Tag: 2016

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients in the UK with undiagnosed heart valve disease in the last year for which data is available.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is working with professionals across the healthcare system to look at ways in which services and outcomes for patients with heart valve disease can be improved further, for example, by encouraging practitioners to follow clinical guidelines.

    Service specifications and policy for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease are published by NHS England’s Cardiothoracic Clinical Reference Group. These define what NHS England expects to be in place in order for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. NHS England is working on the next iteration of the specifications, which will include important standards relating to mitral valve surgery.

    In addition, NHS England is holding a clinical summit on 15 June 2016, which will bring together cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to examine the issues relating to heart valve disease, including variation. Outputs from discussions will be used to inform the future commissioning approach within specialised commissioning.

    Information on the number of people with an undiagnosed heart valve condition is not collected centrally.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 8 February 2016 to Questions 25834 and 25835, whether a final decision has been made on the retention of business rates generated by new nuclear development in Copeland by the billing authority.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Decisions on the details of the 100% business rates retention scheme have yet to be taken. We are currently working with the Local Government Association, local authorities and business interests on the design of the scheme and will set out our proposals for consultation in due course.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government’s policy is on members of the Service Police residing in separate living accommodation to other members of the armed forces.

    Mark Lancaster

    There is no Government policy concerning living accommodation for the Service Police.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulations are in place to ensure that school dinners are of the highest nutritional value possible.

    Lord Nash

    As a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to healthy eating in schools, new school food standards came into force from January 2015. These standards regulate the food and drink provided both at lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including food and drink provided in vending machines.

    The standards ensure that children are eating nutritious food at school by setting out clear, easy to follow guidance based on food groups and by giving school cooks the flexibility to create their own meals. The standards severely restrict foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, including high sugar drinks. The regulations permit only healthy drinks with an emphasis on water, milk and fruit juice (with 5% or less added sugars).

  • Wendy Morton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Wendy Morton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with which other Government departments her officials have held discussions on their role in the delivery and monitoring of spending under the Government’s aid strategy; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK Aid Strategy, Tackling Global Challenges in the National Interest, notes that the government will sharpen oversight and monitoring of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend. This will apply to all government ODA spend including through cross-government funds. HM Treasury and DFID will co-chair a working group, reporting to ministers, in order to ensure value for money. DFID officials are working with HM Treasury to agree the remit of this working group. All government departments and funds spending ODA will be invited to attend the group. The group will meet for the first time in spring 2016. In addition, DFID reports UK ODA to the OECD and is responsible for reporting to Parliament on whether the 0.7 per cent GNI/ODA target is met. As part of this, DFID engages with all ODA-spending departments to: collate and quality assure UK ODA spend data for the previous calendar year for reporting to the OECD; monitor ODA spend within each current calendar year to meet the 0.7 per cent GNI/ODA target; and make arrangements for the independent evaluation of the extent to which all ODA provided by the UK represents value for money.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the diversion of Border Force Cutters to support Frontex’s Operation Triton had an effect on the effectiveness of the Cutter Fleet in preventing the importation of contraband goods to the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    Border Force has maintained, and will continue to maintain, appropriate capability in UK waters for the period of the ongoing deployments to the Mediterranean. Whilst Border Force does not provide seizure information specific to ports of mode of activity for border security reasons, we can confirm that our maritime assets made record seizures for Class A drugs and detected a significant importation of firearms in UK waters during the calendar year 2015.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to caseworkers on handling applications from international students to study at UK colleges and universities in a way that ensures the applicants are not disadvantaged by accusation of fraud in English language tests made by ETS.

    James Brokenshire

    UK Visas and Immigration caseworkers were issued with guidance on how to handle applications made by international students who had taken ETS English language tests in February 2014. This guidance has been updated as required. This is part of the reasonable and proportionate action we have taken in response to the clear evidence provided by ETS to identify those who had sought to profit from abuse of the English language testing system. The guidance does not disadvantage students who obtained an ETS test certificate properly, but ensures that due scrutiny is being applied by caseworkers where individuals have been identified as having obtained invalid test certificates.

    We received the determination in the case of Qadir and SM from the Upper Tribunal on 8 April, providing full reasons for the summary decision handed down on 23 March. Although the Upper Tribunal found that the Home Office did discharge the evidential burden on it in establishing fraud at ETS test centres and that each appellant would need to establish an innocent explanation, it went on to allow the appeals. We are disappointed by the decision and we are currently reviewing it with a view to challenging before the Court of Appeal. Given this, there are no current plans to issue further updated guidance to caseworkers following the recent Upper Tribunal determination.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many traffic police officers were employed in each police force area in each of the last five years.

    Mike Penning

    The number of full time equivalent police officers employed in traffic policing roles as at 31 March in each of the last 5 years is provided in the tables. Officers with multiple responsibilities are recorded under their primary function or role. Data for 31 March 2015 (the latest period for which figures are available) can also be found in the supplementary tables of the July 2015 police workforce statistics publication:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/444537/police-workforce-supptabs-mar15.ods

    Reclassification of roles within a force can lead to fluctuations in the number of officers in a particular role.

    As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.

    Decisions on the size and composition of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities. What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage students at Key Stage 3 to take up modern foreign languages.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government expects all pupils in secondary education to be taught a broad and balanced curriculum, and that includes the opportunity to study a foreign language at Key Stage 3 and 4. In 2010, only 43% of pupils were studying a GCSE in a foreign language, down from 76% in 2000. Since the Government introduced the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), the proportion of the cohort in state schools that are entered for a modern foreign language GCSE increased by 20% between 2011 and 2015. Our ambition is that 90 per cent of pupils in mainstream secondary schools will enter GCSEs in the EBacc subjects, including a foreign language.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps have been taken to ensure that teachers are able to identify the progress of students in (a) English language, (b) English literature and (c) mathematics who will be assessed using the new GCSE grading structure in the summer of 2017.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department, together with Ofqual and Awarding Organisations, is working closely with schools to help them to understand and be ready for new GCSEs. Sample assessment materials, mark schemes and grade descriptors are all available and will help schools to understand what is required.

    Assessment of pupils’ progress is a matter for schools. School leaders and teachers should use their professional judgement to establish their own assessment systems that best support teaching.

    From this year, Progress 8, which measures the progress that pupils make across 8 qualifications compared to other pupils nationally with similar prior attainment, will be reported for the first time. Progress in each of the subject elements of Progress 8, including English and maths, will also be published. This new accountability system is a fairer way of measuring school performance and will incentivise and reward the good teaching of all pupils.