Tag: 2016

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England to agree a long-term arrangement to control the cost of medical indemnity cover for out-of-hours GPs.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department and NHS England are committed to addressing the issue of increasing medical indemnity costs for general practitioners (GPs), including those working out of hours.

    Increasing costs of indemnity cover associated with out of hours work may discourage GPs from undertaking out-of-hours shifts in primary care.

    The Department was represented at a roundtable event held by NHS England on 17 November 2015 to develop a shared understanding of how to address rising medical indemnity costs. A range of stakeholders, including the British Medical Association and Medical Defence Organisations, also attended.

    On 9 December 2015, NHS England announced a winter indemnity scheme to offset the additional indemnity premium for GPs who wish to work additional sessions for their out-of-hours providers.

    Discussions are ongoing between the Department and NHS England on a long-term solution.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to maintain funding for a Driving Test Centre in Wrexham.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) plans to maintain its funding obligations in relation to Wrexham Driving Test Centre.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department holds data on the amount of heat a tonne of biomass gives off when burned compared to a tonne of coal; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department annually publishes the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES). Appendix A of DUKES contains data on the calorific value of fuels:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447648/ DUKES_2015_Annex_A.pdf.

    The gross calorific value of dry biomass fuels, (the DUKES values have been corrected for moisture content), vary between 10 gigajoules per tonne (GJ/t) for poultry litter and 24 GJ/t for meat and bone meal. A typical dry wood based fuel has an energy content close to 19 GJ/t. Treatments such as torrefaction or charcoal production increase the energy density of biomass derived materials. However these manufactured biomass fuels are not commonly used for heating in the UK.

    A tonne of coal can also vary in heat content, depending on the rank of the coal, but lies between 24 GJ/t for bituminous coal as used in the pulp, paper and printing industries and 34 GJ/t of fuel for anthracite used in households. Typical bituminous house coal has a gross heat content of 30 GJ/t.

    These values represent the maximum heat available from a fuel in a laboratory test. The useful heat provided by combustion of that fuel to the business or home will depend on the efficiency of the combustor in which it is burnt and the design of the energy distribution system. The combustor efficiency can range from an open fire which may provide 20% of the energy in the fuel as useful heat, to modern condensing wood pellet boilers with gross efficiencies around 90%.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to encourage (a) China, (b) Egypt, (c) India, (d) Iran, (e) Israel, (f) North Korea, (g) Pakistan and (h) the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the last 12 months.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    During the last 12 months we have continued to urge the eight remaining Annex II states who have not yet ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to do so. We have worked through the EU to promote the entry into force and universalisation of the Treaty. We made a statement and co-sponsored a resolution supporting the entry into force of the Treaty at the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly. The G7 Foreign Ministers’ declaration at their meeting in Hiroshima was clear that all states should sign and ratify the treaty without delay and without conditions.

  • Lord Condon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Condon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which police forces in areas with North Sea coastlines or English Channel coastlines from Norfolk south and west to Devon and Cornwall have marine or boat units capable of patrolling estuaries or inshore sea waters; and what is the maximum range in which those police forces’ units are licensed to operate.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Home Office does not collect this information. Decisions on the local deployment of assets and resources, including marine units, are for individual chief constables working with their police and crime commissioner.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis they decided to open an office in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    North Carolina has been one of the fastest growing states in the US in recent years in terms of both GDP and population and hosts numerous multinational corporations. Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle, centred on North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and contains one of the biggest clusters of life science companies in the US as well as a growing number of high-tech companies.

  • Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 September (HL1845), on a convenient date in the last month, what percentage of the M1 Motorway was subject to a speed limit under 70 mph as consequence of roadworks causing unexpected restrictions of more than one week.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    From 00:01 on 03/10/2016 to 23:59 on 09/10/2016, the percentage of the M1 subject to speed restrictions was 16.7 per cent northbound and 17.2 per cent southbound.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will increase investment in research on rehabilitation, health and social care models that can improve quality of life for ill Gulf War veterans and their families; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government greatly values the service of all 1990-91 Gulf War veterans, particularly as we reach the 25th anniversary of the start of combat operations. We have long accepted that the ill health of some veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War is associated with their service in the Gulf. In such cases compensation may be claimed under the War Pensions Scheme with appropriate medical care provided by the National Health Service across the UK .

    The Department has funded extensive research into Gulf War illness including some research into rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms.

    Our strategy on research topics and studies has been informed and overseen by independent scientific experts nominated by the Medical Research Council taking account of published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies. We have no plans to undertake further research on Gulf War issues. We continue to monitor any Gulf War research that is published round the world including from the United States.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members are of the National Police Chiefs’ Council working group on prostitution.

    Karen Bradley

    Within the structure of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), chief officers are elected by their peers and take the lead on specific issues from a national operational perspective. It is for the national leads to establish working groups to support them in their role. The Home Office is in regular dialogue with on the NPCC Lead for Prostitution’s office, and as such discussed and commented on the current revision of the strategy.

    Prostitution is a complex issue, which can impact on individuals and communities in many different ways, and we are therefore clear that local areas and police forces are in the best position to identify and respond to issues around prostitution in their area. Police forces are assisted in doing so by the National Policing Lead’s refreshed Policing Sex Work Strategy, which stresses the priority of the public protection duty that the police services have in relation to the safety of those involved in prostitution.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

    Anna Soubry

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.