The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to increase the fines that local authorities can impose on landlords convicted of housing offences.
Andrew Selous
Magistrates can impose a fine of any amount for many housing offences. For all fines, the courts will continue to impose amounts based on seriousness and the financial circumstances of the offender.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Insolvency Service provides value for money for creditors of liquidated companies.
Jo Swinson
The Insolvency Service has recently undertaken reviews of its systems and processes to identify ways to reduce costs. It also regularly reviews its fees. In addition, measures contained in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will benefit creditors by saving an estimated £20m per year from the cost of all insolvency proceedings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to promote a sustainable approach to resourcing timber in the UK.
Rory Stewart
Defra implements the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which aims to combat illegal logging and improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation establishes Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber producing countries. Once VPAs have been agreed, timber producing countries will issue exports with a ‘FLEGT licence’ which verifies the timber’s legality.
Defra is also responsible for the Government’s Timber Procurement Policy, which requires central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.
Domestic forests provide about 20% of the UK’s timber needs. They are managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard, the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. Moreover, about 85% of UK timber production is independently certified, providing additional assurances of sustainability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which go into insolvency about the Insolvency Act 1986.
Jo Swinson
I regularly receive representations from those who are owed monies by insolvent companies. Unfortunately it is the inevitable consequence of insolvency that some creditors will remain unpaid, but the Government is committed to making sure that we have the fairest possible insolvency regime for when things go wrong. Measures contained in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will benefit creditors by saving an estimated £20m per year from the cost of insolvency proceedings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent decisions she has had with (a) representatives of the EU and (b) her counterparts in other member states on EU timber regulations.
Rory Stewart
Defra officials regularly discuss the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation with both the European Commission and other EU Member States.
Most recently (September 2015) Defra officials participated in a FLEGT/EUTR Expert Group meeting in Brussels, covering a range of related issues including implementation of the two regulations across the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which have gone into liquidation about the priority of payments in cases of liquidation.
Jo Swinson
I occasionally receive representations from creditors of companies in liquidation about priority of payments in those cases. In broad terms, the principle applied in insolvency cases is that creditors are treated equally, and will receive any payment they are due after the fees, costs and expenses of the liquidation have been paid. This is not an area which the Government has any current plans to change.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to support exports of UK textile manufacturing.
Matthew Hancock
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provides a wide range of help to businesses in all sectors – including textile manufacturers – that are seeking to export. UKTI will also continue to work with textile trade associations in organising trade missions and taking textile manufacturers to trade shows and other events around the world as it has done over the past year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the state of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We strongly supported US Secretary of State John Kerry’s tireless efforts to deliver a final status deal in 2014. We were disappointed that the parties proved unable to make more progress. Our priority remains the achievement of a two-state solution. We continue to believe that the best way to achieve this is through negotiations and hope that it will be possible to resume the process after the Israeli elections.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide a breakdown of the transition costs in NHS England’s January finance report.
Dr Daniel Poulter
NHS England’s Financial Performance Report, which was included in the papers for its January Board meeting, gave a planned reserves/transition costs spend for 2013-14 of £110,600,000 in a table showing running costs at November 2013. NHS England has provided a breakdown shown in the following table.
|
Transition – Estates Void Costs |
£35,000,000 |
|
Transition – Primary Care Services Restructuring |
£35,000,000 |
|
Corporate Reserves and Contingency |
£40,600,000 |
|
Total |
£110,600,000 |
The forecast figure of £91,000,000 for reserves/transition costs shown in the report was arrived at due to an anticipated underspend against the Primary Care Services Restructuring budget, based on forecast information from business plans for the project.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that patients with prostate cancer receive the highest quality treatment.
Jane Ellison
Newly updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on how best to diagnose and treat prostate cancer will help doctors to ensure that men are given information about the treatment options available and help in choosing the best option to suit them. The updated guidance also aims to reduce the uncertainty and variations in practice that remain in some areas of prostate cancer diagnosis and management.
Since the original recommendations were published in 2008, a number of new treatments have been licensed for the management of hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer. There is also more information now available on the best way to diagnose and identify the different stages of the disease in a hospital setting, as well as how best to manage the side effects of radical treatment. NHS England would expect providers to take account of best evidence and treatments in their delivery of services.