The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the administrative costs of delivering means-tested benefits were in each of the last three years.
Justin Tomlinson
The information is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 10 December 2015, Official Report, column 1132, on smart ticketing, whether the £80 million funding referred to has been allocated to the South East Flexible Ticketing programme; and what proportion of that funding his Department has so far spent on which elements of that programme.
Claire Perry
Smart ticketing was taken forward by the Coalition Government after 2010. I can confirm that £80m was allocated to the South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme. So far, £39.11m has been spent on the SEFT programme to develop a central back office for the entire rail industry to use and towards the costs to train operators of new infrastructure and upgrades.
We are working with the industry to find the best way to deliver smart ticket solutions that meet customers’ needs and take advantage of technological improvements, so ensuring that everyone is benefitting from 21st century ticketing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance and training Ofsted inspectors receive on applying the criteria for a good Ofsted grading in settings involving children with special education needs and disability.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Coperforma’s management of patient transport in Sussex.
Lord Prior of Brampton
We are advised by NHS England that four organisations including Coperforma completed the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire (PQQ) in order to submit their bid for the contract and of these the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Arriva Transport Solutions Ltd and Coperforma Ltd were assessed as passing the PQQ. An Invitation to Tender was issued to all three organisations on 3 August 2015.
NHS England advises that Coperforma’s bid was evaluated in line with criteria published at the start of the process by a group of subject matter experts, clinicians and patient representatives and the bid was assessed as demonstrating a comprehensive response. The award of the contract to Coperforma was approved by all seven Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).
We understand that the lead commissioner, High Weald Lewes Havens CCG, awarded Coperforma the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) contract for Sussex, which commenced on 1 April 2016. The CCG acknowledges that early performance of the new non-emergency Sussex PTS has not been acceptable.
For this reason High Weald Lewes Havens CCG, on behalf of all seven Sussex CCGs, has begun an inquiry with an aim for a report to be available for review by June 2016 with interim progress reports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk that changes to the cost effectiveness threshold for vaccines as proposed by the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurements working group would lead to England being restricted from paying for some new vaccines when compared to other health economies in Europe, and people in the UK receiving fewer innovative vaccines.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government expects to receive the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement report shortly and will consider its recommendations once received. Until then, it would not be appropriate to speculate on possible recommendations or the impact they might have. We are committed to publishing their report. We will decide when to publish, and whether to consult, once we have had time to consider the report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40827, what his Department’s revenue expenditure other than Network Rail expenditure was on the level crossing reform programme in the last Parliament; and how much such expenditure is budgeted for during the current Parliament.
Paul Maynard
There is a dedicated, ring-fenced, fund for Network Rail’s work to improve and close level crossings. As is usual, the Department’s work on the policy underpinning the level crossing reform programme forms part of a larger budget for railway safety and wider issues and is not therefore separately identifiable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2016 to Question 46209, when NHS England plans to publish the service guidance documents produced by the clinical reference groups.
David Mowat
The service guidance documents will be disseminated through the newly formed Cancer Alliances.
One of the key objectives of the Alliances for 2016/17 is to create and agree a delivery plan for the Cancer Strategy locally, based on outcomes and evidence based best practice care pathways.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has allocated any funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood for the 2016-17 financial year.
Jane Ellison
The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many acres of farmland she plans will be protected by government investment in flood defences over the next six years.
Elizabeth Truss
As a result of the Government’s £2.3 billion, six year capital investment programme more than 420,000 acres of farmland will be better protected by 2021.
Together with our investment in the last parliament this means that more than a million acres of farmland will be better protected from flooding over this decade.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Alun Cairns
The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and staff are subject to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) policies for issues such as wellness.