The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what premium payments were made by the InterCity East Coast franchisee to his Department in 2015-16.
Claire Perry
The final number for 2015/16 is yet to be audited. The official number is due to be published by the Office of Rail and Road on 25th August 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of slavery have been reported in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The table below shows the number of potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery who were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in the UK between 2011 and 2015.
The NRM is the UK’s identification and support mechanism for potential victims of modern slavery.
|
Year |
Number of potential victims |
|
2011 |
946 |
|
2012 |
1,186 |
|
2013 |
1,746 |
|
2014 |
2,340 |
|
2015 |
3,266 |
A breakdown of referrals is available from published NRM statistics on the National Crime Agency website and can be found here: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the implementation of the Healthy Child Programme; and what recent meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had to discuss that Programme.
Nicola Blackwood
The responsibility for leadership of the Healthy Child Programme is with Public Health England (PHE).
The Healthy Child Programme is the Government’s framework that underpins PHE’s priority to give every child the best start in life. The Best Start in Life Board meets bimonthly, jointly chaired by PHE and a local authority Chief Executive. The Board has cross-government representation from the Department of Health, Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, and Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Department has commissioned PHE to undertake a review of the delivery of the universal elements of 0-5 services, mandated to local authorities, and will report later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the average length of time taken by Concentrix to determine applications for mandatory reconsideration of a tax credits decision.
Mr David Gauke
The number of requests for mandatory reconsideration of a decision about a tax credits award that Concentrix have received since the commencement of their contract with HM Revenue and Customs in November 2014 is as follows:
|
Month |
Number of MRs |
|
November 2014 |
0 |
|
December 2014 |
2 |
|
January 2015 |
6 |
|
February 2015 |
38 |
|
March 2015 |
29 |
|
April 2015 |
137 |
|
May 2015 |
100 |
|
June 2015 |
45 |
|
July 2015 |
71 |
|
August 2015 |
108 |
|
September 2015 |
1221 |
|
October 2015 |
925 |
|
November 2015 |
871 |
|
December 2015 |
2371 |
The total is about 1.6% of all decisions Concentrix made in the same period.
As of 15 January 2016, there are 566 mandatory reconsiderations in progress that have been opened and Concentrix are waiting for customers to provide further evidence. Concentrix have 30 further mandatory reconsiderations that are awaiting determination.
The average length of time taken between Concentrix starting to work a mandatory reconsideration and making a decision is 24 days. This includes the time needed for customers to provide any further evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent finding by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that pre-exposure prophylaxis could reduce HIV rates in men who have sex with men in the UK by between 40 and 60 per cent.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England is working with local authorities, clinicians, patient representatives and Public Health England to consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of providing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to groups at increased risk to prevent them acquiring HIV. This includes a full review and analysis of published literature in this area. The PrEP clinical policy proposition is one of many going through NHS England’s 2016/17 prioritisation round.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of cases in which year 10 pupils have enrolled on courses not yet accredited as subjects which have had all four exam board specifications rejected by Ofqual.
Nick Gibb
Current pupils in year 10, who are due to take their GCSE exams in summer 2017, are taking the new English and mathematics GCSE qualifications which were accredited in 2015 together with existing GCSE qualifications in all other subjects. A further 20 subjects at GCSE and 11 subjects at AS/A level are being accredited now for first teaching from September 2016. The accreditation of the new qualifications is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked Amanda Spielman, the Interim Chief Regulator, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many nationals of other EU member states who have been victims of violent crime in the UK have been compensated as a result of EU legislation in each year since 2010; and how much that compensation amounted to.
Mike Penning
The Criminal Inquiries Compensation Scheme is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The Authority does not record or collect data on the nationality of individuals who make applications for compensation or are granted awards of compensation under the Scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to change provision of the Post Office Card Account.
Priti Patel
Post Office Card Accounts provide a useful service to many people and there are no plans to change provision.
The Department recognises, however, that working age claimants may also be receiving wages. As the account does not receive wages or allow for direct debit or standing order facilities, Post Office Card Accounts are not suitable for all of their needs. Those claimants are therefore being encouraged to open main stream bank accounts including credit union accounts.
The Post Office Card Account contract was awarded from 01 December 2014 and expires on 30 November 2021 and there are no plans to amend that term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-06-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to engage with individuals who are aware of having an alcohol problem but have not, because they are too ashamed or frightened, sought help.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Local authorities and their health and wellbeing board partners have responsibility for planning the full range of alcohol services, from early intervention and prevention, through to commissioning alcohol treatment services to meet need in their area and ensure services are accessible to everyone. Furthermore in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guidance (PH 24) Alcohol-use disorders: preventing harmful drinking, Public Health England (PHE) encourages health and social care professionals to carry out Identification and Brief Advice through general practitioners and programmes such as NHS Health Checks and Making Every Contact Count. A copy of the NICE guidance is attached.
The majority of services offer interventions that are non-religious and are based on cognitive behavioural principles with motivational enhancement techniques.
There are a number of online resources to help with alcohol issues, including the One You and NHS Choices websites. One You is an integrated social marketing campaign run by PHE which aims to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. This includes offering users advice and information about alcohol as well as tools which help monitor their drinking. NHS Choices offers a range of information about alcohol dependence and includes an on online directory of local alcohol services that those worried about their alcohol use can approach for assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that the Cheshire and Merseyside Sustainability and Transformation Plan is published in full before NHS England agrees transformation plans in October 2016.
David Mowat
Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review in October, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.
We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.
NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website.