Tag: 2016

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) science-related contracts and (b) outsourced activities in the health sector are awarded to organisations that demonstrate a commitment to high professional standards and invest in the professional development of their scientific workforce.

    George Freeman

    All procurement processes must identify key objectives, performance indicators and critical success factors and ensure these are reflected in the tender documents against which organisations are invited to bid. Where appropriate, specific ongoing training and development needs can be included as specific terms in the final signed contract.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to (1) change the colour of the current British passport from maroon to dark blue, and (2) remove the words European Union” from British passports.”

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    There are no immediate plans for changes to the format or colour of the UK passport. Parliament will be informed of any changes to the passport following UK withdrawal from the European Union

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will produce a cost impact assessment for users of the new Mersey Gateway.

    Andrew Jones

    The Mersey Gateway Bridge scheme is being promoted by Halton Borough Council and it is for them to justify the costs for users of the new bridge. A range of discounts will be available for frequent users of the crossing.

    In approving the scheme the Government considered the case for change, the economic case, and that the scheme is viable, affordable and achievable. In line with other estuarial crossings, and as there will be improved travel across the Mersey, users are expected to part fund the infrastructure.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate how many foreign direct investment projects were developed in Scotland originating from other EU countries in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and how many jobs were (i) created by each of those projects and (ii) safeguarded by those projects.

    Anna Soubry

    Below is a breakdown of successful foreign direct investment projects into Scotland from EU countries in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 together with the estimated number of jobs created and safeguarded, as recorded by UK Trade & Investment.

    Projects

    New Jobs

    Safeguarded jobs

    2012-13

    27

    2,110

    491

    2013-14

    33

    1,960

    968

    2014-15

    34

    883

    648

    Source: UKTI FDI projects database.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of new houses built in each of the years from 2010 to 2015 were built on floodplains, and whether they expect that proportion to change in the next five years.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The department’s latest land use change statistics provide estimates on the proportion of new residential addresses created in National Flood Zone 3 in England. The latest figures show that in 2013-14, 7 percent of new residential addresses were created in the National Flood Zone 3. This equates to an estimated 9,100 homes being built in National Flood Zone 3 in 2013-14.

    Prior to the publication of 2013-14 figures land use change statistics were calculated using a different methodology so they are not directly comparable to the 2013-14 figures. Figures produced using the previous methodology were last published for the calendar year 2011 and are provided in the attached table.

    Development can not be ruled out in high flood risk areas as around 10 percent of England, including large parts of major cities, such as Hull, Portsmouth and central London are located in these areas. All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance, which includes steering development away from flood risk areas. Where development in flood risk areas is considered, national planning policy is clear that it should be safe, resilient and not increase flood risk elsewhere.

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, whether trades unions which are not formally recognised by an employer will be entitled to request and receive the Chair’s Statement.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government remains committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear. Although it is not a legal requirement, the Government expects that many schemes will choose to publish their annual Chair’s Statement. In due course, the Government intends to make regulations requiring information about scheme costs and charges to be published.

    Trade unions that are recognised to any extent for the purposes of collective bargaining in relation to members of the scheme are entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. Trade unions which do not meet these criteria are not entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. However, beneficiaries of pension schemes who are members of trade unions which are not recognised for collective bargaining purposes may still request the information and pass it on to their union or any other person.

    We intend to publish a summary of the evidence received on transaction costs in pension schemes when we announce our next steps, which will follow in due course.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether unemployed 18 to 21 year olds will be referred to specialist employment support providers under the Youth Obligation from 2017 if they are unemployed after one year of claiming benefits.

    Priti Patel

    We will be introducing the Youth Obligation for all 18-21 year olds who are claiming Universal Credit and are in the All Work Related Activity Conditionality Group from April 2017.

    They will receive intensive support from Day 1 of their claim. After 6 months, if they have not found employment, they will be expected to apply for an apprenticeship, a traineeship, gain work-based skills employers value, or go on a work placement to give them the skills they need to get on in work.

    The detailed policy design is still under development. We will make further announcements over the coming months as we develop the policy detail.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department had in the selection of appointed local authority heads of social services departments from 1985 to 2015.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Secretary has not had any involvement in appointing local authority heads of social services departments.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with (a) Crohn’s disease and (b) ulcerative colitis have been treated with biological drugs in each of the last five years.

    George Freeman

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended four different biological drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the collective term for Crohn’s disease and colitis, for use after the failure of conventional therapies or in patients for whom such therapies are not appropriate. The National Health Service is legally obliged to fund medicines and treatments recommended by NICE’s technology appraisals.

    Although information concerning the exact number of people with IBD who have been treated with biological drugs in each of the last five years is not available, and no specific assessment of access has been made, some data are collected as part of the IBD audit. The IBD audit programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of NHS England and Wales (with additional funding from Healthcare Improvement Scotland), as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, and carried out by the Royal College of Physicians.

    The biological therapies part of the IBD audit aims to assess nationally: the efficacy of biological therapies in the treatment of IBD; the safety of biological therapies in the treatment of IBD; and IBD patients’ views on their quality of life at defined intervals throughout their use of biological therapies. The latest round of audit findings, published in September 2015, showed treatment continued to be effective and that patients were receiving treatment with biological therapies at earlier stages of disease. More information can be found at the following link:

    www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/ibd-biological-therapy-audit

    “

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to lay regulations concerning the right to security of tenure for victims of domestic violence under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, and whether they will first consult organisations working with victims of domestic violence.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    We have introduced fixed term tenancies for all new council tenancies to ensure we get the best use out of our social housing stock and focus this valuable resource on those who need it the most for as long as they need it. This is essential with 1.24 million households on council waiting lists. The changes will apply to new tenants, but will not apply to existing lifetime tenants who remain in their own home.

    We are preparing the regulations which will set out the circumstances in which local authorities may exercise discretion to offer tenants seeking transfer further lifetime tenancies in limited circumstances. These will include where tenants downsize into a smaller home, move for work or to escape harm, including domestic violence. We will ensure that relevant organisations including those working with victims of domestic abuse will be able to feed in their views into the draft regulations.

    We aim to lay the regulations in the Winter.