The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prison officer hours spent guarding prisoners in hospital as as a result of incidents involving new psychoactive substances.
Andrew Selous
This information is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with mental health charities on the effect of the Work Programme on its participants.
Priti Patel
Officials met with the Disability Charities Consortium on 15 January to discuss input into the new Work and Health Programme, which included discussion of the lessons learned from the Work Programme. Officials will also be attending a round table on future employment support, hosted by Mind, on 24 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of gaps in maritime capability.
Penny Mordaunt
Given the constantly evolving nature of the threats we face, maritime capabilities are regularly reviewed and assessed. I am witholding the details of those assessments as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese government on the safety of British journalists working in China.
Mr Hugo Swire
We remain concerned by the harassment and detention of journalists in China. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities to respect and protect freedom of expression and association, in line with its constitution and the international frameworks to which China is a party. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised this issue with the Chinese Foreign Minister earlier this year. Specifically, he expressed his disappointment at the unacceptable treatment of journalists, including those from the UK, outside the court during the trial of Pu Zhiqiang. I raised the same issue with Vice Minister Cheng Fengxiang, of the Chinese Communist Party International Liaison Department, in December 2015. The latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights report highlights further concerns over the treatment of some journalists in China (including foreign journalists).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce compulsory advanced notification for (a) commercial and (b) pleasure craft of arrival in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
The security of our border remains a absolute priority. Border Force works closely with domestic and international partners on an intelligence-led approach to identify unlawful maritime activity including facilitation and illegal entry.
Information on vessels travelling to and from the UK is collected from a range of sources and analysed at the National Maritime Information Centre. The Government keeps all options relating to advance notification requirements under review and will continue to ensure proportionate measures are in place to secure our border.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to implement the long service compensation cap for the Pension Protection Fund.
Richard Harrington
I am committed to implementing the Pension Protection Fund long service cap and hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will amend his policy on proposed increases to business rates in order to help augment the speed of broadband roll-out.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many technologies have been assessed through NHS England’s commissioning through evaluation process in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.
George Freeman
In 2014, five treatments commencedevaluation under NHS England’s Commissioning through Evaluation programme.
In 2015, six treatments commenced evaluation under NHS England’s Commissioning through Evaluation programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector.
Andrew Jones
My Department has not yet entered into discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of bus franchising on the vehicle manufacturing sector. My officials have however discussed proposals with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-02-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which of the provisions of the European Commission’s 2014 Recommendation on a new approach to business failure and insolvency would (1) benefit, and (2) harm, the UK’s insolvency regime if introduced.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The UK’s flexible and effective restructuring and insolvency regime is very much in keeping with the general themes of the EU Recommendation. Following the European Commission’s 2014 Recommendation, the Government conducted a call for evidence seeking the views of stakeholders and submitted a response to the Commission’s survey on how Member States comply with the Recommendation. The Government published the UK’s response in August 2015. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/european-commission-recommendation-on-business-failure-and-insolvency-call-for-evidence
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