Tag: 2016

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many whales, dolphins and other aquatic mammals have been beached on British shores in each of the last 10 years.

George Eustice

Defra, in conjunction with the Devolved Administrations of Scotland and Wales, fund the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), which investigates the causes of cetacean strandings around the UK.

Between 2006 and 2014 a total of 4838 cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) were stranded around the UK (English, Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Ireland) coast. 147 of these were successfully refloated. The 2015 data has not yet been published. This will be available in due course on the CSIP website, where the annual reports for preceding years are already available.

The published annual strandings data, shown below, may also be subject to change where additional strandings information is reported after publication.

Although not part of its formal remit, data on stranded seals has been collected by CSIP in recent years. Since 2010 2185 dead stranded seals have been recorded.

Year	No. of UK Cetacean Strandings	No. of UK Cetacean Live Strandings	No. of UK Cetaceans Refloated
2006	718	31	9
2007	536	41	14
2008	566	83	24
2009	422	39	14
2010	277	27	6
2011	600	86	29
2012	562	75	15
2013	595	38	9
2014	562	55	27
Total	4838	475	147

01/01/2023

Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is giving to dispersal centres for asylum seekers to help foster community cohesion.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Office funds strategic migration partnerships which are local authority-led partnerships designed to provide structures and support services for those organisations working with migrants and refugees in local communities.

The Home Office also provides a dedicated integration loan directly to recognised refugees. The loan is designed to help refugees integrate into UK society by offering financial support towards housing costs, employment and training.

01/01/2023
Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds

DWP has received no representations on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin.

01/01/2023
Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves.

Rory Stewart

Defra has made no assessment of the effectiveness of legal provision relating to rights to grant or withhold access to caves. Cavers may use particular cave systems, where use has been traditional, or where the landowner allows or has given specific permission for cavers to do so.

01/01/2023
Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the annual cost of prescription charges paid by adults with cystic fibrosis; what the effect of prescription charges is on such adults; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

We have not made an assessment of the annual cost of prescription charges to those with cystic fibrosis. However, there are a number of prescription charge exemptions in place, for which someone with cystic fibrosis may qualify. These include exemptions based on low income, such as certain out of work benefits and the NHS Low Income Scheme, and age. Where someone does not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates are available. The three-month and 12-month certificates allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as they need for £29.10 and £104, respectively.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what communication channels his Department has responded to the concerns expressed by junior doctors about the illustrative rotas, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016; for what reasons his Department used Facebook as one of those channels; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of the timing of that Facebook conversation on the number of junior doctors who were aware of that conversation.

Ben Gummer

NHS Employers, who are leading the introduction of the new contract, are engaging with juniors via a number of channels including Facebook. Issues around rotas raised by junior doctors are being dealt with in a variety of ways, including by updated Frequently Asked Questions that are published on the NHS Employers website. The Department continues to respond to individual correspondence it receives.

01/01/2023
Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Matthew Hancock

The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.

The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. We regularly raise these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

01/01/2023
Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will assess the merits of introducing a deposit return system for single-use drinks containers in England.

Rory Stewart

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham Hall Green, Roger Godsiff, on 11 April 2016, PQ UIN32607.

Defra analysed the costs and benefits of implementing a deposit return system (DRS) for single use drink containers as part of the 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England, and sought views in the 2012 consultation on higher packaging recycling targets.

This work showed that introducing a DRS may increase recycling and reduce litter but might impose additional costs on businesses, consumers and local authorities (which would lose revenue from recycling). However, we lack evidence to quantify these benefits and costs appropriately. The current approach has driven a significant increase in packaging waste recycling rates, from less than 47% in 2003 to nearly 65% in 2013.

Last year, the Scottish Government published a feasibility study and a call for evidence investigating the implementation of a DRS for single use drink containers in Scotland. This valuable work highlighted significant uncertainties regarding the impacts and benefits that a DRS would have, notably regarding costs, environmental quality and littering, and existing waste collection systems. The Scottish Government is doing further work on the topic and we will review any new evidence arising from this in due course. However, in the meantime, we will continue to focus on improving existing waste collection and recycling systems, and developing a new National Litter Strategy for England to help coordinate and maximise the impact of anti-litter activity by local government, industry and others.

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the amount paid by the NHS to pharmaceutical companies for prescription drugs in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

The information requested is in the table.

Year	Primary care drugs spend⁽¹⁾	Secondary care drugs spend	Total drugs spend
	Outturn (£ m)	Outturn (£ m)	Outturn (£ m)
2004/05	7,376	2,595	9,971
2005/06	7,235	2,764	9,999
2006/07	7,593	2,969	10,562
2007/08	7,663	3,274	10,937
2008/09	7,749	3,647	11,397
2009/10	7,946	3,974	11,920
2010/11	8,280	4,257	12,537
2011/12	8,243	4,482	12,725
2012/13⁽²⁾	7,887	5,055	12,941
2013/14⁽³⁾	8,015	5,324	13,339
2014/15	8,206	5,897	14,103

Sources:

Primary care figures to 2012-13 are from Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) audited summarisation schedules. Figures from 2013-14 are from the Department’s annual report and accounts.
Secondary care figures are from National Health Service trusts, PCT finance returns and foundation trust year-end accounts. Finance returns were not collected after 2011/12; figures for NHS trusts in 2012/13 are estimates.
Secondary care figures from 2013-14 are from Monitor and NHS Trust Development Authority.

01/01/2023

Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil injunctions have been made under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Sir Oliver Heald

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

01/01/2023