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Tag: 2016

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to replace direct funding of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency by fees paid by industry.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates as a government trading fund and recovers 92% of its total regulatory costs from fees and charges. In addition it receives income from the Department in recognition for the Agency providing both a devices service and a biologicals service from the National Institute for Biological Standards Control.

    In 2016/17 the Department is purchasing a devices service of £8.1 million plus capital funding of £1 million which covers the remaining 8% of its regulatory costs.

    The MHRA and the Department are considering charging the devices service directly to industry by fees.

    The MHRA is also looking at the potential for increasing fees from international work over the coming years.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, whether he plans to ensure that private tenants affected by (a) cancer and (b) other long-term health conditions are able to access suitable accommodation, support and protection from eviction.

    Brandon Lewis

    The welfare system provides financial support to those with cancer and other long-term health conditions, including to help people meet the additional costs that come from these conditions.

    The statutory ‘reasonable preference’ requirements ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical or welfare grounds. Statutory guidance on allocations makes clear that this would include people who have chronic or progressive medical conditions or long term care needs.

  • James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    James Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Davies on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of new transmission cables have been undergrounded in each of the last 10 years.

    Jesse Norman

    The Department does not hold this information. However, the Transmission Owners have informed me that:

    In England & Wales, the only major new electricity transmission lines built in the last 10 years by National Grid are all in the London Power Tunnels Project. This involved 32km of tunnels and 64 circuit kms installed from 2011 to February 2016. Otherwise, major projects have been asset replacement projects. These have generally been like-for-like, in that overhead line components have replaced older overhead line components, and underground cables have replaced underground cables.

    In the north of Scotland, of SHE Transmission’s total new circuits in the last 10 years (1,007km), 171km of these were underground cable (approx. 17%).

    In the south of Scotland, of Scottish Power Transmission’s total new circuits in the last 10 years (184km), 107.5km of these were underground cable (approx. 58%).

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what responses he plans to give to the request by the Iraqi Kurdish forces in Mosul for equipment to protect them from an ISIL/Daesh chemical attack; and if he will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    The Ministry of Defence has provided a wide range of support, equipment and ammunition to the Kurdish Regional Government, working with the Global Counter Daesh Coalition and Coalition partners. While the UK has not itself provided chemical defence equipment, the Coalition has coordinated the provision of substantial stocks of appropriate personal protection equipment from other Coalition partners to the Kurdish Regional Government that meet the needs of the Peshmerga in this important area.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will reconsider the decision that West Lancashire Borough Council be allowed the special levy contribution towards the operation of an Internal Drainage Board to take account of the recent flooding in West Lancashire.

    James Wharton

    The decision on whether to support the creation of an Internal Drainage Board is a local matter. We welcome the establishment of new Internal Drainage Boards where these are proposed and supported by the local community.

    These are funded through drainage rates paid directly by agricultural landowners and special levies issued on district and unitary authorities. Local authorities take account of the need to pay levies as part of their annual budget setting process.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether technology in the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation FC-31 aircraft was stolen or copied from the F35-B Lightning II.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I am aware of dated reporting in media that suggests this to be the case. The Ministry of Defence does not comment on such material as to do so would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other States.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage more milk processors to comply with the voluntary code on milk contracts.

    George Eustice

    The dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements was created in Great Britain in 2012 in response to concern about fluctuating milk prices. About 85% of producers have signed up to it. There is general acceptance that the code’s introduction has led to some improvement for milk producers.

    Ultimately, the code is voluntary and owned by the industry. However, this is something that I regularly discuss with the NFU and Dairy UK with a view to encouraging other, primarily smaller processors to sign up.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Spirit Healthcare’s Empower type 2 diabetes education programme on uptake of structured education by diabetics in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England advises that the three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland decided to commission a diabetes education programme collectively from April 2016 to ensure that diabetes care was being provided equitably across the area. The diabetes education programme was put out to tender and Spirit Healthcare was the successful bidder with its EMPOWER programme.

    The EMPOWER programme, which is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, is designed to reduce inequalities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The procurement was overseen by an Equality Lead from the CCGs to ensure patients’ needs were being met.

    The CCGs will be monitoring the delivery of the contract and the uptake of the course. The service has been procured on the basis of a standard National Health Service contract and will be monitored according to the Quality Schedule within that. Additional quality measures will also be regularly evaluated such as patient experience, Friends and Family Test, course attendance and feedback from clinical leads.

  • Baroness Young of Old Scone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Young of Old Scone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Young of Old Scone on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of UK environmental and climate change legislation derives (1) from EU directives transposed into UK legislation, (2) from EU regulations without need for transposition, and (3) from wholly domestic legislation; and of the legislation that derives from EU directives, what proportion is dependent on the European Communities Act 1972.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Although specific figures for environment and climate change are not available, the House of Commons library has concluded that across the full range of UK instruments, from 1997 to 2014, an average of 13.2% were EU-related. A copy of the report is attached.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict, published in April 2016, if his Department will support the immediate establishment of an international, impartial investigation into reported international humanitarian law violations by all parties in the conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government has been clear that we want to see thorough and conclusive investigations where allegations have been made against parties to the conflict in Yemen regarding international humanitarian law. The Saudi Arabian government has its own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail on how they investigate such incidents earlier this year and that any lessons learned would be acted upon. We note the announcement on 6 June of the UN Secretary, Ban Ki Moon, that the United Nations and the Saudi-led Coalition will jointly review the cases and numbers in the Children and Armed Conflict Report.