Tag: 2016

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department collects on the number of people who use electronic cigarettes.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not collect any data on the number of people who use electronic cigarettes. The Department makes use of various data sources, including that published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the Office for National Statistics as an evidence base for policy making. This includes the Opinions and Lifestyles Survey for electronic cigarette use by adults and the Smoking, Drinking and Drugs survey for use by young people.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) representations he has received from and (b) meetings his Department has had with companies based in the British Overseas Territories on the future of the Land Registry.

    Anna Soubry

    A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. We have received views from a large number of businesses and individuals. My department is analysing these responses and the Government will issue a response in due course. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry and, as such, no bids have been received.

  • Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Turnberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-07-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 7 July 2016 (HL799), what discussion they have had with the Palestinian Authority about its non-attendance at meetings with Israeli officials on the Joint Water Committee.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Continuity of water supply to the West Bank is essential for both the basic needs of Palestinians and for stability and security more widely. The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. We encourage both parties to find a swift resolution to this issue and to reconvene the Joint Water Committee.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2016 to Question 44900, if he will publish the number of people with cancer who applied for attendance allowance under the special rules for people with terminal illness in each of the last five years either (a) during or (b) after the consultation on the devolution of attendance allowance.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The consultation “Self-sufficient local government: 100% business rates retention” published by the Department for Communities and Local Government sought views on a range of options for devolving new responsibilities to local government including more responsibility for caring for older people.

    The feedback from that consultation which closed on 26 September is currently being analysed and a response will be published in due course.

    The Government would undertake a further consultation, accompanied by a relevant impact assessment, if any changes were to be proposed in relation to Attendance Allowance.

    The information on administrative costs related to Attendance Allowance is collected by DWP but is not currently available for the financial year 2015-16.

    The information requested on applications is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Information on claims awarded under the special rules for people with terminal illness is available from the DWP Tabulation Tool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a timetable for disclosure of Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period.

    Matthew Hancock

    Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government’s agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Attorney General, if he will estimate the costs attributed to the Department for Education by the Government Legal Department since 2010.

    Robert Buckland

    The Treasury Solicitor’s Department was renamed the Government Legal Department (GLD) on 1 April 2015. It is primarily funded through the fees it charges for its legal services. It provides Litigation, Employment, Commercial and Advisory legal services to the Department for Education (DfE). The fees charged to DfE for this work, including the cost of disbursements, are as follows:

    Financial year

    Fees (excluding VAT) £

    2010-11

    4,208,845

    2011-12

    4,499,546

    2012-13

    4,805,840

    2013-14

    4,409,976

    2014-15

    4,098,629

    Providing information on the costs attributed to cases relating to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 would incur disproportionate cost as it would involve a manual exercise to identify those historical cases that relate to FOI.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate how many (a) people and (b) organisations will be affected by the interim guidance on the new anti-lobbying clause in government grant agreements.

    Matthew Hancock

    The information requested is not held centrally. We are currently working on improving the data collected on grants through the development of an internal Government Grants Information System. The clause will apply to all grants except in exceptional circumstances as set out at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-grants-register.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Earl of Courtown on 15 March (HL6695), whether they will call on the government of Turkey to compensate civilians killed or injured, or whose property has been destroyed or damaged, by artillery, demolitions, or air attacks not only in Cizre, but elsewhere in Turkey.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly discuss the situation in Cizre and elsewhere in south east Turkey with the Government of Turkey, who have underlined to us their desire to carry out security operations in a careful manner, fully respecting the rule of law. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights and avoid civilian casualties. We call for a Kurdistan Workers’ Party ceasefire and a return to the peace process. Turkey’s Development Minister has said the government is providing a range of support to those affected and is working on monetary and other forms of compensation for those whose homes and properties have been damaged.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the potential annual cost to the public purse of exempting all people with long-term medical conditions from prescription charges.

    Alistair Burt

    We have not made a recent estimate of the cost to the public purse in lost revenue from introducing an exemption from prescription charges for all people with long-term medical conditions. However, the review of prescription charges by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, which was commissioned by a previous Government and published in 2010, estimated that extending the prescription charge exemption to everyone with a long-term condition would cost £360 to £430 million a year. This is likely to be an underestimate, given the increase in the prescription charge and increasing numbers of prescriptions dispensed since the Review was published. Overall prescription charge revenue for 2014/15, which is the last year for which we have a complete audited figure, was £503.9 million.

    A number of prescription charge exemptions are in place, for which someone with a long-term condition may qualify. These include exemptions based on low income, such as certain out of work benefits and the NHS Low Income Scheme, and age. Where someone does not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates are available. The 3-month and 12-month certificates allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as they need for £29.10 and £104, respectively. Approximately 90% of all prescriptions are dispensed in England without a charge.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

    Joseph Johnson

    All employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are paid via the BIS payroll.