The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-09-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the draft BBC Charter and Agreement will be laid before Parliament.
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The BBC’s draft Charter and Framework Agreement published was published on Thursday 15th September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials in each government department have responsibility for progress towards the sustainable development goals.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK is committed to achieving the Global Goals; this is why we continue to maintain ourcommitmentto spending 0.7% of GNI onoverseas development aid, and why we focus this aid on helping the poorest and most vulnerable people globally. Policy officials across departments – and in particular in DFID – have responsibility for this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement in the letter by the President of European Council on his proposal for a new settlement for the UK within the EU that the UK is not committed to further political integration, what mechanisms are included in that proposed agreement to prevent the UK being so committed without its consent.
Mr David Lidington
The Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, concerning a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union, section C, paragraph 1, recognises that the United Kingdom is “not committed to further political integration into the European Union”. This will be incorporated into the Treaties at the time of their next revision “so as to make it clear that the references to ever closer union do not apply to the United Kingdom”.
In addition, the Decision states that “the references in the Treaties and their preambles to the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe do not offer a legal basis for extending the scope of any provision of the Treaties or of EU secondary legislation. They should not be used either to support an extensive interpretation of the competences of the Union or of the powers of its institutions as set out in the Treaties. . . The Treaties allow an evolution towards a deeper degree of integration among the Member States that share such a vision of their common future, without this applying to other Member States.”
More widely, the European Union Act 2011 ensures that if a change to the EU Treaties is proposed that would transfer a power from the UK to the EU, the consent of the British people in a referendum would be required before such a transfer could be agreed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26688, how much his Department spent in contracts on commercial civilian guarding in each of the last six years.
Mark Lancaster
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with chronic acute urinary tract infections can access appropriate treatment on the NHS.
Jane Ellison
The Department does not determine which treatments should be available for what ailments. National Health Service commissioners are responsible for making decisions on individual treatments on the basis of the available evidence, taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) where available.
NICE guidance is always evidence based, assuring us of the latest clinical thinking and research to determine the best treatment for patients.
The guidelines from NICE for urinary tract infections can be found here:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg171/chapter/1-recommendations
NHS England published new guidance on 16 November 2015 to help improve the care and experience of people with continence issues. This includes the most up to date evidence to support commissioners and providers. The guidance can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2015/11/16/continence-care/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of affordable starter homes that will be built in (a) Tottenham, (b) Islington, (c) Barnet, (d) Haringey, (e) Enfield and (f) London in (i) 2016 and (ii) each of the next four years.
Brandon Lewis
The Starter Homes policy is expected to deliver at least a 20% discount from market value on new homes built for first time buyers under 40 years of age. We recognise that first time buyers can face affordability pressures within parts of London which is why we want Starter Homes to make a significant contribution to housing delivery. The London £450k price cap is not an expectation of the going price for a Starter Home. In London in 2014, the average price paid by a first time buyer was £364k – which would equate to a starter homes price of £291k. We are consulting on starter homes regulations which will set the requirement for starter homes and any exemptions. The Department does not make assessments on the number of starter homes that are to be built by local authority area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they maintain data on the number of primary-school pupils who are (1) bilingual, and (2) trilingual.
Lord Nash
The Department only collects data on pupils’ first language spoken which is not an indicator of proficiency in English or other languages. The Department does not hold information on the number of pupils who are bilingual or trilingual.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Durham on 2016-09-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to the government of Rwanda to tackle levels of inequality there.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
DFID supports various programmes that tackle economic and social inequalities in Rwanda. Our programmes on social protection, education and agriculture all support the Government of Rwanda to address inequality and focus on the needs and rights of the poorest and most excluded people. In addition to DFID’s direct support to Government programmes, we also work with the private sector and other partners to promote inclusive economic growth that promotes social cohesion and reduces economic inequalities, creating decent and sustainable jobs for all. We also work with non-governmental organisations and civil society to address economic, social and gender inequalities. We have three dedicated programmes working on gender and women and girls’ empowerment, focusing on Gender Based Violence Prevention, the empowerment of adolescent girls, and addressing harmful social and gender norms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employees in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West are earning less than the national minimum wage rate which will apply from 1 April 2016.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pathologists qualified to conduct postmortems there were in (a) 2010 and (b) 2015.
Ben Gummer
The Department does not hold this information.