Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential of Westbury to become the north-south/east-west rail hub for the central south of England.

    Claire Perry

    The importance of Westbury as an interchange station for South West Trains and Great Western Rail services is not underestimated by the Department, and is already a mini hub and crew point for some of the inter-regional services (Bristol to Portsmouth and Weymouth). However, Bristol is the key hub for the region, and the Department has therefore made no such assessment regarding Westbury.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost to the UK of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative; which ten countries have benefited most financially from the scheme; and which countries have performed best in terms of debt servicing and repayment.

    Baroness Verma

    To date 36 countries have benefited from the HIPC Initiative. As a result, many developing countries have seen a marked improvement in their debt position and growth over the last 15 years. The recipients that have benefited most by committed volume are: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Uganda.

    Many countries saw substantial reductions in their debt servicing as a result of HIPC debt relief. The largest reductions in terms of the ratio of debt service to exports were Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and, Sierra Leone which all saw a fall of more than 10%.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Education and (b) Northern Ireland Executive on increasing the involvement of children and young people of school age in commemorative events for the First World War.

    David Evennett

    My Department works in close partnership with the Department for Education on the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours and Legacy 110 programmes for secondary schools, which we encourage schools to sign up to throughout the centenary period. To get even more young people involved in commemorations, we will soon launch the Great War Debate series for schools. We plan to hold one of these debates at the Clandeboye Estate, a First World War army training site, in November.

    Children will take part in all our national commemorative events to mark the Battle of Jutland in Orkney on 31 May, and the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval and Manchester on 1 July. As one example, over 1300 school children are due to visit the Experience Field at Heaton Park in Manchester on 1 July, as part of the Somme commemorations.

    Commemorative events in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland WWI Centenary Committee. The Chair of the Committee attends Government Advisory Group meetings where all aspects of the centenary programmes are discussed.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will assess the effect of the use of Lariam on the quality of performance of military personnel on operations.

    Mark Lancaster

    Mefloquine (commercially known as Lariam) is an effective anti-malarial that is used by many militaries to protect their personnel while on operations. There is no defined caveat from any advisory body in the world that suggests the use of mefloquine should be restricted in military personnel or people who handle weapons.

    Although there is no evidence that mefloquine impairs function, in accordance with guidance from Public Health England, the Civil Aviation Authority and others, the drug is not used by military aircrew. Mefloquine is also not used by divers, as its side effects could potentially be confused with decompression or narcosis events.

    In October 2015, the results were published of a Ministry of Defence questionnaire-based study of anti-malarial use by UK Service personnel training in Kenya during 2012 and 2013. This found that significantly more doxycycline than mefloquine users reported that one or more adverse effects had interfered with their ability to do their job.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is of a Care Quality Commission inspection for a (a) hospital trust, (b) care home, (c) nursing home, (d) GP surgery and (e) ambulance service.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The largest area of the Care Quality Commission’s expenditure relates to inspection activity which was a total of £134 million in 2015-16. As part of the CQC’s work to explore its value for money, the CQC calculated an average cost for inspections across the year for each sector. The average cost per inspection provided by the CQC for the financial year 2015-16 is:

    – Hospitals: £107,500

    – Primary Medical Services: £6,600

    – Adult Social Care: £4,100

    The CQC’s annual report, published on 21 July 2016, also sets out these costs per sector, per quarter, and the CQC is continuing to refine its costing of inspection activity. Inspection costs for ambulance services are unable to be provided within the timeframe of this Parliamentary Question.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any detailed breakdown is available for (a) the redevelopment of Birmingham Curzon Station and (b) other costs of High Speed 2.

    Andrew Jones

    Spending Review 2015 restated the funding envelope for delivery of HS2 at £55.7bn, in 2015 prices. This breaks down as £27.2bn for Phase 1 (including rolling stock), £3.7bn for Phase 2a, and £24.8bn for Phase 2b (including rolling stock). We do not provide funding breakdowns for specific items such as stations due to commercial sensitivities.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to his letter referenced MSU/4/5/8 which is placed in the Library, whether and to what timescale his Department plans to commission its own socio-economic report in addition to the economic impact assessment commissioned by the fishing community; if he will publish results of such a report; and what the implications of such work are for the timescales for determining the proposed byelaw changes for the inner sound between Raasay and the mainland.

    Mark Lancaster

    Work is currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to produce a Socio-Economic Report for the Raasay Ranges. This is in addition to the assessment commissioned by the local fishing community. The MOD Report will be completed and made available in advance of the outcome of the Raasay Byelaw Review which is due to be finished later this year.

  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take in preparation for the European Commission’s review of the Artist’s Resale Right.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The European Commission has not yet set a date for a periodic review of ARR. When this happens, the Intellectual Property Office will draw on existing material and consult afresh with its stakeholders for the latest evidence to inform the review.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the five times increase in the annual upfront fee charges for private hire operator licences by local authorities on small and self-employed operators.

    Andrew Jones

    Local licensing authorities can charge fees for private hire vehicle operator licences that recover the cost of administering the licensing system.

    Renewing a licence every five years, rather than more frequently as may have been the case in the past, reduces a financial and administrative burden on many of the small and medium size enterprises that make up the private hire vehicle industry.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to respond rapidly to new requirements for linguistic skills across the armed forces.

    Earl Howe

    The Defence Centre for Language and Culture (DCLC) has an extremely agile training delivery model, comprising a core of military and specialist civilian lecturers supported by a commercial training contract supplying contracted tutors. The DCLC covers a number of languages. This enables the Ministry of Defence to respond rapidly to new requirements, at scale, and at short notice. A dedicated Contingency Wing has been established specifically to respond to and manage this type of short notice demand, particularly in operationally focused languages. Plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that we have already considered broad options for the delivery of new requirements.