Tag: 2016

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218111, what conclusions were reached by the Taskforce of business representations and government departments established to access how to limit the negative impact on business and jobs of the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal of 4 November 2014 in the case Bear Scotland and over v Mr David Fulton and others.

    Nick Boles

    The previous Government involved the Holiday Pay Task Force in discussions leading to the introduction of the Deduction from Wages (Limitation) Regulations 2014. These regulations were introduced to limit backdated holiday pay claims to two years and have applied to Employment Tribunal claims for unlawful deductions from wages made on or since 1 July 2015. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) believes that the regulations are helping to limit the negative impact on business of the Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Bear Scotland.

    BIS is continuing to monitor the impact of this and other court decisions relating to holiday pay. We regularly discuss the situation with a wide range of interested parties.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the health benefits of cranberries and their role in preventing the incidence of urinary tract infections in women and children; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The research database, Cochrane, published a study in 2012 which assessed the effectiveness of cranberry products in preventing urinary tract infections in susceptible populations. Researchers found that there is no objective evidence for the benefit of cranberry juice in preventing urinary tract infections. Therefore the Department has not taken steps to promote the consumption of cranberry products.

    The UK five year Antimicrobial Resistance strategy set out the need to stimulate the development of new antibiotics, rapid diagnostics and novel therapies. The DH commissioned the Wellcome Trust to undertake a review of alternative treatments in 2014. The review concluded that while many approaches have potential, there is a continued need for conventional antibiotics to treat the majority of infections for the foreseeable future.

    A paper, summarising the review “alternatives to antibiotics – a pipeline portfolio review” was published in the Lancet in January 2016. This is available at the following link:

    http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00466-1

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gerald Kaufman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2016-03-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to answer the letter dated 12 January 2016 from the Right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms S. Lyons, transferred by the Department for Work and Pensions.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HMRC officials are looking into this case and the Right hon. Member will receive a reply in due course.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Government aid to the Palestinian Territories is not used to help finance violence or terrorism.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners, or their families. The UK’s direct financial assistance to the PA is used to pay the salaries of public sector workers only. Our support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, which carries out close monitoring of Palestinian Authority expenditure. Only named civil servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible. The process is subject to independent auditing.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35399, what amount has been allocated within the overall cost envelope to deal with salt and subsidence issues related to the proposed High Speed 2(b) route; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that that funding is sufficient in the absence of the information that would have been provided by intrusive geological surveys.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    No specific amount has been allocated to dealing with salt and subsidence issues beyond the funding envelope announced for the project in November 2015.

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the potential closure of the Lancashire Police helicopter base on the safety of the local Fylde community.

    Mike Penning

    Since October 2012, the provision of police air support has been the responsibility of the National Police Air Service (NPAS), a police-led operational initiative designed to deliver a cost effective and efficient service to forces in England and Wales. It is the responsibility of the NPAS Strategic Board, comprising police and crime commissioners and chief constables, to make decisions on the deployment of resources to meet local policing and crime priorities.

  • 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 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45067, whether the Sustainability and Transformation updated plans which will be submitted in October 2016 will be made publicly available.

    David Mowat

    Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review in October, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.

    We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.

    NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many changes in household circumstances have been processed relating to claimants (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims for compensation by the victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland remain outstanding.

    Lord Dunlop

    Matters relating to policing and justice were devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive in 2010 by the Northern Ireland (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions Order) 2010. As a consequence, responsibility for compensation of the victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland now rests with the Northern Ireland Executive, and in particular the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland (DOJNI), which oversees the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost is of her Department’s campaign, Together we can tackle child abuse.

    Edward Timpson

    This is the first ever nationwide campaign on this issue promoted by the Government. Its aim is to raise awareness amongst the public about abuse and neglect and how to report suspected instances. This is a nationwide campaign and we have been working with all local authorities to promote it. We have provided a toolkit of materials, which can be used across the country to support the campaign locally.

    This year, we ran a pilot, paid-for campaign in 33 local authorities in the West Midlands and Outer London where we have paid for out-of-home, digital and radio advertising. These areas were chosen because of their dense and diverse populations. The overall cost of the campaign has been up to £1m.