Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to require EU nationals to gain visas before entering the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK continues to be a member of the European Union and therefore EU nationals do not require a visa to come to the UK, nor do British citizens require a visa to visit the rest of the EU.

    The Prime Minister has underlined that it would not be right for the Government to give a running commentary on negotiations. It is about developing our own British model so we will not make decisions until we are ready.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to incentivise the use of hedges, field margins and ditches in farmed uplands in order to facilitate flood water retention.

    George Eustice

    The management of hedges, field margins and ditches is already incentivised in England (including the farmed uplands) by payments under agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship. The new Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched last year, is targeted to include those areas that can provide joint benefits for biodiversity, water quality and natural flood management.

    The retention of hedgerows and field margins is also incentivised through Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy where they will be eligible as Environmental Focus Areas within the Greening requirements.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce waiting times for autism diagnosis.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The number of children, young people and adults diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology. Local authority areas provide information for Public Health England’s annual self-assessment exercise on implementing the Autism Strategy. This includes the number of adults receiving an autism diagnosis but because information is submitted on a voluntary basis a complete total for England is not available.

    The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis and support in a timely manner. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. The Department is funding the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to support this work. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

    The Department is also encouraging the autism third sector to work together and the four charity representatives on the Cross Government Autism Programme Board, which oversees the implementation of the Autism Strategy, gave presentations at the meeting on 18 February on work they are doing to increase public awareness. The charities are the National Autistic Society, the Autism Alliance UK, Autism Plus and Ambitious about Autism. The Autism Alliance UK is also being funded by the Department to undertake work with national and local organisations, to make reasonable adjustments to services and to train staff to be aware of what autism can mean to individuals who have the condition and their families.

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s publication Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults – Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) gave the overall prevalence of autism in England as 1.1% (95% confidence interval 0.3% to 1.9%). Among adults with learning disabilities living in private households whose learning disability was sufficiently severe that they could not have taken part in the 2007 APMS, the prevalence of autism was 35.4% (95% confidence interval 24.7% to 46.2%). Among adults with mild or severe learning disabilities living in communal care establishments, the prevalence of autism was 31% (95% confidence interval 23.9% to 38%). Detailed supporting information regarding the underlying data and how figures have been derived is found within the detail of the report, a copy of which is attached.

    The APMS was repeated in 2014 and findings are scheduled to be published in September 2016.

  • Luke Hall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Luke Hall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luke Hall on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received employment and support allowance between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that benefit was to such recipients.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which regulations he has asked the EU Commission to (a) amend and (b) repeal on the basis of their effects on businesses in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government regularly presses the European Commission to amend or repeal EU rules in order to minimise the regulatory burdens imposed on UK business.

    In particular, we do this through the European Commission’s Regulatory Fitness (REFIT) programme – established in 2012 to review the stock of existing EU legislation in order to identify burdens, inconsistencies, gaps or ineffective measures and address them. This has generated progress in areas of significant UK priority, including Occupational Health and Safety and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – where the Commission’s 2016 Work Programme put forward burden-cutting proposals

    Overall, the Commission’s 2015 and 2016 Work Programmes proposed 100 withdrawals or modifications of pending proposals, and 39 repeals and 56 evaluations of existing EU laws.

    As part of the UK’s settlement with the EU, the European Commission is committed to reviewing the burden of regulation each year and introducing specific targets to reduce costs for businesses in the most burdensome areas.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data Universal Credit recipients and claims in their area his Department will regularly release to local authorities.

    Priti Patel

    Work is underway to enable DWP to share data with Local Authorities for a range of specific purposes relating to welfare services and council tax. For example, to facilitate efficient and accurate administration of Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes or Universal Support.

    In implementing any data sharing scheme DWP adheres to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and undertake a privacy impact assessment to establish, precisely what data the Local Authority requires; why they require it; and what they intend to do with it.

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

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans that the new platforms at London Bridge Station will become operational.

    Paul Maynard

    The redevelopment of London Bridge station by Network Rail is progressing to schedule. The new terminating platforms ten to fifteen have been in operation since January 2015 and platforms seven to nine, for services to Charing Cross, became operational on 29 August 2016. The remaining new platforms will be brought into use by January 2018.

    Platform six, also for Charing Cross services, will become operational in August 2017. Platforms four and five (for Thameslink services) and one to three (for Cannon Street services) will become operational in January 2018.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of her Department.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID utilises a cross government contract for cleaning services in their UK estates.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20039, on cancer drugs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the draft impact assessment for NHS England’s consultation on proposals for a new Cancer Drugs Fund; for what reasons NHS England has not published the draft impact assessment alongside its consultation on those proposals; what guidance his officials have given on whether draft impact assessments should accompany NHS England consultations; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that it will not complete its assessment of the impact of the proposals on the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) until the outcomes from the current consultation on the future of the CDF are known. The formal consultation, as well as the wider engagement activity in progress, will be critical in helping to understand the potential impacts of the proposed changes.

    The Better Regulation requirements, including the preparation of impact assessments, apply to the regulation of business. Where an impact assessment is required to accompany an NHS England consultation, the Department and NHS England work closely to prepare this.

  • Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they envisage for British-produced and British-manufactured steel in the Northern Powerhouse.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The UK steel industry has a key role in generating future economic growth across the country, including the Northern Powerhouse region. The steel sector is a critical element of the supply chain for high technology industries like aerospace, automotive and construction. These all require high value, continually improving steel products in order to remain competitive.

    The Government wants to drive up the number of public procurement contracts won by UK steel manufacturers, and have updated procurement rules accordingly. There are more major projects in the pipeline offering opportunities, for example HS2 and Network Rail’s £38bn five-year investment and replacement programme. We have mapped rough estimates of steel that could be needed for major projects including the above: we have shared this with industry and will continue updating them. Steps have also been agreed with industry on how to make better use of the pipelines as they are updated on a six monthly basis.