Tag: Alex Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of current levels of service on each section of the (a) TransPennine Express and (b) Northern Rail franchises.

Stephen Hammond

At a Direct Award or franchise Re-let we carry out value for money assessments (in order to calculate Benefit-Cost Ratios) of changes to service levels but we do not undertake this assessment of the existing base service levels where they carry forward into the new Agreement.

However, for any large procurement exercise such as a Direct Award or Franchise Re-let, we use externally produced comparators that cover the whole of the franchise to allow us to evaluate the price of any bid that we receive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the pilots in the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund are not yet fully operational.

Dr Daniel Poulter

NHS England has advised that all 20 of the pilots in wave one of the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund are delivering improved access to general practice, including additional appointments on evenings and weekends. In addition, some of the pilots continue to work on further improvements that will benefit patients such as the development of healthcare apps.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role (a) his Department and (b) local authorities will have in (i) specifying and (ii) managing the new franchises for rail passenger services on the (A) TransPennine Express and (B) Northern Rail lines.

Stephen Hammond

The specification for each franchise is being developed collaboratively by the Department for Transport’s Rail Executive and Rail North. Rail North are representing all the local transport authorities in the North of England. This is line with the partnership agreement confirmed between the Secretary of State and leaders of the local transport authorities in the North of England in January 2014. An integrated partnership structure between Rail Executive and Rail North is being developed with a view to managing the franchise once it has been let.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 221865, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on future cancer patient outcomes of using alternative cancer drugs fund drugs and conventional treatments instead of any of the treatments due to be delisted.

George Freeman

The Department has not made any such assessment. NHS England considers that the changes it is making to the drugs available on the Cancer Drugs Fund national list will deliver the greatest benefit to cancer patients and ensure that more patients will be able to access the latest drugs that provide better outcomes for their cancers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the franchise specifications for rail passenger services on the (a) TransPennine and (b) Northern lines contained in his Department’s consultation document published on 9 June 2014 will increase the total number of daily (i) peak and (ii) off-peak services on these routes.

Stephen Hammond

The specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises have not yet been decided. A public consultation exercise is being conducted, which will inform these specifications. The consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises. No decisions on services will be made until the consultation process has finished.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart (a) on that country’s duties to uphold human rights and (b) in response to recent attacks on Muslims in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Sri Lankan government and urge them to make progress on reconciliation and accountability. The UK was a main co-sponsor of the UN Human Rights Council resolution passed in March, which establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of international law on both sides of Sri Lanka’s military conflict. The resolution also calls upon the Sri Lankan government to end continuing incidents of human rights violations and abuses in Sri Lanka.

We also continue to raise our concerns about attacks against religious minorities in Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan government, including the most recent violence in Aluthgama and Beruwala. Through our High Commissioner in Colombo, we have urged the Sri Lankan authorities to take early action to promote peaceful co-existence between all communities, noting the importance of ensuring any acts of violence, intimidation or threats are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the franchise specifications for rail passenger services on the (a) TransPennine and (b) Northern lines contained in his Department’s consultation document published on 9 June 2014 will lead to a reduction in services for passengers in the North East.

Stephen Hammond

The specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises have not yet been decided. A public consultation exercise is being conducted, which will inform these specifications. The consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises. No decisions on services will be made until the consultation process has finished.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 278W, on personal independence payments, what his Department’s definition is of a mature system; and how he proposes that the maturity of the system will be measured.

Mr Mark Harper

The publication of any new statistics series needs to ensure that it is based on robust data and the measures reflect the system that is being delivered and latest performance. The Department’s statisticians are currently looking at developing measures around clearance times and will pre-announce future publication in line with the UK Statistics Authority protocols.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to compensate local authorities whose leasehold title to land is transferred to academy trusts when the associated school achieves academy status.

Mr Edward Timpson

When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust.

We have no plans to compensate local authorities in relation to the transfer of leasehold title to academy trusts as the land in question will continue being used for its original purpose: the education of children in high-quality local schools. In addition, there are strict rules protecting publicly funded land used by academies, regardless of who holds the freehold. This is set out in guidance published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice

A copy of the guidance has been placed in the House Library.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of potential changes in the number of jobs at the National Careers Service arising from the Government’s digital-by-default policy.

Matthew Hancock

The new National Careers Service has been designed to respond to the changing needs of the economy with a focus on local leadership and providing inspiring careers advice for customers, including a new brokerage role to facilitate relationships between schools and employers.

As part of the re-procurement process organisations were assessed on their capacity and capability to deliver the service through face to face services and a range of media that meet customers’ specific needs and preferences. It is a matter for the new contractors how they achieve outcomes for customers including how they deploy their staff resource to deliver the service.