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Tag: 2016

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent progress has been made on access to Translarna in discussions between NICE, NHS England and the relevant pharmaceutical company.

    George Freeman

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating Translarna (ataluren) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy through its highly specialised technology programme. The publication date for NICE’s final guidance is to be confirmed.

    NHS England has advised that it is in constructive discussions with the pharmaceutical company about the development of a managed access agreement for Translarna and a progress update will be given at the next NICE Evaluation Committee meeting on 17 February 2016.

    In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on disadvantaged students of the Education Funding Agency discontinuing funding for summer school programmes.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The recent Spending Review confirmed that we will protect the pupil premium at its current rates for the duration of this Parliament, so that schools will continue to attract additional funding for their disadvantaged pupils. To achieve this settlement for schools, we have had to make difficult decisions about a number of smaller grants. The grant for the summer schools programme will therefore not continue next financial year. Secondary schools can continue to run a summer school if they wish to, and will be able to use their pupil premium allocation to fund places for their disadvantaged pupils.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.89 of Budget 2016, how much of the £20 million a year of new funding for a Northern Powerhouse school strategy she expects will be directly received by schools in Lancashire.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The allocation of this funding will depend on the identified need and will be reassessed each year, based on the evidence. We intend to build on the Department’s strategy for Achieving Excellence Areas, as identified in our recent White Paper.

    Decisions on allocation of funding for the 16-17 financial year will be made by the autumn of this year and will be informed by the emerging findings of the review by Sir Nick Weller.

    We will be publishing the terms of reference for Sir Nick Weller’s report in due course.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the total (a) cost of monitoring and (b) number of full-time equivalent officials of her Department supporting the emergency authorisation period for neonicotinoid pesticides which expired on 20 November 2015.

    George Eustice

    Defra has not made any such estimates.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the education of girls in developing countries.

    Sir Desmond Swayne

    The UK is strongly committed to providing education for girls. The UK’s flagship Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) programme is the world’s largest global fund dedicated to girls’ education. UKAID has supported over 6.6 million girls in developing countries to receive a quality education, of whom 1.6 million were at particularly high risk of missing out.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives from Japan on arrangements for Japanese pharmaceutical companies in the UK.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for International Trade (DIT) works with new investors from Japan as well as Japanese companies across many sectors that have a UK presence. The Life Sciences Organisation (LSO) in this Department as well as the overseas market team in Japan have been engaging directly with Japanese pharmaceutical companies in Japan and those with a UK footprint. We welcome engagement from Japan and senior officials will continue to engage in a structured way on all levels.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19049, if he will ensure that there will be no gaps in capability between the decommissioning of HMS Ocean and its role being taken over by other ships.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    We will ensure that other ships are available to provide support to amphibious operations.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to incentivise developers to co-fund the deployment of local fibre broadband networks to properties which are not scheduled for connection free of charge.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s recent announcement of a new deal bringing industry together will see fibre-based broadband offered to all new developments for free or part of a co-funded initiative. In addition, the Home Builders Federation are committed to promoting and supporting uptake of the co-funding offer among their membership.

    This new offer sets a high bar for all suppliers and developers in the market, and Government will be working with industry closely to monitor success over the next year.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with small businesses and small business associations on the proposal to move to a quarterly digital tax reporting system by 2020.

    Mr David Gauke

    Both I and officials from HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have discussed the Making Tax Digital reforms with a wide range of professional bodies and advisory groups representing small businesses and the self-employed.

    The Government has recently concluded an initial 4 week consultation with businesses on the Making Tax Digital reforms. Further consultations will take place with all stakeholders throughout 2016.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the value for money of (a) community schools other than academies and (b) free schools.

    Edward Timpson

    Since 2010, we have opened around 400 new free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. These schools offer excellent value for money. They are being built significantly quicker and cheaper than previous school building programmes. The National Audit Office found in its report in 2013 that free schools were built 45% cheaper than other school building programmes. Almost 200,000 new places will be provided. 25% of the free schools inspected by Ofsted have been judged outstanding compared to 20% of all other schools. We plan to open at least 500 new schools during this Parliament.

    We monitor the programme’s costs to ensure it continues to offer excellent value. A value for money assessment is made prior to a free school application being approved for the pre-opening stage and again before a capital budget is approved. We consider all aspects of the project, including the size of the school and the location of the site. Sites in London tend to cost more to acquire and this is taken into account when considering the value for money offered by London projects.