Tag: 2016

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons drivers resident in Northern Ireland are unable to use the online facility to change address on their driving licence.

    Andrew Jones

    Driver licensing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive not the UK government. The online facility administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is available only to those resident in Great Britain.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government’s response of 5 November 2015 to the e-petition, We demand the British Government reschedule cannabis, and to section 1.5.23 of Management of Multiple Sclerosis in Adults, whether the NHS plans to prescribe Sativex for multiple sclerosis-induced spasticity.

    George Freeman

    Cannabis and its preparations are Class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis is also subject to international drug control under United Nations Conventions. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to produce, possess, supply, import and export cannabis except under Home Office licence. Apart from the drug Sativex, which is derived from cannabis, the UK does not recognise herbal cannabis as having any medicinal use.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis in October 2014 that does not recommend Sativex, a cannabis-derived treatment, as a cost effective use of National Health Service resources. NICE’s guideline on multiple sclerosis is published at:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg186/resources/multiple-sclerosis-management-of-multiple-sclerosis-in-primary-and-secondary-care-35109816059077

    “

  • Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bernard Jenkin on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish all correspondence, emails and records dated between 3 and 7 March 2016 involving special advisers and civil servants concerning the conduct of the former British Chambers of Commerce Director General, John Longworth.

    Mr David Cameron

    Information relating to internal communications is not normally made public.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for bereavement allowance have been made for each of the last five years; and what proportion of such claims covered (a) the full eligible 52 weeks and (b) less than the full 52 weeks.

    Priti Patel

    Information about Bereavement Benefits is widely available through GOV.UK. We also work closely with third party organisations who the bereaved traditionally contact such as registrars, hospitals, funeral directors and voluntary groups ensuring that they have the correct information available to signpost the bereaved to the DWP Bereavement Service.

    Upon contacting the DWP Bereavement Service our staff will ensure that any benefits and pensions arrears are claimed and will also initiate a claim for Social Fund Funeral Payments and Bereavement Benefits if appropriate.

    .

    We continue to look for opportunities to improve the availability of advice about these particular benefits and as a result we have improved the information available on GOV.UK, and are currently exploring ways in which to to join up the Tell Us Once and Bereavement Service offers.

    Tell Us Once is a cross-government service delivered through Local Authorities whereby notification of the death is cascaded out to other agencies, thus reducing the number of contacts an individual has to make.

    The time limit for claiming Bereavement Allowance is three months from the date of death, which is consistent with the time limit for other welfare entitlements. We are currently developing the new Bereavement Support Payment due to be implemented for new claims from April 2017, and we will assess the merits of further flexibilities on backdating as part of this work.

    Information available on the number of people in receipt of Bereavement Allowance by duration of current claim can be found at:

    http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html

    Guidance for users can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

    “

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals are listed as being supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

    Ben Gummer

    The Emergency Care Intensive Support Team (ECIST) is focused on helping 27 urgent and emergency care systems across England that are under the most pressure to deliver real improvements in quality, safety and patient flow. ECIST is also resourced to provide expert input to the eight urgent and emergency care vanguards.

    Since April 2016, the team has offered limited improvement support to a small group of trusts at the request of NHS Improvement regional teams.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent changes her Department has made to licensing criteria for badger control in England.

    George Eustice

    Following a public consultation, the following changes to licensing conditions were published on 17 December 2015:

    • Enabling Natural England to keep the duration of annual badger control operations under review rather than limiting them to six weeks.

    • Reducing the minimum size of an area from 150km2 to 100km2.

    • Removing the requirement for at least 70% of the land in candidate areas to be accessible but retaining a requirement that approximately 90% of the land in the control area be either accessible, or within 200m of accessible land.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the latest proposals on the Trade in Services Agreement.

    Greg Hands

    Information on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) can be found on the European Commission’s dedicated TiSA website. In a bid to encourage transparency, the European Commission has published a large number of documents including its revised TiSA offer from May 2016, the EU proposals for institutional provisions and state-to-state dispute settlement, position papers and factsheets.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2015 to Question 2544, what progress is being made on reviewing the Mersey Tunnel tolls.

    Andrew Jones

    The Review of the Mersey Tunnel Tolls is being undertaken by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It is currently underway and will inform the Authority’s toll setting decisions for 2016-17, which will be taken next month. Officials at the Department are engaging with the Authority on the Review, which is expected to continue during 2016-17 to inform a longer term tolling position.

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many general aviation flights were (a) attended and (b) cleared remotely by the Border Force in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    Border Force does not have the requested data prior to 2012/13. Since then we have made improvements to our command and control of general aviation, including our national statistical reporting, and are able to provide full details from 2013 onwards.

    During 2013/14 Border Force a) attended 27,299 flights and remotely cleared 18,885 flights

    During 2014/15 Border Force a) attended 27,033 flights and remotely cleared 32,042

    The figures quoted are management information, subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change.

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

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department issues to airlines on passenger alcohol consumption.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I and my officials have met and corresponded with industry representatives to discuss the issue of disruptive passengers on a number of occasions over the last year. In particular we have been working closely with airlines, airports, the police and duty free retailers to understand the challenges posed by disruptive behaviour on aircraft and to explore practical steps that can be taken to both reduce the frequency of these instances and to ensure that they are dealt with appropriately when they do occur. We are very supportive of industry’s efforts, including to collating and disseminating best practice and guidance; we will continue to provide assistance where appropriate.