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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 whether they set aside the agreement in principle with the British Medical Association on junior doctor working and instead acted to impose a new contract, and if so, why.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No agreement ever existed – in principle or otherwise – beyond the Heads of Terms that were the basis for negotiations. No agreement has been set aside by the Government or the Department.

    NHS Employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed Heads of Terms for negotiations in July 2013 and commenced negotiations in October 2013, the intention being to conclude negotiations by the end of October 2014. The BMA walked away from those negotiations on 16 October 2014.

    As part of negotiations, proposals for a new contract had been made by the management side (employers from each of the four United Kingdom countries). The BMA said it could not agree to these. The Government therefore asked the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to make recommendations.

    The DDRB took evidence from the BMA, NHS Employers, the Department of Health and other parties. NHS Employers’ evidence, on behalf of the four UK countries, set out the proposals made by employers in negotiations, illustrating how these related to the jointly agreed Heads of Terms. The BMA’s evidence set out alternative proposals, which had not been made during negotiations.

    The DDRB’s report broadly endorsed the proposals made by NHS Employers and made recommendations, identifying some areas where further discussion was needed. The Government invited both parties to return to the table with the DDRB recommendations forming the basis for further negotiations.

    The Government, in England, has made clear its desire for the BMA to be involved in work to introduce a new contract. The Government has asked NHS Employers to work on the detailed design of a new contract for introduction in August 2016 and has continued to encourage the BMA to return to negotiations and take part in that work.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have made for seaborne links with Tristan da Cunha now that St Helena has an airfield.

    Baroness Verma

    Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to change seaborne links with Tristan da Cunha.

  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when there will be further announcements regarding the future development of the Disability Facilities Grant.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Helping disabled people to live independently in their own homes for longer through adaptations remains a key priority for this Government. The Government will have invested just over a billion pounds into the Disabled Facilities Grant between 2011-12 and 2015-16. This has delivered around 200,000 adaptations to the homes of disabled people. Future funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant is a matter for the Spending Review.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a scheme for naming and shaming employers who fail to pay an employment tribunal award.

    Nick Boles

    The Government believes that naming schemes can be a useful tool for encouraging compliance with legislation. For example, a naming scheme for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage has been in place since October 2013 and has named 285 employers to date.

    The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 introduced a new financial penalty for non-payment of employment tribunal awards to encourage the full and prompt payment of awards. The Government is considering what other levers could be used to support the effectiveness of this measure, including the potential of a naming scheme.

  • 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 the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what projects were funded by the PFI Special Grant; and what the total capital cost was of each of those projects.

    Greg Hands

    The information requested is not held centrally by HM Treasury and the cost of providing it would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority acts to prevent companies from fraudulently using capital raised from selling ring-fenced bonds to bail out poorly-performing parent companies.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government has legislated to ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), are fully empowered to maintain the integrity of the ring-fence, and to take action in preventing this type of misconduct.

    The ring fencing regime includes requirements that directors of the ring-fenced body (RFB) be able to take decisions independently of group entities; that transactions with group entities be on arm’s length terms; and that arrangements with other group entities should be managed as with third parties.

    The PRA and the Bank of England have powers to take action if such a transaction were to have a potential impact on the prudential resilience or resolvability of the RFB. The FCA can also take enforcement action for breaches of its rules or for these types of market abuse, which includes the imposition of substantial financial penalties.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10535, what steps he is taking specifically to encourage the deployment of fibre to the premises in new build housing developments.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is looking at ways to ensure that newly built premises get at least superfast broadband connectivity, including legislation if necessary. We are discussing this with telecoms infrastructure providers and developers. But it is for the market to determine the most appropriate technology that should be used.

  • 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, what estimate he has made of the number of UK manufacturing jobs likely to be (a) created and (b) safeguarded by the commencement of the Protector programme.

    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.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to increase the number of former Armed Forces personnel who retrain as teachers through the Troops to Teachers programme.

    Nick Gibb

    The government recognises that service leavers have a wealth of skills and experiences that have been proven to be transferable to the classroom, including teamwork, leadership and the ability to inspire and engage. Former armed forces personnel model attributes such as self-discipline and resilience.

    The University of Brighton, who are contracted to run the programme, continue to promote Troops to Teachers through a range of methods including service leaver employment fairs.

  • Calum Kerr – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Calum Kerr – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the amount spent each year by (a) Seafish and (b) other bodies funded by fishing levies on promoting the fishing industries of other countries.

    George Eustice

    Seafish does not use levies raised on fish caught by the UK catching sector to promote the fishing industries of other countries. Levy is raised at the first point of sale in the UK, including on imported fish, and is used to support the UK seafood industry.