The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he plans that the UK will cease contributing towards the funding of the EU.
Mr David Davis
The UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations, until it leaves. As we establish a UK approach and objectives for negotiations on the UK’s exit, a range of decisions will be made, including on funding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from (a) the EU and (b) the UN on obtaining compensation for UK victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government takes the needs of UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored terrorism very seriously and is sympathetic to their attempts to seek redress. We have raised this with the Libyan authorities, making it clear that resolution remains a priority for us, though current instability has delayed progress on this issue. The UK Government is not currently involved in negotiations on securing compensation payments with the EU or UN, though the FCO does provide facilitation support to campaign groups, where it has been requested. The EU and UN have made clear that when sanctions are lifted, frozen assets must be made available to and for the benefit of the people of Libya.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total annual cost of the ministerial special advisers, including members of the Council of Economic Advisers, who were in post on 1 September.
Lord Bridges of Headley
Information on the cost of special advisers, which I have attached for information, was published on 17 December on gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the implementation of universal credit on the level of rent arrears in council homes.
Justin Tomlinson
This information is not collected centrally.
Statistics are published annually on the total value of local authority social housing rent arrears, broken down by Local Authority area. They were most recently published on the Government’s website for 2014-15:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data#2014-to-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on junior doctors who whistleblow about safety concerns in the NHS.
Ben Gummer
The Department supports National Health Service staff who wish to raise concerns and is implementing a range of measures to support the development of a culture in which staff are able to raise concerns without fear of repercussion or reprisal. The Department has made clear to NHS organisations that they should have policies and procedures to support and encourage staff to raise concerns, and that those concerns should be acted upon.
Junior doctors are protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, as they are employees of the NHS trusts at which they are based.
Junior doctors along with other NHS staff will benefit from a national network of Freedom to Speak Up ‘local guardians,’ led by the National Guardian Dame Eileen Sills, who was appointed on 7 January 2016.
The National Guardian will lead, advise, and support the ‘local guardians’ in carrying out investigations on how concerns are being handled, share good practice, report on national or common themes, and identify any barriers that are preventing the NHS from having a truly safe and open culture.
In addition we are also introducing a new Guardian of safe working appointed jointly with junior doctors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV is on the list of drugs being referred to NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group for decision.
Jane Ellison
NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England wants to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans for the £10 million increase in funding to expand breakfast clubs in schools announced in paragraph 1.95 of Budget 2016 to be distributed; and how her Department plans to monitor the spending of that funding.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The Chancellor announced in the recent budget that funding from the new sugar levy would be used in part to expand breakfast clubs in up to 1,600 schools from September 2017. We are currently refining the details of how this scheme will operate and further details will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to educate consumers about the welfare risks of certain breed characteristics in cats so that consumers can make informed decisions when considering a purchase.
George Eustice
The Government would be happy to work with key stakeholders to discuss health problems associated with pedigree cats
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.
Lord Freud
From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.
In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.
Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has (a) received and (b) made on eye health services at Birmingham City Hospital.
David Mowat
A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one written representation received between 1 April 2016 and 11 October 2016 about eye health services at Birmingham City Hospital.
The Department has made no representations on this matter.