Tag: 2016

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

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

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the strength of a designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in determining planning applications.

    Gavin Barwell

    The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protection for Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It makes clear that proposed development likely to have an adverse effect on a Site of Special Scientific Interest should not normally be permitted. Planning law requires local planning authorities to consult Natural England on applications for development in or likely to affect Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of high drug prices on the budget of the NHS.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Total spending on drugs in 2010-11 was 12.5% of the health budget.

    In 2015-16 total spend on drugs was 13.0% or 12.4% of the total budget if you include repayments to the Department from pharmaceutical companies as part of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS).

    Spending on drugs as a percentage of the overall departmental budget has remained fairly constant due to increased use of generic drugs and the PPRS.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans that company ownership transparency in the UK’s Overseas Territories with financial centres be on the agenda for the forthcoming Anti-Corruption Summit.

    Mr David Cameron

    Transparency will be a vital part of the Anti-Corruption Summit we will host in London in May. We continue to lead the way on company transparency, and we continue to push this agenda with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, as well as our other international partners.

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

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times debt repayments to his Department have been written off in each year since 2010; and what the value of such debts were in each such year.

    Alistair Burt

    The number and value of debt repayments written-off in each year since 2010* is outlined in the table below.

    Year debt written-off

    Value of Debt written-off

    Number of cases written-off

    2014/15

    £682,428

    9

    2013/14

    £47,909

    4

    2012/13

    £155,615

    8

    2011/12

    £344,897

    3

    2010/11

    £1,806,698

    8

    *2015/16 data is still being audited and will be available when the final accounts are published later this year.

    Debt repayments written off occur when income due was not collected and deemed not recoverable.The value of debt written-off can vary year on year as they relate to largely external factors. There can be a variety of reasons, but mainly where companies enter liquidation and are unable to pay. This is known in the Departmental Annual Report and Resource Account publication as claims waived or abandoned. Some of the detail of significant claims waived and abandoned (above the reporting threshold of £250,000) are reported separately in the Annual Report and Resource Account Publication and further details are shown below.

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

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the care industry of the implementation of the living wage.

    Alistair Burt

    Out of an estimated 1.52 million adult social care jobs in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit from the introduction of the National Living Wage.

    More widely across the sector, higher productivity and better-quality care through efficiency would benefit employers and care home residents and there is potential for improvements in staff retention if higher wages engendered greater job commitment.

    The Department continues to work in collaboration with delivery partners to support effective recruitment practices and improved retention of the care workforce.

    Our assessment of the effect of the National Living Wage for the Spending Review drew on projections and data on pay including information from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances he has received that (a) construction of a new station in Curzon Street and (b) other construction activity in Birmingham will comply with air quality limit values for nitrogen dioxide.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Environmental Statement and Supplementary Environmental Statements for the Phase One hybrid Bill fully assessed the impact on air quality from HS2 construction activity for the proposed Curzon Street Station and for other areas in Birmingham. That assessment concluded that there would be no significant effect on the air quality in these areas.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the 10 largest grants to fund research into the use of laser treatment for cancers made from the science budget were in the last five years; and when the results of such research will be published.

    Joseph Johnson

    Research into cancer involving proton therapy and laser treatment falls within the remit of the Research Councils.

    I have asked the Chair of the Research Councils UK Strategic Executive to write to the hon. Member and I will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that postal votes and ballot papers are sent only to eligible voters for the forthcoming EU referendum.

    John Penrose

    The referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the independent Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation. The Electoral Commission made a statement on "non-eligible EU citizen voters" on the 2 June 2016 which can be found at http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/.

    “

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the value of the video games industry to the UK economy.

    Matt Hancock

    Latest estimates from the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-economic-estimates-january-2016 ) show that Gross Value Added for the computer games industry in the UK was £426m in 2014.

    Research by Nesta and trade association Ukie (http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/map-uk-games-industry ) seeks to include the contribution of micro-businesses together with official statistics and this suggested that the contribution of video games could be substantially higher. We look forward to seeing the next iteration of this research which is due to be revealed this month and aims to further reflect the fast growing nature of the UK’s digital businesses.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that social media activity by terrorist groups both within the UK and abroad is effectively monitored.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    This Government takes extremely seriously the threat from those that post online terrorist and extremist material.

    In the UK, our dedicated police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) proactively identifies and refers online terrorist and extremist content to communication service providers for removal. Since its inception in February 2010, CTIRU has secured the removal of more than 220,000 pieces of terrorist-related content. Its work has a global impact as content is removed by industry from their social media platforms world-wide.

    Internationally, the UK assisted in the establishment of the European Internet Referrals Unit (EUIRU) which replicates the UK model at European level and services all Member States. The Unit went live on 1 July 2015 and has focused on a broad range of non-English language content, including Arabic, French and German. Since its creation, the EUIRU has secured the removal of over 12,000 pieces of terrorist-related content.