Tag: 2016

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the Government’s policy is towards the Big Six energy companies that seek to outsource or offshore directly employed jobs in retail operations; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    It is important we have a vibrant, dynamic energy market where energy companies work hard to attract customers though customer service as well as price. The management of retail operations, such as answering enquiries and addressing complaints from their consumers, however, are commercial matters for the individual companies.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve transparency of (a) spending and (b) outcomes in the NHS on mental health.

    Alistair Burt

    The report of the independent Mental Health Taskforce acknowledged the need for increased transparency on mental health spending and the quality of care that people receive.

    We are moving forward the data and transparency agenda and a new dataset for mental health will be published by April this year.

    NHS England has already set a principal commitment to achieving mental health parity of esteem. Through its assurance process NHS England will hold individual commissioners to account for increasing spend on mental health in line with their increase in allocations, taking account of the mental health funding that has been received.

    We have welcomed the Taskforce’s recommendations for government in the report and will be considering how best to integrate them into our current work programme, as well as new policies as they develop.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will meet with NICE, NHS England and Vertex to discuss the provision on the NHS of the drug Orkambi to treat cystic fibrosis.

    George Freeman

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently consulting on its draft technology appraisal guidance on the use of Orkambi (lumacaftor in combination with ivacaftor) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in people who are homozygous for the F508del mutation. Stakeholders, including the Department, NHS England and the manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, now have an opportunity to comment on this draft guidance.

    Departmental officials remain ready to discuss any proposals from the company that could enable National Health Service patients to access the drug at a cost-effective price.

    NICE expects to publish its final guidance in July 2016.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Department for Communities and Local Government sources 75% of its dairy products from British producers as at March 2016.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied child refugees have been reunited with relatives in the UK since the announcement, Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to be resettled from Europe, on 4 May 2016.

    James Brokenshire

    As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child’s best interests.

    As the legislation sets out, we need to consult with local authorities first and we are also working closely with NGOs, the UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant Member States to establish suitable processes to implement this initiative.

    Ministers and senior officials are in ongoing discussions with Greece, Italy and France to identify and transfer to the UK unaccompanied refugee children where it is in their best interests. We are also consulting local authorities, non-governmental organisations and UNHCR. In addition, we have worked with France to improve the operation of the Dublin family reunification process, and accepted over 30 transfer requests between January and the end of April with many more cases in train.

    We are committed to act as quickly as we can but we must take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to support those who are resettled. We must also ensure that we are able to continue to fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the refit to RFA Diligence in 2013 to extend its life to 2020.

    Earl Howe

    Refits of RFA DILIGENCE were carried out from June 2012 to February 2013, and from September 2014 to February 2015, costing £17.6 million and £11 million respectively.

    The timings of the refits were driven by factors including the mandatory requirements to renew safety and environmental certification and the need to address equipment obsolescence issues.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how potential victims of trafficking whose type of exploitation is recorded as unknown in the National Referral Mechanism Statistics, end of year summary 2015, published on 11 February 2016 were identified; and if she will make a statement.

    Sarah Newton

    Potential Victims who are recorded in the National Referral Mechanism Statistics (NRM) statistics as having suffered an unknown type of exploitation are identified and referred through the same process as other victims. The breakdown of agencies who referred them to the NRM are included in published statistics, data for which is derived from initial referral forms. An ‘unknown’ categorisation can result from missing or incomplete information on this form, which may be collected at a later stage as part of the ongoing assessment and safeguarding of the potential victim concerned.

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of changing Innovate UK funding from grants to loans.

    Joseph Johnson

    Innovation is a driver of productivity and the UK ranks among the best in the world in various indices. The Government is focussed on creating the best conditions for innovative businesses to flourish and is taking steps to ensure a range of finance options is available.

    We are exploring the range of financial instruments available in a number of countries and will be conducting market research in the UK to better understand the needs of innovative businesses.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has undertaken on the best available means of countering coastal flooding and beach erosion at Avon Beach, Christchurch.

    Rory Stewart

    The Poole and Christchurch Bays Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) assessed options for managing the Avon beach and has set a policy of ‘holding the line’. This means its defences will be maintained and upgraded or replaced in their current position where funding permits. The SMP is available on line at:

    www.twobays.net/index.htm.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals her Department has made to the children’s section of the Refugee Council related to detainees in immigration removal centres who her Department believed to be children in each year since 2009-10.

    James Brokenshire

    Since the Home Secretary announced the immediate closure of Yarl’s Wood for families with children on 16 December 2010 it has not been the policy of Her Majesty’s Government to detain those we believe are children whilst their asylum claims are under consideration. We do not have records for the number of referrals made in 2009-10.