The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the completion of projects funded in Wales by EU structural funds in the event of the UK leaving the EU.
Stephen Crabb
The Government’s view is that the whole of the UK – including Wales – will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to facilitate an application from Lancaster City Council and the Environment Agency for funding for flood defences along the River Lune.
Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 March to PQ UIN 29688.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the importance of the particular focus on Alzheimer’s and Type 1 Diabetes in the third Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership Research Call.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The focus of the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) Initiative is regenerative medicine, which can be applied to many fields of medical research. In addition to the regenerative medicine focus, the Initiative has supported more specific research areas, including Type 1 diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. These areas have been identified as critical in both Israel and the UK, as well as globally, and as ones in which both countries have particular research expertise. The British Council works with leading research charities in the UK and globally, including British Heart Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinson UK to provide mutual funding, and these areas have been highlighted as areas of joint interest. However it is important to note that it is the quality of the science that drives the BIRAX selection process, and that applications which do not come under these priorities but do meet the criteria have also been selected for funding in past calls. The third call for proposals will continue to evaluate proposals according to criteria outlined in the call’s guidelines and their scientific excellence.
The focus on Alzheimer’s and Type 1 Diabetes has the potential to bring upwards of £1.6 million additional funding (to add to the £7 million existing funding raised by the Initiative) to collaborative projects, of which at least 50 per cent is for use in UK universities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answers by Lord Dunlop on 24 March (HL7079) and 22 January (HL4982), what guidance she has given to the Northern Ireland Office about answering questions fully and substantially, and in particular providing definitions as requested.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The position has not changed since I answered the Noble Lord’s question HL6043 on 17 February. That answer is included below for your ease of reference and I have nothing further to add to this.
As Leader of the House, I regularly stress to departments the importance of giving full and timely answers to Questions for Written Answer. The content of each answer is a matter for the Minister concerned, and each Minister is responsible to the House for the answers they provide. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members.
The Ministerial Code says that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”. It also makes clear that “Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”. In addition, there is a longstanding rule of this House that all answers should be complete and comprehensible. I shall continue to make this guidance clear to all Ministers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each parliamentary constituency receive attendance allowance.
Penny Mordaunt
Statistical information on Attendance Allowance claimants, including the numbers of cases in payment in each parliamentary constituency, is available from the DWP Tabulation Tool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of organ donors from ethnic minorities.
Nicola Blackwood
There are a number of specific initiatives to increase the number of organ donors from ethnic minorities. Less than 5% of deceased organ donors are from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, yet patients from BAME communities represent around a quarter of people waiting for a transplant.
The Department works with and supports the National BAME Transplant Alliance to coordinate the work of BAME organisations working within these communities to increase the number of people from a BAME background on the organ donor register and the number of transplants from BAME donors.
The Department has also funded Kidney Research UK to undertake a Peer Educator Project working with the Pakistani Muslim Community in Birmingham and the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets to raise awareness about organ donation.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has developed a behaviour change campaign strategy in support of the Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020: A UK Strategy. This includes increasing its education and engagement activities with BAME communities and a Faith Action Plan outlining action to work in partnership with faith leaders. NHSBT also has a wide range of leaflets promoting organ donation that are translated into a number of different South Asian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the A&E department at Pinderfields General Hospital was closed in 2015.
Jane Ellison
Information is not available in the format requested. Information is available at National Health Service trust level only and not by individual hospital site.
NHS England advises that information is collected in the winter daily situation reports from NHS trusts about whether there was an unplanned, unilateral closure of an accident and emergency department to admissions without consultation, which occurred without agreement from neighbouring NHS trusts or from the ambulance trust.
Published figures are available covering the periods 1 January 2015 to 27 March 2015 and 5 October 2015 to 31 December 2015. Figures for the remainder of 2015 are not held centrally. Published figures can be found using the following link.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies have made special arrangements with HMRC to pay tax owed, and how the arrangements are assessed as reasonable and fair to the taxpayer in general as well as to the company concerned.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HMRC does not enter into special arrangements with companies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the supply of newly-qualified mathematics teachers in Stoke-on-Trent.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the national requirements for the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training places to meet demand, including mathematics.
The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate the Government has made of the likely savings to the public purse of implementing the changes to financial support for people affected by HIV or hepatitis C through treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products set out in the Government’s consultation.
Jane Ellison
The Government has been clear that there will be no saving to the public purse as a result of these changes. We are committing up to an additional £125 million to provide support to those affected by this tragedy over the course of this spending review period.