The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what representations she has received on the effect on Northern Ireland of proposals for new runway capacity in the London area.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
I have discussed the importance of air connectivity between Northern Ireland and London and the work of the Airports Commission with Ministers in the Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and airport operators.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether provisions in the Buses Bill will seek to require bus operators to publish data on fares.
Andrew Jones
The Bill will include powers to require the release of open data on routes, timetables, punctuality and fares, in a specified format.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who was responsible for appointing the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprint Leaders.
George Freeman
Sustainability and Transformation Plan areas have been determined by local health and care services coming together in ways that make sense for their local areas, in order to transform the way that health and care is planned and delivered for their populations.
Following local discussions about who is best placed to play the role of footprint leaders, together with discussions with national bodies, 41 of the 44 planning areas have identified and agreed leaders.
They are mostly a mix of trust chief executive officers, clinical commissioning group leaders and local government executives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what research on the effect of fixed odds betting terminals his Department has (a) commissioned, (b) carried out and (c) assessed from external sources since 2010; and whether his Department plans to carry out or commission any further such research.
David Evennett
The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), was set up to by the Gambling Commission to advise on priorities for research, education and training (RET) relating to responsible gambling. The Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) an independent charity, then commissions research into gambling related harm and funds education and treatment programmes, taking into account the priorities set out by the RGSB.
It is a requirement on all gambling licence holders to make an annual financial contribution to one or more organisations that perform research, education or training for gambling-related harm. The vast majority choose to make that contribution to the Responsible Gambling Trust, which has raised £7.5 million in 2016 (unaudited); £6.5 million in 2015; £6.3 million in 2014; £5.7 million in 2013; £5.2 million in 2012; £5 million in 2011 (each year relates to the previous 12 months to 31 March). RGT’s accounts for these years are available on the Charity Commission website and include the breakdown of expenditure between research, treatment and harm prevention.
RGT is committed to working with RGSB to estimate the cost of the education activities identified in the recently published National Responsible Gambling Strategy, 2016-19, that will be expected to raise from businesses who profit from commercial gambling in Britain.
The Responsible Gambling Trust has published a number of research reports into FOBTs since 2010, which are available on the RGT website: http://www.responsiblegamblingtrust.org.uk/research/research-publications/
Further RGT commercial and independent research on Category B Gaming Machines was published on 24 May, and can be found here http://www.responsiblegamblingtrust.org.uk/research/research-publications/
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to Bradford of improvements to rail connectivity in and around the Bradford area.
Andrew Jones
The Government recognises the economic benefits of investing in transport and is committed to spend £13 billion on transport in the north of England which through the new franchises will provide more than 500 brand-new carriages, the removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacer trains, room for 40,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, and more than 2,000 extra services a week.
As part of the North of England programme we are investing in journey time, capacity and connectivity improvements to give passengers more and faster services to and from Bradford.
Specific improvements in improving connections to and from Bradford include:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of training of assessors for asylum applications where religious persecution is the reason for the application.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.
We are carefully considering the report and recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief published in June 2016 and will provide a response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the nuclear agreement with Iran, they plan to make representations to the government of Israel to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and agree to the same level of inspection now accepted by Iran.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and for peaceful uses of nuclear energy. All state parties should be pushing for universality of the treaty. In that regard, the Government continues to call on all states that are not parties to the NPT, including Israel, to accede to it, and we also continue to call on Israel to agree a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria in which Network Rail was involved.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.
The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.
When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;
Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.
Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.
Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of the introduction of driver-only operation on rail services on (a) passenger safety, (b) passenger assurance, (c) women passengers, (d) disabled passengers, (e) revenue protection and (f) passenger assistance.
Claire Perry
The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.
This system has already been in safe use on almost a third of rail services in Great Britain for up to 30 years and can help to improve the service to passengers. Giving responsibility to the driver to operate the doors can improve operational performance and can enable other staff on board the train to provide a better face-to-face service for passengers. Staffing levels are generally a matter for railway operators, as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of all passengers. However, it is important that those who need assistance to travel can rely on railway staff to provide this. Each operator is required to participate in the Passenger Assist system which allows disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the consultation on the database created by the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Act 2016 will involve (a) medical research charities, (b) the pharmaceutical sector and (c) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
George Freeman
The Health and Social Care Information Centre will consult with stakeholders including charities, the relevant Royal Colleges, industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and other relevant bodies in the creation of the Database described in the Act, when the power vested on the Secretary of State is enacted.