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Tag: 2016

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Policing Board about the implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I have regular discussions on implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement with the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland and the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I attended a review meeting on implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement on 29 June 2016 with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of Ireland. I have not had any recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Policing Board on implementation of the agreement.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to provide additional funding to cultural and heritage projects previously funded by EU programmes when that EU funding ends.

    Matt Hancock

    The Chancellor has guaranteed structural and investment fund projects in the UK that are signed even after the Autumn Statement. In addition, projects where UK organisations bid directly and competitively for EU funding will be guaranteed by the UK Government if the bids are won before our departure from the EU, regardless of whether or not the projects continue after departure. Funding for other projects will be honoured by the government if they are good value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.

    Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, we will consult closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sports facilities at the High Arcal Academy in Dudley.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not hold a record of the adequacy of sports facilities at the High Arcal academy in Dudley.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will undertake a national review of the operation of admissions procedures and the School Admissions Code.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education is intending to make changes to the School Admissions Code to improve the admissions system for parents and schools. This will be subject to a full public consultation to allow anyone with an interest to provide their views. It will also be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Details of the consultation will be announced in due course.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing prefabricated new accommodation for service personnel.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has assessed the merits of providing pre-fabricated or modular constructed Single Living Accommodation (SLA). The advantages include simplicity and consistency of design, quality of manufacture in a controlled environment, speed of on-site construction and certainty in manufacturing cost.

    The MOD has used modular construction extensively in respect of around 12,000 bed spaces in its Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM) Project. These have proved to be of good quality and durable.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to adopt a target encouraging the reclassification of medicines from (a) prescription only medicine to pharmacy medicine status, (b) pharmacy medicine to general sales list medicine status and (c) prescription only medicine to general sales list medicine status; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    The Government is committed to the continued reclassification of medicines from prescription only to pharmacy classification and from pharmacy to general sales list classification when it is safe to do so and there is a clear benefit to public health. This is an important part of empowering patients to manage their own care. The Government’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is at the forefront of moves to reclassify medicines to non-prescription and is recognised as a leader in Europe in this regard.

    Over the years reclassification has been facilitated by improving the regulatory environment for manufacturers to achieve successful reclassification of their products. Amendments to legislation were introduced in 2002 to reduce the legislative burden for reclassification; new guidance was published in 2012 to streamline the process; and in 2015 a United Kingdom platform was set up to maximise stakeholder engagement with the aim of encouraging further reclassification of medicines.

    Patient safety remains the prime consideration in any decision to make a medicine available without prescription.

    We are unable to calculate the total difference in cost to the public purse following these medicine reclassifications.

    The attached tables contain the information for each of the last 25 years on medicines reclassified from prescription only medicine (POM) to Pharmacy (P) medicine and P medicine to general sales list (GSL) medicine. There are no examples of medicines which have been reclassified from POM to GSL. Where relevant, brand names have been included in brackets.

    The lists represent the first reclassification either from POM to P or P to GSL of the product and further extensions such as wider indications, additional pack sizes or higher strengths have not been included.

    Not all products listed are currently available, for various reasons, including both commercial and regulatory.

  • Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are currently on the waiting list for a carers’ assessment.

    Alistair Burt

    There is no central collection of data on the average and longest wait for a carer’s assessment after an initial request was made since the introduction of the Carers Act 2014. Nor is data collected centrally on the number of people currently on the waiting list for a carer’s assessment.

    Data on the number of carers assessed during the financial year 2014-15 by local authority is attached. It should be noted that these figures include both joint and separate assessments from the cared for person. The source for this data is Short and Long Term Support (SALT), England 2014-15. This return is collected and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

    Link to SALT:

    http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18663

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 41331, how many decisions taken on claims for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment have been taken to mandatory reconsideration in (i) Birkenhead and (ii) the UK in each of the past five years; and how many of those mandatory reconsiderations have been successful.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The data for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsiderations which have resulted in a decision being changed can be found at:

    Employment and Support Allowance

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/530530/esa-wca-mr-summary-june-2016-tables-version2.ods

    Personal Independence Payment

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528662/pip-registrations-and-clearances-apr-2016.xls

    The breakdown of data you have requested for Birkenhead can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s target is for reducing the defence estate in each year until 2020.

    Mark Lancaster

    As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Ministry of Defence is aiming to reduce the size of its built estate by 30% by 2040 and is committed to release land to accommodate 55,000 houses by 2020 in support of the Government’s public sector land release agenda. This year I have announced the release of 35 sites which will provide land for potentially some 39,000 homes, of which approximately 20,000 are expected in this Parliament. We do not have an annual target for a reduction in the defence estate each year.

    I will announce the results of the Department’s Estate Optimisation Strategy later this year.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that pet rescue centres scan the microchip of dogs in their care and contact their owners.

    George Eustice

    Following a debate in the Westminster Hall on 2 March 2015, the then Minister of State, for the Department of Transport undertook to instruct the Highways Agency to make it their policy to ensure that it collects and identifies every animal that is killed on the strategic road network and to contact the owners by whatever practicable means. The Minister also wrote to all local highway authorities and Transport for London to draw attention to the Government’s policy and reflect on their own policy. It is established good practice for all authorities, including local authorities and dog rescue centres that come into contact with a stray, injured or deceased dog to scan it for a microchip so that the dog’s keeper can be traced. To assist this process, the Kennel Club has donated microchip scanners to every local authority in England and Wales. The compulsory microchipping of all dogs in Great Britain comes into force on 6 April 2016.