Tag: 2015

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much under each cost heading was spent on the House of Lords Appointments Commission between 2010 and 2015; and how many times that Commission met during that period.

    Matthew Hancock

    Expenditure figures for the House of Lords Appointment Commission are published in its annual reports which are available on its website athttp://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk.

    Details about the Commission’s meetings are also available on its website.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the work required to collect the revenue paid into the EU budget in each year since 1985.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not calculate separately the cost of collecting revenues paid over to the EU each year. Revenues paid over to the EU are funded through paying over a proportion of the customs duties and general taxation that are collected by HMRC.

  • Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in phase two of the Troubled Families programme have made tackling (a) child sexual exploitation and (b) sexual abuse an outcome in their Troubled Families Outcome Plan.

    Greg Clark

    Troubled Families Outcomes Plans are locally designed and owned documents that state how each local authority will demonstrate significant and sustained progress against the whole range of complex problems that a family on the programme may have. We have no current detailed analysis of child sexual exploitation and abuse within all Outcome Plans, but the programme is designed to be flexible so that all local authorities can bring in families where they believe child sexual exploitation or sexual abuse is an issue, and they believe the family would benefit from being included on the programme.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to promote the legacy of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Rugby World Cup is expected to attract 466,000 international visitors to England – more than any previous RWC. Research from Visit Britain tells us that sport tourists traditionally stay for longer, have a propensity to travel around the country and spend more money when doing so. International visitors are expected to contribute up to £869 million in direct expenditure to the UK economy. Last year, an economic impact study by EY estimated a boost of almost £1bn to the UK’s GDP (of £2.2bn total spend generated). This includes £85m of infrastructure projects and the support of 41,000 jobs.

    There are strong plans to drive legacy benefits from the tournament. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is working to spread the game’s popularity and there are also plans around the host cities to maximise economic and community benefits.

    The RFU’s plans to grow the game include:

    • improving facilities through £10m investment
    • investing in people, including by recruiting and training nearly 3,000 referees and over 3,000 new coaches, and recruiting 6,000 volunteers (‘the Pack’) to help run the tournament
    • increasing schools’ participation in rugby, especially state schools. 130,000 new state school pupils have played rugby, of whom a third are girls and of whom 3,000 are now playing regularly for a club
    • attracting 16-24 year old players back to clubs
    • promoting touch rugby to appeal to more people
    • the Unity Project to promote rugby in Europe’s developing rugby nations; and
    • cultural engagement through over 700 rugby themed events and celebrations.

    DCMS and the Government continue to be fully supportive of these plans.UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is coordinating a Rugby World Cup Business Festival programme of activity across 8 of 9 regions, aligned to the locations of fixtures. A Global Investment Conference (GIC), hosted by UKTI, launched the festival on 17 September 2015 at Lancaster House. This brought together government leaders and 150 senior potential and existing investors from 9 key Foreign Direct Investment target market countries with teams competing in the tournament.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from his Russian counterpart on the deployment of UK troops to the Baltic states.

    Michael Fallon

    None.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether all projects undertaken in the new UK-China joint research and innovation centre will be subject to the (a) Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Joint Research and Innovation Centre (JRIC) is envisaged to be the subject of a commercial agreement between the National Nuclear Laboratory and the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation.

    These two organisations are still in the process of negotiating such an agreement and will need to consider details on the structures, funding, governance and accountability of the JRIC. As such, it is too early for Government to be able to comment on the outcomes of such a negotiation.

    We continue to maintain an interest in developments of these discussions and will work, where appropriate, with our counterparts in the Chinese government to ensure that outcomes are mutually beneficial to the research landscape of both nations.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on the targeting of non-IS targets by Russian forces in Syria.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) discussed Russia’s military build-up in Syria with Secretary of State John Kerry at the UN General Assembly last month. Government ministers and officials discuss Syria with their American counterparts on a regular basis, and have shared concerns over Russia’s strikes on non-ISIL targets in Syria. The UK and US, together with France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, issued a statement on 2 October expressing concern about Russian strikes in Syria, calling on Russia to stop attacking the Syrian opposition and civilians, and to focus on fighting ISIL.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policy aims his Department achieved at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.

    Grant Shapps

    As a cornerstone of the international rules-based system, the UN is a universally recognised platform for countries to reach agreement on the global issues that affect us all. The opening session of the UN General Assembly brings together political leaders from across the world in a way that sets the multilateral agenda for the year ahead. Since the opening of the General Assembly’s 69th session in September 2014, notable achievements in support of UK policy aims include: a new set of global development goals to help eradicate extreme poverty within the next 15 years; support for the Secretary General to develop a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism; a General Assembly resolution on the Arms Trade Treaty which maintained momentum towards the Treaty’s entry into force in 2014; strong human rights resolutions on Syria and the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea; and $220m (£145m) in savings on peacekeeping mission costs.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) proportion and (b) number of mental health providers have been inspected by the Care Quality Commission under its new inspection regime.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC is responsible for assessing whether providers are meeting the fundamental standards. The CQC provided the following information:

    Since the introduction of the CQC’s new inspection regime in September 2013 the CQC has conducted 34 ratings inspections across NHS mental health providers (these providers have 639 separate locations). This is around two thirds of all NHS providers with a primary inspection category of mental health registered with CQC. The CQC has also conducted 99 inspections across independent mental health locations, including substance misuse services.

    The CQC is unable to provide a detailed breakdown of data prior to September 2013 when the new style of inspection was introduced due to the disproportionate cost of compiling this data.

    There are a number of mental health locations that have not been inspected since 2010. When inspecting NHS mental health providers CQC does not necessarily inspect every single location.

    The focus of all CQC inspections is on the quality and safety of services, based on the things that matter to people. We always ask the following five key questions of services: Are they safe? Are they effective? Are they caring? Are they responsive to people’s needs? Are they well-led?

    The CQC expects to complete its inspections of mental health providers by the end of June 2016, with the exception of intendent standalone substance misuse services, which are on a longer timetable as we have just begun to roll out our new approach to these services.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the likely annual cost of health and social care provision for people aged over 65 during the present Parliament.

    Alistair Burt

    Based upon latest available data (2012/13) the proportion of National Health Service spend on people over 65 was approximately 42.6%. If this same proportion is applied to the 2015/16 budget of £115.4 billion, this would indicate a total spend of around £49.1 billion.

    In 2015/16 the overall spend on adult social care was £14.1 billion. Of this total figure, £4.9 billion would be spent specifically on people aged over 65. The remainder of the adult social care budget, although not specifically spent on people over 65, includes significant expenditure on services which benefit them – for example support for carers and mitigation of social isolation.

    In addition, the Government has implemented the £5.3 billion Better Care Fund, which provides much needed investment in better integrated care through locally developed plans and putting resources where the local NHS and social services identify requirements. Much of this spend relates to people aged over 65. However, a more detailed breakdown is not available.

    Funding decisions for 2016/17 onwards, including spending on health and social care, are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review. This will establish the Government’s spending plans for the next five years.