Tag: 2016

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

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to implement English language checks on doctors who have come from other EU countries to test their knowledge of clinical English rather than general social English.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In June 2014 the General Medical Council (GMC) was given powers to carry out proportionate language controls on all applicants from the European Economic Area (EEA) to ensure that doctors have the necessary English language skills to practise safely in the United Kingdom. In addition the GMC was given powers to take fitness to practise action if a doctor working in the UK has insufficient language skills to carry out their job safely. Doctors must register with the GMC to practise in the UK.

    Since June 2014 a total of 1,659 doctors from the EEA have been unable to demonstrate to the GMC that they have sufficient language skills to practise safely in the UK; 564 of those doctors have gone on to reach the standard required by the GMC and have been issued with a licence to practise.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) time and (b) cost of clearing all contaminated material on the grounds where Heathrow plans to build a third runway.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Airports Commission considered site enabling works as a part of their cost and commercial analysis and the Government is considering all of the evidence before reaching a view on its preferred scheme.

    The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015 and outlined that it will take forward a draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) to deliver new airport capacity. The NPS will be supported by an Appraisal of Sustainability which will examine the economic, social and environmental impacts of the new runway proposals. This will include an assessment of the impacts on soil.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Business Growth Service.

    Anna Soubry

    An interim impact evaluation of the Growth Accelerator programme was published in November 2014. This was followed by a formative evaluation in January 2015, which looked at the delivery of the programme and informed the design of the Business Growth Service. A policy response to the formative evaluation was published in March 2015, in line with a commitment to the National Audit Office

    A review of the Manufacturing Advisory Service was completed in December 2010 and published the following year. An Impact Analysis Methodology study of the Manufacturing Advisory Service is being published in early 2016.

    A full economic evaluation of the Business Growth Service will continue beyond the closure of the service in March. All documents will continue to be available on www.gov.uk.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 26 January (HL5218), what guidance they have issued to local Chief Executives in their role as Monitoring Officer in the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) about their responsibility to make arrangements for the archiving of public papers following the end of the PCC’s term of office in May; and if none, whether they intend to issue such guidance.

    Lord Bates

    Further to my Written Answer on 26 January (HL5218), Chief Executives of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) offices hold the responsibility, as Monitoring Officers, for the archiving of public papers following the end of their PCC’s term of office in May 2016.

    As such, and as with other local bodies, such as local authorities and elected mayors, it is not the role of national Government to determine how this should be done.

    In respect of PCCs, the Association of Policing & Crime Chief Executives (APACE) will support Chief Executives in fulfilling their responsibilities. The Government, therefore, does not intend to issue guidance on this matter.

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, for what reason the Chair’s Statement must be requested by beneficiaries rather than provided automatically.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government remains committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear. Although it is not a legal requirement, the Government expects that many schemes will choose to publish their annual Chair’s Statement. In due course, the Government intends to make regulations requiring information about scheme costs and charges to be published.

    Trade unions that are recognised to any extent for the purposes of collective bargaining in relation to members of the scheme are entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. Trade unions which do not meet these criteria are not entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. However, beneficiaries of pension schemes who are members of trade unions which are not recognised for collective bargaining purposes may still request the information and pass it on to their union or any other person.

    We intend to publish a summary of the evidence received on transaction costs in pension schemes when we announce our next steps, which will follow in due course.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in end-to-end personal independence payment processing time from 11 to 13 weeks.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Following a controlled start from July 2015, full Personal Independence Payment (PIP) roll-out commenced in October 2015, with an increase in the numbers of existing Disability Living Allowance claimants being asked to claim PIP.

    In addition and in order to improve the customer journey, the Department has made some changes to the way in which it monitors Assessment Provider performance. These changes mean that Providers now have more time in which to complete assessments and return reports to the Department and also gives them greater flexibility to obtain further evidence to support claims: this therefore allows more time for scheduling appointments that better suit claimants and Assessment Providers, increases accuracy in assessments and reports and ensures opportunities for paper based reviews are maximised thereby reducing the demand for face-to-face appointments. Although these changes may see slightly longer average clearance times, they remain within expected levels.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20367 and of 18 January 2016 to Question 22101, what the spend for the Cyber Streetwise campaign was on (a) media spend and production, (b) PR, partnership and social, (c) research and (d) website in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

    Mr John Hayes

    Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign, developed by private and public stakeholder partners and coordinated by the Home Office’s Research, Information and Communications Unit. It is designed to make the UK a safer place to interact and do business online by increasing individual and SME adoption of safe online behaviours.

    Government experts estimate that a significant proportion of cyber security threats could be avoided by safer online behaviours. Cyber Streetwise supports this by increasing digital confidence, informing people about key steps that keep them safer online. It does this by:

    • Delivering actionable and positive solution focussed advice on how to be secure

    • Creating arresting communications that highlight the consequences and cut through low interest

    • Reminding and reinforcing individuals and SMEs of the core protective behaviours at the point of risk/incidence

    The impact of Cyber Streetwise on behaviours is evaluated via regular quantitative tracking research. Since its launch in January 2014, it is estimated that 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them.

    The spend for Cyber Streetwise in 2014/15 and 2015/16 is as follows:

    • 2014/15 – £3.95 million excl VAT

    • 2015/16 – £4.1 million excl VAT

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

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has published on surrogacy for professionals working in midwifery, hospitals, fertility clinics and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

    Jane Ellison

    Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act was introduced in 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy.

    The Department has not issued guidance about surrogacy to professional groups or the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The CAFCASS campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 14 July (HL1012) in which they stated that the IMF noted Zimbabwe’s good progress and encouraged further reforms”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Following its May 2016 Article IV Consultation with Zimbabwe, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted that “despite the adverse environment, the authorities have reduced the fiscal deficit in both 2014 and 2015. They have started to rationalise public expenditures by implementing recommendations from the 2015 civil service audit. They are also amending the Public Financial Management and Procurement Acts. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has taken measures to restore confidence in the financial sector. All banks in operations now have capital buffers above the minimum requirements”. The IMF assessment did not cover political reform.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on its investigation into alleged UK violations of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Rules of Procedure of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provide that all documents and proceedings of the Committee relating to the conduct of an inquiry under the Optional Protocol are confidential.