Tag: 2016

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show a significant rise in the number of dental extractions in children under 10 over the last four years; and what action they are taking to improve dental health in that age group, including access to NHS dental services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The tables below, provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows 1) the number of admissions for children (aged 0-9 years) to hospitals in England for extractions of one or more decayed primary or permanent teeth; and 2) the numbers of courses of treatment in primary care in England that contained an extraction for a child aged 0-17, both for the years 2011/12 – 2014/15.

    1)

    Age

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-4

    19,033

    9,082

    9,585

    10,001

    5-9

    24,524

    25,459

    26,356

    26,956

    Notes:

    Admissions do not represent the number of children, as a child may have more than one admission within the same period.

    2)

    Age

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-17

    540,626

    533,694

    539,908

    524,163

    Notes:

    Figures for primary care are not available broken down for under 10s.

    NHS England is working to develop contractual initiatives focussed on improving the oral health of children. This is in addition to the work within the contract reform programme, which is aimed at introducing an National Health Service dental contract with a much clearer focus on preventing future dental disease and increasing access to NHS dentistry.

    Public Health England (PHE) has produced a toolkit to support local authorities in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children and young people in their area. PHE has also developed guidance for dental teams on preventing dental disease in young children. Advice has also recently been published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

    The Government will be launching the Childhood Obesity Strategy in the summer. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese, including sugar which is a cause of tooth decay.

    In the Budget statement on 16 March, the Chancellor announced a soft drink industry levy. This is a bold step towards protecting our children’s health.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil servants were employed in each location at the Skills Funding Agency in the last year for which figures are available.

    Nick Boles

    The number of civil servants employed by the Skills Funding Agency is shown in the attached table and represents the position as at 31 December 2015.

    Location

    Total

    SFA Birmingham

    53

    SFA Bristol

    18

    SFA Cambridge

    24

    SFA Chatham

    20

    SFA Coventry

    381

    SFA Fareham

    23

    SFA Gateshead

    51

    SFA Home

    7

    SFA Leeds

    61

    SFA Liverpool

    16

    SFA London

    114

    SFA Manchester

    50

    SFA Nottingham

    17

    SFA Plymouth

    16

    SFA Reading

    30

    SFA Sheffield

    13

    Grand Total

    894

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the taper arrangements will be for the proposed phasing in of EU migrants’ entitlement to in-work benefits.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    I refer the right hon. Member to the February European Council Conclusions. The restrictions on in-work benefits will apply to each newly arriving EU worker for a period of four years from the commencement of employment, with the limitation tapered “from an initial complete exclusion but gradually increasing access to such benefits to take account of the growing connection of the work with the labour market of the host Member State”. Precise details are a matter for the implementation of the proposal, and further announcements will be made in due course.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has given permission for Southern rail services to be cancelled during the planned strike in July 2016.

    Claire Perry

    We are not aware of any planned official strike in July 2016.

  • Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hollins on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guarantees they plan to give that, once the new funding system for supported housing comes into place in 2019–20, existing tenants will not be affected negatively by any changes.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable through our welfare reforms. That is why we have exempted supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance policy until 2019/20, from which point we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at current levels, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents. The new funding model will include a ring-fenced local top-up to ensure that funding is used only for supported housing provision and will support existing tenants.

    The funding will be administered locally so that local authorities can respond flexibly to local need. We believe local authorities are best placed to make decisions about how to support vulnerable people in their areas and to commission the supported housing services that are needed locally.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what range of financial incentives will be offered to universal credit claimants under the in-work progression pilot.

    Priti Patel

    Financial incentives are not offered as part of the In-work Progression Randomised Control Trial.

  • Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of exports that will be sold to other EU member states by 2020.

    Lord Maude of Horsham

    The government does not breakdown 2020 export forecasts geographically.

    However, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility does publish UK total export forecasts up to 2020, with the most recent publication being in the November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook:

    Exports

    Imports

    2016

    533.6

    556.8

    2017

    557.4

    581.4

    2018

    585.4

    609.5

    2019

    616.3

    639.0

    2020

    648.0

    669.7

    Source: November 2015 Economic and fiscal outlook

    “

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the humanitarian and emergency response to the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, and of which organisations were best placed to deliver a quick response to affected areas and to deliver lasting change.

    Baroness Verma

    The Government’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes now stands at £70 million. Funds raised by the British public for the DEC appeal have already reached over £85 million, which includes £5 million in matched funding provided by DFID. UK support has provided: over 230,000 people with emergency shelter; over 200,000 people with winter support such as clothes, blankets and mattresses; and over 2,000 hours of helicopter flights to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to communities in areas inaccessible by road.

    In the first few weeks after the earthquake, DFID and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office established a project to collect beneficiary feedback. Short, monthly perception surveys on the coverage, quality and fairness of the humanitarian response are produced by this project. This information has informed the DFID response, as well as shaped wider humanitarian efforts in Nepal.

    DFID is also funding a number of ongoing surveys to understand the issues and challenges on the ground, including community recovery from the earthquake (with the Asia Foundation) and also levels of food security in the affected areas (with the World Food Programme). In a complex context, this has helped us understand the needs and challenges that are driving costs and delivery timelines.

    DFID delivered much of its humanitarian support through International Non-Governmental Organisations, who had the capacity and presence on the ground to respond. We have undertaken regular monitoring of partner performance through field trips, meetings with partners, and routine narrative reporting. We have undertaken three rounds of monitoring to track partner performance, unit costs, timeliness and quality. All partner organisations have delivered to expectations.

  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on raising awareness of the tax-free Childcare scheme.

    Damian Hinds

    HM Revenue and Customs, HM Treasury and the Department for Education, and their Ministers, are collaborating closely on the implementation of Tax-Free Childcare and the Extended Entitlement to free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of tunnelling between Darenth and South Ockenden as an option for the Lower Thames Crossing.

    Andrew Jones

    Two long tunnels were considered and evaluated as part of the options for a new Lower Thames Crossing scheme. The long tunnel options connected Darenth to South Ockenden either through junctions 2 and 30 on the M25 or by direct connection to the motorway beyond the junctions.

    The cost of these tunnel options was estimated at £6.6 billion compared with £4.3 billion for the proposed option, described in the consultation material, and therefore these options were not taken forward as they did not represent good value for money.