Tag: 2016

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress is being made on introducing data sharing arrangements between the Valuation Office Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions that would allow the up-front identification of fuel poor households; and whether she plans that those arrangements will be introduced in 2017 in time to support the new energy efficiency obligation announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We intend to consult this year on the future design of the Energy Company Obligation, including the use of Government data to help identify fuel poor households in greatest need of support. The Government is considering how access to data, including that held by the Valuation Office Agency, could be improved for the purposes of providing assistance to fuel poor households.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent estimate he has made of the level of inward investment to Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

    David Mundell

    On 29 February 2016, UK Trade & Investment published the number of Foreign Direct Investment projects by UK Region for the period 2010/11 to 2014/15. These figures show that Scotland attracted 531 projects during this period. These projects led to 26,184 new jobs, which is equal to 8.6 per cent of the total job creation for the UK as a whole.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of toxocariasis have been identified in England in each year since 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    The data are available in the United Kingdom Zoonoses Report, and are published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488376/zoonoses-annual-report-2014.pdf

    The data for 2015 are not yet published.

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 May 2016 to Question 36211, whether (a) free and (b) new schools which open in a local education authority area are funded from the same delegated schools budget that existed prior to their opening.

    Edward Timpson

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-06-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 27 June (HL645), how many of the 8,408 rare disease genomes and 1,671 cancer genomes have been shared with Genomics England’s commercial interpretation partners.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Genomics England has confirmed that 293 rare disease and 310 cancer genomes have been sent to their clinical interpretation partners. Genomics England expects this flow to increase steadily as further links with clinical interpretation providers are established.

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

    Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on inward investment to the UK of the condition and environment of the UK rail network.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There is extensive evidence of the importance of transport and connectivity to attracting inward investment in to the UK economy. HM Government is always seeking to maximise such opportunities, however we have made no specific assessment of how the UK’s railways are currently bearing on inward investment.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria his Department uses to determine who receives Start-Up Loans; and what processes are in place to ensure that people with mental health problems have their applications considered fairly.

    Anna Soubry

    The Start-Up Loans programme provides loans and mentoring support to enable entrepreneurs aged 18 and over from all parts of society and based in the UK to start a business. So far, over 34,300 entrepreneurs have received support from the programme, which in turn has facilitated over £187 million worth of lending to date.

    The programme operates through a network of Delivery Partners, who make individual lending decisions based on criteria set by the Start-Up Loans Company. Delivery Partners are required to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. A condition of this authorisation is that they adhere to the FCA’s Treating Customers Fairly principles, which include reference to the treatment of customers with mental health issues.

    A full list of principles is available on the FCA’s website

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has allocated funding for primary and secondary schools to employ a dedicated mental health practitioner to provide services to pupils on site.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The most recent prevalence survey estimated that 1 in 10 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and more have lower level problems. This is why the Government has made good mental health, character and resilience a high priority. The Department of Health is commissioning a new prevalence survey to update this estimate for a wider range of ages, from 2-19. It is due to report in 2018. We do not routinely collect data that allows us to measure the amount schools spend specifically on addressing mental health issues.

    We are committed to better understanding what schools are doing on this matter, which is why my department is commissioning an extensive survey. This survey will provide a robust national picture of mental health support provided by schools and colleges.

    It is for head teachers to determine how they spend their individual school budgets to best meet the needs of all their pupils. In the Spending Review we announced that the core schools budget will be protected in real terms through this Parliament. We are also protecting the Pupil Premium, which many schools use to fund mental health provision, at current pupil rates. Within these protections, we announced in December 2015 that an additional £92.5 million will specifically be provided in the high needs element of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) next year.

    We have also made £1.4 billion available over the next five years to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. Clinical Commissioning Groups have been required to work with others services locally, including schools, to produce plans that set out how they will transform children and young people’s mental health services locally to make them more accessible and increase the focus on prevention.

    We are also contributing to a £3 million joint pilot with NHS England for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure that children and young people have timely access to specialist support where needed. There are 22 pilot areas covering more than 200 schools across 27 CCGs.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from (a) consumer groups and (b) railway franchise holders on the level of staffing at small railway stations; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    Whilst we regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, station staffing levels are primarily a matter for operators as we believe that they themselves are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers.

    Since February 2015, 3 ticket offices have reduced their opening hours after train companies followed the procedure as set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, which includes making representation to the Department.

    Passenger Focus (as was) and London TravelWatch provided responses to the East Anglia franchise public consultation with regard to staffing.

    More recently, both Transport Focus and London TravelWatch have made representations to the Department with regard to the South Western franchise consultation and staffing.

    Representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway have also briefed officials at the Department on their plans to carry out a consultation on proposals to change ticket office opening hours at some stations.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to increase the number of bedded inpatient services for young people with mental health conditions.

    Alistair Burt

    The £1.4 billion additional funding the Government has made available over the course of this Parliament to deliver the vision set out in Future in Mind includes £7 million to enable NHS England to commission 56 new inpatient care beds for children and young people with mental health needs. This raises the total number of beds to 1,442, the highest this has ever been.

    The local Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) transformation plans developed during 2015/16 provide the ideal context within which to make decisions about the future requirements for CAMHS T4 beds. The specialised commissioners have reviewed the approach to be taken to the CAMHS T4 procurement and have moved away from a single national procurement to local procurement, clearly set within a national framework. This revised approach will enable variation around timescales and ensure responsiveness to the local agenda. The approach will also reinforce the essential local ownership of capacity plans and pathways of care.

    We also need to be clear that effective mental health care is about far more than inpatient beds. We are therefore working with local commissioners to strengthen care across the system. The aim is to bolster preventive and early-intervention services that help young people stay well in their own communities, without ever needing inpatient care.