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Tag: 2016

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by his Department are non-UK nationals.

    Mr David Jones

    All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

    Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

    More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) tariffs will apply to the different domestic heat and non-heat categories of the RHI scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We intend to reform the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to improve value for money and reduce costs; improve cost control and budget management; and explore the best way to support ‘less able to pay’ households and owners of large plants. We plan to consult on the changes shortly. Ofgem will continue to run the RHI under the current rules, while we consider the reform of the scheme.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 22664, when those contract breaches took place; and with what procedures G4S failed to comply.

    Andrew Selous

    Pursuant to the response to PQ 22664, the two occasions on which financial remedies were applied took place between February and April 2015 and May and July 2015. G4S failed to comply with operational procedures, meaning that the number of incidents that took place was higher than the agreed level. Performance points are accrued when an incident or other custodial service failure occurs. Financial remedies are then applied when the total points exceeds the relevant performance baseline. A performance baseline is allowed in recognition of the complex operational nature of prisons where we know that there will be occasional incidents no matter how well the prison is run. This charge protocol is a longstanding practice in prison contracts.

    As the Justice Secretary said last month, the safety and welfare of all those in custody is vital. That is why an independent improvement board has been appointed to provide increased oversight, scrutiny and challenge of managerial arrangements at Medway, in particular in relation to the safeguarding of young people.

  • Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current and future financial impact of private finance initiative projects on NHS Hospital Trusts (1) nationally, and (2) in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    HM Treasury holds information on the current estimated revenue payments for the lifetime of each health sector private finance initiative (PFI) in a live online database. This shows that for the 106 National Health Service PFI schemes that have now been signed, the estimated total revenue payments (over the lifetime of their contracts) are £79.0 billion (in nominal terms i.e. including an inflation assumption). This is from the date of the first construction completions in 2000-01 to the date of the very last payment in 2049-50. The revenue payment figures include not just the financing costs (debt repayment and interest) for initial construction but also the costs of all the other services such as building maintenance and support services (cleaning, catering, portering etc) provided over the lifetime of the contract. The payments are subject to meeting agreed performance and quality standards and include an annual uprate assumption for inflation of 2.5%.

    This Government launched an initiative in 2011 to extract savings and optimise value for money in operational PFI contracts. This included a pilot exercise at a major NHS PFI scheme which resulted in guidance with appropriate methodology and lessons learned being issued to all relevant NHS trusts in 2012. The Department has specialist officials to assist trusts in implementing the guidance.

    An extract giving details of PFI schemes in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is attached.

    Further information on PFI projects nationally can be accessed via HM Treasury’s website as follows. The files are too large to attach to this reply, however when searching, the ‘Current projects as at 31 March 2015’ spreadsheet should be opened. This will show the latest estimates collected from each department as at the end of March 2015; the health sector schemes are clearly marked “Department of Health” and then “DH-Acute (i.e. Hospitals)”. The initial capital cost of each scheme is shown in Column R and the annual revenue payment in the columns headed ‘Unitary Charge Payment’ (UCP). The total of UCPs (England) for 2014-15, the latest audited figure (Column AO), is £1.9 billion.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2015-summary-data

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  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage health trusts to include (1) advice on and (2) access to postpartum contraception in maternity care contracts.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England sets out the need to increase access to all methods of contraception including long acting (LARC) methods and that better support is needed to access contraception after childbirth. Local authorities are mandated to provide access to the full range of contraception services and should work with clinical commissioning groups to ensure that contraception is discussed and all methods of contraception, including LARC, are accessible as part of the post-natal maternity pathway. Further guidance will be available in Public Health England’s Missed Opportunities in Pregnancy report. This addresses the missed opportunities for the provision of contraception along the maternity, abortion and early pregnancy loss pathways, and is now in the final stage of revisions and is expected to be published later in 2016.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department provides to counter the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war and subjugation.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID is committed to addressing all forms of violence against women and girls in emergencies. This includes rape and sexual violence used within armed conflict as a weapon of war. We know that in conflict settings specifically, rape, or sexual violence by combatants is sadly only one component of a wide range of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Other forms of SGBV are often more prevalent.

    DFID’s response to counter the use of rape and sexual violence is primarily through our commitments under the Call to Action to Protect Women and Girls in Emergencies. Through a combination of humanitarian operations and longer term development programmes we address both the immediate needs of survivors of sexual violence and tackle the underlying root causes of violence, such as gender inequality, discrimination and lack of women’s political and economic participation.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities to date have submitted efficiency plans in order to qualify for a multi-year financial settlement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Since the announcement of the multi-year settlement offer in December 2015 we have recorded interest from over 125 councils.

    Councils have until 14 October 2016 to apply to accept the offer of a multi-year settlement and submit their efficiency plan.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what performance targets they have set for the UK Trade Office in Raleigh, North Carolina for (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The new UK Government Office in Raleigh, North Carolina will promote a broad range of British prosperity interests, including trade and investment and engagement with industry, research and development and higher education institutions. Performance objectives will be agreed with a broad range of HMG stakeholders, including the Department for International Trade, the UK Science and Innovation Network and policy teams in the British Embassy in Washington DC. The Office will be managed and supported by Her Majesty’s Consul General in Atlanta.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the increase in sexual offences on Teesside.

    Karen Bradley

    Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes and the Government has made protecting women and girls from violence and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence a key priority. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

    These are under-reported crimes, and the Office for National Statistics report that recent increases in police recorded crime are likely due to improved recording by the police and an increase in the willingness of victims to come forward and report to the police. The number of prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences are at their highest ever levels.

    The Government continues to support improvements to the criminal justice system’s response to victims of sexual violence. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving recording and investigations of rape and ensure that guidance on investigating and prosecuting rape is implemented in every police force area. The Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service and the police, is helping to ensure that every report of rape is treated seriously and every victim is given the help they deserve.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average wait for driving tests is in each English region.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency records its data in four regions, which are; Scotland and North England, Central England and North Wales, South Wales and South West England and London and the South East. The average waiting times in January 2016 for these areas are listed below.

    Scotland & North England

    Waiting time in weeks

    Jan-16

    Average Car Waiting time

    8.4

    Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time

    1.3

    Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time

    2.1

    Average Voc Waiting time

    7.9

    Average ADI 2 Waiting time

    7.2

    Average ADI 3 Waiting time

    7.1

    Average Taxi Waiting time

    8.0

    Central England & North Wales

    Waiting time in weeks

    Jan-16

    Average Car Waiting time

    8.4

    Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time

    1.3

    Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time

    2.1

    Average Voc Waiting time

    7.9

    Average ADI 2 Waiting time

    7.2

    Average ADI 3 Waiting time

    7.1

    Average Taxi Waiting time

    8.0

    South Wales & South West England

    Waiting time in weeks

    Jan-16

    Average Car Waiting time

    8.7

    Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time

    3.6

    Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time

    2.1

    Average Voc Waiting time

    5.7

    Average ADI 2 Waiting time

    5.7

    Average ADI 3 Waiting time

    7.8

    Average Taxi Waiting time

    7.6

    London & South East

    Waiting time in weeks

    Jan-16

    Average Car Waiting time

    7.5

    Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time

    1.5

    Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time

    1.5

    Average Voc Waiting time

    3.3

    Average ADI 2 Waiting time

    3.8

    Average ADI 3 Waiting time

    3.3

    Average Taxi Waiting time

    3.4

    National

    Waiting time in weeks

    Jan-16

    Average Car Waiting time

    8.4

    Average M/C Mod 1 Waiting time

    2.7

    Average M/C Mod 2 Waiting time

    2.4

    Average Voc Waiting time

    5.3

    Average ADI 2 Waiting time

    5.5

    Average ADI 3 Waiting time

    5.9

    Average Taxi Waiting time

    6.7