The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been transferred to another EU country under the Dublin III Regulation in the first six months of 2016.
Mr Robert Goodwill
In the first six months of 2016, our records indicate that the UK has returned 198 applicants to other Member States under the Dublin III Regulations to have their asylum applications considered.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on its role in negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Alun Cairns
The Prime Minister has committed to full engagement with the Devolved Administrations to get the best possible deal for all parts of our United Kingdom as we leave the EU.
We will give the Welsh Government every opportunity to have their say as we form our negotiating strategy and we will look at any suggestions they put forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to replace the 7.62mm chain guns on Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.
Mr Philip Dunne
A contract was placed in October 2011 for the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme which will keep this highly successful armoured fighting vehicle at the front and centre of combat capability for the next 25 years. The programme will include an improved turret with a new stabilised 40mm cannon and a tailored armour mounting system. The 7.62mm coaxial chain gun from the current in-service Warrior vehicle will be retained , but will receive a number of modifications including to the ammunition feed system
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs’ Pay and Work Rights Helpline in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; and what funding was provided to that team in each of those years.
Nick Boles
Broadcasting Support Services (BSS) was contracted in 2009 to run the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) until March 2015.
In April 2015 Acas took over responsibility for providing a one stop shop for workers and employers seeking advice on a wider range of employment matters.
The budget was: 2009/10 – £968k, with 9 members of staff; and in 2014/15 it was £750k, with 7 members of staff. The cost of the service was then absorbed by Acas within their existing helpline functions when they took over responsibility for handling calls previously dealt with by the PWRH.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were (a) granted and (b) refused on the basis of the results of the harm-benefit analysis carried out on those applications by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.
Karen Bradley
I refer the Hon. Member to the response I previously provided to her question on 4 February 2016 (24508). The Home Office does not keep records of applications that have been rejected / refused or withdrawn at the concept or at the drafting stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the availability in the UK of clinical expertise to treat scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease.
George Freeman
The Government published the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in November 2013. The strategy contains over 50 commitments to ensure people living with a rare disease, such as Kawasaki disease, have access to the best evidence-based care and treatment that health and social services, working with charities, researchers and industry can provide.
It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricular to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in both scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease.
Health Education England works with bodies that set curricula such as the General Medical Council and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients.
The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not published any specific guidance on the similarities between Kawasaki disease and scarlet fever.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on the assessment and initial management of fever in under 5s sets out the circumstances in which a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease should be considered, and Public Health England (PHE) has endeavoured to keep healthcare professionals, schools and the general public informed of the increased incidence of scarlet fever through timely information, news stories and updates on the PHE website and by using social and other media. These awareness raising measures assist general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals in reaching a correct diagnosis more quickly and encourage patients to seek medical advice early so that suspected cases receive prompt antibiotic treatment to reduce the risk of complications and limit further transmission.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in the South Atlantic.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have obtained written clarification from the UN Legal Counsel as to the remit and mandate of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). This confirms that the CLCS has no jurisdiction over the sovereignty of any land territory. That would of course include the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has noted that the CLCS cannot consider claims relating to disputed areas. In this case that would include the Falkland Islands. The British Government remains in no doubt over its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and has no doubt about the right of the Islanders to determine their own future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The published Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) contains both the proportion of staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that are (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff and the associated spend. The ARA for each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are available on gov.uk.
The 2015-16 data will be published in due course.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.
Rory Stewart
Detail on all DFID spend is available via our departmental website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the dynamism and capability of the UK business sector.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The UK is one of the most dynamic and competitive economies in the world, as borne out by measures of the effectiveness of UK competition policy and regulation, for example:
•The UK is ranked 2nd in the OECD for the pro-competition stance of its regulatory policies
•The World Economic Forum rated the UK 3rd (out of 138) for the intensity of local competition, 12th for the extent of market dominance, and 10th for the effectiveness of our anti-monopoly policies.
As a result, we are ranked 6th out of 189 countries in the World Bank Doing Business Index; and 7th out of 138 countries (improving our ranking from 10th last year) in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index.