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Tag: 2015

  • 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 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why patients in England cannot access the drug Docetaxel, in contrast to patients in Scotland.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body which, for England, makes decisions on the clinical and cost effectiveness of products based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence. NICE has recommended docetaxel for the treatment of hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer (where the disease becomes unresponsive to hormone treatment). It has not appraised docetaxel for use alongside hormone treatment.

    In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners in England to make funding decisions on drugs and treatments based on the available evidence. Although docetaxel is not licensed for this indication, there is no funding, legal or regulatory barrier to prescribing drugs off-licence. Where clinically appropriate, off-licence prescribing is safe and legal and most clinicians regularly prescribe in this way.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the leaked 2009 report by the United States Central Intelligence Agency that drone strikes are ineffective and counter-productive.

    Earl Howe

    The Government deplores the leaking of any classified information, wherever it occurs. It has been the policy of successive British Governments not to comment on leaked documents.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 18 September (HL2210), whether they can confirm that the government of the Republic of Ireland has not had representatives at any discussions other than those allowed by the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

    Lord Dunlop

    The involvement of the Irish Government in cross-party talks is in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement. A commitment always to uphold the three-stranded approach was also contained in the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total expenditure was on UKAEA-Decommissioning between 2010 and 2015; and what the forecast expenditure in which locations is on such decommissioning in each of the next five years.

    Joseph Johnson

    The data in the HM Treasury publication Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales an Northern Ireland Assembly, Statement of Funding Policywas compiled in 2010 using a different financial database system to the one subsequently in use by BIS and its delivery partners. This means that the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which is responsible for the UK fusion programme, has provided the following information.

    Year

    Legacy costs1

    JET decommissioning costs1, 5

    2010/11

    8,279

    29

    2011/12

    10,798

    37

    2012/13

    7,356

    43

    2013/14

    6,814 plus 1,050 capital2

    62

    2014/15

    6,024 plus 1,554 capital2

    42

    2015/16

    8,315 (est.) plus 6,010 capital2 (est.)

    166 (est.)

    2016/17

    See note 3

    214 (est.)

    2017/18

    See note 3

    943 (est.)

    2018/19

    See note 3

    16,3064 (est.)

    2019/20

    See note 3

    28,251 (est.)

    Notes

    1. Figures in £000s.

    2. Capital costs cover new facilities on the Culham site such as the Materials Research Facility and RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) funded partly through the National Nuclear Users Facility and Oxford City Deal.

    3. Subject to next Spending Review.

    4. The costs rise substantially in 2018/19 due to the expected closure of JET in 2018 and start of decommissioning. However this date is under review with the European Commission with an extension proposed.

    5. These costs are undiscounted and form part of the total undiscounted liability for decommissioning JET of £256,544k as stated in the 2014/15 UKAEA Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to principle 7 in paragraph 3.2 of his Department’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, whether he plans to include that principle in an updated statement of funding policy.

    Greg Hands

    Principle 3.2.7, as set out in the 2010 edition of the Statement of Funding Policy, encompassed business rates income and council tax revenues collected by Scottish local authorities.

    The Statement of Funding Policy is reviewed and updated periodically. The devolved administrations have been informed that the Treasury expects to publish a revised version on 25th November to coincide with the Spending Review announcement.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the benefits to the UK economy of (a) the absence of tariff barriers for intra-EU trade and (b) other aspects of the single market.

    Anna Soubry

    The EU provides the biggest single market in the world. EU countries trade twice as much with each other as they would without it. The absence of tariffs contributes to this. The single market also brings benefits for consumers. For example, between 2000 and 2006, the cost of making a 10-minute call in the EU fell by an average of 74%, and roaming charges will be abolished completely in 2017. As part of our agenda for EU reform, we want to go further and faster on economic competitiveness including liberalisation of the services sector, trade, and de-regulation.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce barriers preventing tenants in shared ownership properties from staircasing up to increase the share of the property they own; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    This Government is determined to extend home ownership to anyone who aspires to own their own home.

    Shared ownership has proven to be extremely popular and has played an important role in helping families who are otherwise priced out of the market. This is why between April 2010 and March 2015 we have delivered 41,000 new shared ownership homes through the Affordable Homes Programme.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that shared ownership continues to be effective at helping hard working families meet their aspiration to own their own home. This is why earlier this year we consulted on a range of possible proposals to streamline the process for selling on shared ownership properties.

    As a result we have simplified the process for resale of shared ownership properties by removing the pre-emption right, or right of first refusal for housing providers, from those former shared ownership homes where the owner has ‘staircased’ to 100% ownership.

    But there is more that can be done and the Government is currently looking at how we can make shared ownership even more accessible as a route to full home ownership.

  • Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much he plans for the Protector programme to cost his Department in each of the next five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the written statement released by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) on 12 October 2015,titledFuture Unmanned Air Systems Capability.

    The Government has taken an early decision in the Strategic Defence and Security Review to commit to the Protector programme. The programme is currently in its assessment phase, so detailed work is continuing to confirm a contract for the airframe and associated details, including date for the capability’s entry into service and acquisition and life support cost profile, following which the Ministry of Defence will be better placed to understand the implications for the UK workforce and supply chain.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will implement the recommendations of the All-Party Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood on encouraging play in childhood development and learning in school.

    Edward Timpson

    We want all children to lead healthy active lifestyles. Physical activity and play are important throughout childhood and can contribute enormously to the healthy development of children. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework emphasises this and makes clear that in their early years children learn through play. When inspecting childcare providers, including schools, Ofsted look at how staff are enabling children to play in ways that help them develop and learn. Ofsted’s recent report on Teaching and Play is available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-and-play-in-the-early-years-a-balancing-act

    The EYFS framework can be found here at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2

    “

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the framework agreement between her Department and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

    Rory Stewart

    The Framework document between Defra and Kew is currently in draft. Defra and Kew are working in line with the draft Framework document, which sets out how the bodies work together but is not legally binding. Defra is looking at how it works with its arm’s length bodies and this may inform the finalisation of the document.