additional written evidence that was not available to the original decision maker. That is why we reformed the system, with the introduction of mandatory reconsideration, which enables a further opportunity for evidence to be provided without need to go to appeal. Of course, the Tribunal can form a different view based on the same facts and medical evidence. We will continue to use feedback from the Tribunal to inform the Department’s approach to decision-making or consider onward challenge where that is appropriate.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest date by which they need to amend secondary legislation to change the NHS tariff objection mechanism in order for such changes to operate for the setting of the 2016–17 tariff.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The objection mechanism is part of the provisions relating to statutory consultation by Monitor on proposals for a new or revised national tariff. We anticipate that Monitor will start statutory consultation on 2016-17 national tariff proposals in January. Accordingly any regulations making amended provision for the objection mechanism before that consultation starts would need to be made and brought into force no later than January 2016.

  • Lord Tanlaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Tanlaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tanlaw on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for the civil timescale Greenwich Mean Time being renamed Greenwich Meridian Time, with a value of UT1 at longitude zero based on GPS rather than the historic location of the prime meridian.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As the reference frame for the Global Positioning System (GPS) is established through a mathematical interpretation of satellite radio signals, rather than a physical meridian, it is not conceptually appropriate to represent it in the same way as other meridians have historically been marked at Greenwich.

    We do not see any practical benefit in changing the reference point for UT1 even if it was a decision the UK Government could make unilaterally. Such a change could cause confusion as could use of the term “Greenwich Meridian Time”. In line with the International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations, all time‑signal broadcasts in the UK transmit. the international timescale UTC, and so any change to UT1 or GMT would have no impact on the time-signal available to the UK public.

  • Lord Dear – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Dear – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Dear on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a Community Land Trust under the proposed Right to Buy scheme is required to sell one of the houses it owns if it is unable to provide an alternative from (1) its existing stock, (2) its newly built stock, (3) the stock it will build in the future or (4) the stock of another housing association.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Under the voluntary agreemment with the National Housing Federation, there would be a presumption that housing associations would sell the tenant the property in which they live, but there would be some broad circumstances where a housing association could exercise discretion to decline a sale. These circumstances include properties held in the Communities Land Trust.

  • 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 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have signed a prisoner transfer agreement with the government of Jamaica.

    Lord Faulks

    During the recent visit by the Prime Minister, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Government of Jamaica. The Memorandum of Understanding will pave the way to the negotiation of a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Jamaica, in exchange for UK financial support for the construction of a new prison in Jamaica. The funding will only become available after the prisoner transfer agreement is signed and after satisfactory completion of each stage of the prison build.

  • Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential cumulative financial effecr by 2021 on the twelve local authorities in the North East of the Government’s proposal to localise business rates.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government intends to move to 100% business rates retention in England by the end of this Parliament. We have confirmed that as part of the new system there will continue to be redistribution of local tax revenue between authorities and protections in place for authorities that see their business rates income fall significantly. Over the coming months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme.

    Ahead of final decisions, it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas or authorities, but before the start of the financial year, local authorities in the North-East estimated that the total business rates income for 2015-16 would be £854.58 million.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of the Naval Service Operational Pinch Point Groups for (a) each quarter of each financial year from 2005-06 to 2014-15 and (b) the first two quarters of 2015-16.

    Mark Lancaster

    Prior to 2015, Naval Service Operational Pinch Point Groups were not recorded quarterly. However, Pinch Points as at 1 April of each year are published in the Ministry of Defence (MOD)Annual Report and Accounts which are available in The Library of the House. Please note, an MOD Annual Report for 2009-10 was consolidated into the MOD Departmental Resource Accounts 2009-10.

    The number of Naval Service Operational Pinch Points in July 2015 and October 2015 are as shown in the following table.

    1 Apr-1 Jul 2015

    1 Oct 2015

    Nuclear Watchkeepers Petty Officer-Warrant Officer1

    Nuclear Watchkeepers Petty Officer-Warrant Officer1

    Strategic Weapon Systems Engineers Leading Hand-Warrant Officer1

    Strategic Weapon Systems Engineers Leading Hand-Warrant Officer1

    Tactical Weapon Systems Engineers Petty Officer-Chief Petty Officer

    Tactical Weapon Systems Engineers Petty Officer-Chief Petty Officer

    Marine Engineer General Service Petty Officer

    Marine Engineer General Service Petty Officer

    Weapon Engineer General Service Petty Officer

    Weapon Engineer General Service Petty Officer

    Seaman specialist Able Seaman

    Seaman specialist Able Seaman

    Mine Warfare Leading Hand-Petty Officer

    Mine Warfare Leading Hand-Petty Officer

    Medical Technician (Operating Department Practitioner) Leading Hand-Chief Petty Officer

    Medical Technician (Operating Department Practitioner) Leading Hand-Chief Petty Officer

    Medical Assistant (Submarines) Senior Rates

    Medical Assistant (Submarines) Senior Rates

    Hydrographic Services Leading Hand

    Hydrographic services Leading Hand

    Underwater Warfare specialist Able Seaman-Petty Officer

    Underwater Warfare specialist– Rank: Able Seaman-Petty Officer

    Submarine Coxswain Chief Petty Officer

    Submarine Coxswain Chief Petty Officer

    Submarine Sonar specialist (SSM) Able Seaman

    Submarine Sonar specialist (SSM) Able Seaman

    Above Water Warfare specialist Leading Hand

    Above Water Warfare specialist Leading Hand

    Above Water Tactical specialist Leading Hand

    Above Water Tactical specialist Leading Hand

    Marine Engineer General Service Chief Petty Officer

    Marine Engineer General Service Chief Petty Officer

    Chef Able Seaman-Leading Hand

    Chef Able Seaman-Leading Hand

    Marine Engineer General Service Leading Hand

    Marine Engineer General Service Leading Hand

    Weapon Engineer General Service Leading Hand

    Weapon Engineer General Service Leading Hand

    Weapon Engineer Officer (Submarines) Lieutenant

    Weapon Engineer Officer (Submarines) Lieutenant

    Submarine Tactical specialist (TSM) Petty Officer-Chief Petty Officer

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to promote EU member states only sending animals to slaughterhouses which meet the standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

    George Eustice

    The Government is committed to pressing for all EU Member States to ensure that animals are only sent to slaughterhouses that meet high welfare standards. To this end, we will continue working with the European Commission to build on the success of their workshop in the Lebanon in March, in raising awareness of the requisite slaughter standards within the region and further afield. We will also continue to make a significant contribution to the work of OIE and development of global standards on animal welfare at slaughter.