Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Donaghy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Donaghy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of historic patterns of recruitment showing that universities are more effective in filling teacher training places than other forms of provision, such as School Direct, how they will ensure that the new system of allocating training places for 2016–17 meets national and regional teacher supply needs.

    Lord Nash

    As part of our nationwide recruitment drive for 2016/17, we have changed the approach to initial teacher training (ITT) allocations for this year. The National College of Teaching and Leadership has not allocated a specific number of places to individual organisations for postgraduate ITT courses. This approach offers the opportunity for School Direct lead schools, school-centred ITT (SCITTs) and universities to recruit the number of trainees they need locally (within a limited set of recruitment controls).

    One of the aims of the change of approach was to improve recruitment at a national level while still moving towards a school-led system. We created a school-led minimum recruitment level to ensure that school led ITT routes have the opportunity to recruit to at least 51% of the overall market in 2016/17. These levels were based on previous recruitment and were set in order to meet the dual priorities of maximising the chance of recruiting enough trainee teachers and continuing to move to a school-led system.

    We have developed a location recruitment control which we will use where there is a geographical disparity. They are monitoring regional recruitment across all subjects. School Direct lead schools, SCITTs and universities across all regions have been given greater freedom for the 2016/17 academic year to manage their recruitment according to local need.

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

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2015-16; and how much that fund is estimated to spend in 2016-17.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that it expects to publish information on Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) expenditure for 2015-16 in Board Papers for NHS England’s Board meeting on 26 May 2016.

    The budget allocated for the CDF for 2015-16 was £340 million and new financial control mechanisms, to be put in place from 1 July 2016, are intended to ensure that the CDF does not exceed its fixed £340 million budget in 2016-17.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to require manufacturers to display the calorific content of alcoholic drinks on labels.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government has no plans to require manufacturers to display the calorific contents of alcoholic drinks on labels. However, some businesses do choose to do so voluntarily.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Railways Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for our future relationship with agencies such as the European Railways Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency. Until we leave, EU law still applies, and current arrangements will continue.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a universal credit applicant who does not receive the housing part in their first payment due to lack of evidence provided in their application will receive a backdated payment upon receipt of the correct document.

    Priti Patel

    Once all the relevant information is received, a backdated payment of the housing element can be made.

  • Jonathan Djanogly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jonathan Djanogly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Djanogly on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on Action 36 of the UK Anti-Corruption plan, published in December 2014, relating to corporate criminal liability.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Gower on 28th September 2015, which can be found at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-09/9735/

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will amend the terms of reference for the independent review of the state pension age to exclude the existing timetable up to 2028 from the scope of the review.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government has no plans to make changes for those reaching State Pension age before 2028.

    The State Pension age review will be forward looking and focussed on the longer term. It will not cover the existing State Pension age timetable up to April 2028 which is already legislated for.

  • Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis, if any, the NHS Mandate requires that investment in NICE-recommended treatments for hepatitis C be limited to avoid disinvestment in other health services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The NHS Mandate requires healthcare expenditure to be limited to the resources made available by the government. The range of potential treatments which could improve patients health exceeds the funding made available to the National Health Service, therefore increased investment in one area has an opportunity cost on the ability to invest in other areas. NHS England is investing in the rollout of Hepatitis C treatment in full accordance with National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidance, with an expected doubling of the number of patients benefiting from new treatment to 10,000s in the coming year.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have been reunited with their families in the UK in (a) the last five years and (b) the last year under (i) the EU Dublin III Regulation; (ii) part 11 of the UK immigration rules, (iii) any other parts of the UK immigration rules and (iv) under exceptional circumstances.

    James Brokenshire

    There are several routes for children to be reunited safely with their families in the UK. Applications for family reunion for individuals under the age of 18 years of age can be received both in country and out of country and are processed by a number of casework units within the Home Office including International Operations, Settlement, Complex Casework and Asylum Operations. Unfortunately the way these applications are processed and the method used to store the data on the main immigration database means that not all of the data is recorded in a format that can be reported on automatically and would therefore require a manual investigation of thousands of case records. As a result this data could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Since 2010 we have granted more than 21,000 family reunion visas and 175 visas for exceptional circumstances though we are not able to distinguish from the data how many of these applicants were under the age of 18. Internal Management information concerning applications from people under 18 processed by International Operations and Complex Casework are listed in the table below:

    Year

    Complex Casework

    2010

    14

    2011

    14

    2012

    8

    2013

    7

    2014

    24

    2015

    10

    Grand Total

    77

    Year

    International Operations

    2011

    2950

    2012

    2406

    2013

    2624

    2014

    2882

    2015

    3088

    Grand Total

    13950

    This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is required to consult (a) passenger groups, (b) trade unions and (c) Network Rail before the introduction of an emergency timetable on Govia Thameslink Railway services can take place.

    Claire Perry

    Emergency timetables are introduced by the rail industry in reaction to specific circumstances as they are responsible for operating the railway and do not need the prior approval of the Secretary of State. GTR has introduced a revised timetable which seeks to use the resources that are likely to be available in order to provide a service that passengers can rely on. It is for the operator, in conjunction with Network Rail, to manage the timetable effectively.