The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total annual cost to the NHS was of hospital contract funerals under the Public Health Act in each year between 2010 and 2015.
Alistair Burt
The Department does not hold any data on the annual cost to the National Health Service of hospital contract funerals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s policy is on funding for the Equitable Life Payment Scheme that has not been disbursed.
Harriett Baldwin
Payments under the scheme will continue to be made annually to With-Profits Annuitants for the duration of their annuities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what resources she plans to allocate to enforcing comprehensive management plans in current and future Marine Conservation Zones.
George Eustice
Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, marine regulators are required to enforce, and ensure compliance with, any management measures put in place to protect Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
In December 2015, Defra confirmed it would continue to allocate £3 million New Burdens funding until 2020, which can be used for costs associated with MCZ designation including enforcement. In addition, allocations of funding to various activities are set out in an Action Plan for the Marine Management Organisation and the Annual Plans produced by the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take under the Northern Powerhouse schools strategy to expand the best academy chains in the North; what the timetable is for that expansion; and how much funding will be allocated for that expansion.
Nick Gibb
Our White Paper, Education Excellence Everywhere, sets out the range of support we will offer to schools across England.
Where schools are failing, Regional Schools Commissioners will identify a suitable academy sponsor to turn them around. In areas where there are too few sponsors, we will recruit new sponsors, including high-performing schools and more sponsors from business, charity and philanthropy. We will also encourage existing sponsors to expand, increasing incentives and minimising barriers, learning from the investment we have already made through the Northern Sponsor Fund.
For other struggling schools, we will ensure there is nationwide coverage of system leaders (teaching schools and National Leaders of Education), who will be expected to work with weaker schools to support them to improve. To help achieve this, we will improve how we designate system leaders by introducing a more sophisticated approach based on timely and accurate data rather than relying heavily on Ofsted judgements. We will also partner schools with the potential to become strong system leaders with existing teaching schools and National Leaders of Education.
Through the Department’s strategy for Achieving Excellence Areas, we will target our existing programmes to secure sufficient high quality teachers, leaders, system leaders, sponsors and members of governing boards on the areas of greatest need. At the Budget, the Government announced that we will invest an additional £20 million a year to build on this strategy to raise education standards across the Northern Powerhouse. The allocation of this funding will depend on the identified need and will be reassessed each year, based on the evidence.
For the additional funding announced in the budget, decisions on how the funding will be allocated for the 2016-17 financial year will be made by the autumn of this year and will be informed by the emerging findings of the review by Sir Nick Weller. We will be publishing the terms of reference for Sir Nick Weller’s review shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to make the Cefaly headband for the treatment of migraines available on the NHS.
Jane Ellison
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published interventional procedure guidance (IP) on transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve (which the Cefaly headband provides) for treating and preventing migraine in May 2016. Current evidence on its use raises no major safety concerns, but the evidence on its efficacy is limited in quantity and quality. The NICE has therefore recommended that this procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit or research.
IP guidance does not consider how much the procedures would cost the National Health Service, or whether the NHS should allocate funding for them. These decisions are made at a local NHS level and usually on a case-by-case basis. This means that if the NICE has issued guidance recommending any given IP, the NHS is not obliged to provide it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether welfare claimants receive refunds for postage and other costs incurred in obtaining a doctor’s certificate as required by his Department and ensuring its safe transmission by post.
Caroline Nokes
For DWP purposes a statement of fitness for work (SOFFW) can be obtained from a GP at no cost to the claimant.
DWP does not refund postage or other costs associated with obtaining a SOFFW. Claimants are notified when making a claim that there is a requirement to supply a SOFFW to meet the ESA entitlement conditions. To support this DWP provides options for postage, either a Freepost Licence code or a pre-paid envelope at no cost to the claimant. These are handled by Royal Mail and subject to their governance and safeguarding arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in scrutinising the suitability of business appointments for former Ministers in government.
Ben Gummer
The Government believes that the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments discharges its remit effectively and efficiently.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-01-11.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent progress has been made on (a) residential development and (b) infrastructure planning on Church Commissioner land allocated as an urban extension by Peterborough City Council at (i) Paston Reserve and (ii) Norwood; and if she will make a statement.
Mrs Caroline Spelman
There are no further developments to report since the answer given by the Church Commissioners to question 16388 on the 20 November 2015.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to support the implementation of the Family Test.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office has incorporated the Family Test into the impact assessment process, which directs officials to the Family Test guidance published by the Department for Work and Pensions in October 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people requiring wheelchair accessible homes in (a) Easington, (b) the North East and (c) England.
Brandon Lewis
The Government has published data on the housing need of older and disabled people in England to support local authorities in assessing likely need in their local area. This can be found at link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-guide-to-available-disability-data
It is for local authorities to determine specific needs in their local areas.