The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many away days his Department held in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; and (i) what cost was incurred and (ii) who was in attendance at each such day.
Mr Francis Maude
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence his Department has collected on public perception of health and safety regulation.
Mike Penning
I have been asked to respond as Minister with responsibilty for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Reviews of health and safety regulation carried out for the Government by Lord Young and by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, and endorsed in HSE’s recent triennial review, found a near universal agreement that the UK legal framework is fit for purpose. However, there does exist some misunderstanding about what H&S legislation actually requires.
Partly in response to this, the Health and Safety Executive’s Myth Busters Challenge Panel allows the public to challenge decisions and policies ascribed to health and safety if they believe them to be incorrect.
To date the Panel has considered over 270 cases. Details can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment she has made of the gender balance amongst chairs and presidents of (a) learned societies and (b) research councils.
Mr David Willetts
The National Academies, the UK’s leading learned societies, are independent, self-governing bodies. Ministers have no role in Academy appointments but we encourage them to embed equality and diversity in everything they do. Professor Dame Ann Dowling is expected to be confirmed as the first female President of the Royal Academy of Engineering in September. The current Presidents of the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Biology are all female.
Ministers in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) appoint Chairs to the Research Councils and these appointments are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. BIS Ministers are committed to the principle of public appointments on merit through an open and transparent process and to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, transgender and working patterns. There are seven Research Councils, the Chairs of which are currently male. The Research Councils are committed to improving diversity in their public appointments and held a workshop in March 2014 to agree an action plan to increase the diversity of each Council. The action plan will be published on the RCUK website and disseminated to all Council members.
The BIS Board, which provides collective strategic leadership of the Department, has endorsed a plan of activity and a number of actions to help the Department not only to improve its position on gender-diversity during 2014/15 but to reinforce its continued commitment to attracting a strong and diverse field of candidates to public appointments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adult cystic fibrosis patients were being cared for by specialist centres in each of the last 10 years.
Norman Lamb
Information concerning the number of adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients cared for by specialist centres in each of the last 10 years is not available. This data has only been collected since the introduction of the tariff for CF services in 2011, and in the following table we have provided the number of adult patients cared for in each year since that time:
|
Year |
Adult Patients |
|
2011 |
3,885 |
|
2012 |
4,107 |
|
2013 |
4,244 |
More generally, we expect all CF patients to have a CF specialist in charge of their care and as part of the ongoing support they receive, to be assessed at specialist centres.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what systems the online account required for the new childcare proposals announced in Budget 2014 will be implemented; and who is responsible for the implementation of those proposals.
Nicky Morgan
Tax-Free Childcare will be hosted on the Government Digital Service (GDS) Gov.uk website alongside other Government digital services. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have overall responsibility for the implementation of these services, in partnership with National Savings and Investments (NS&I) who will operate the accounts.
The GDS are leading the Government’s work to link digital inclusion into policy programmes and digital services. HMRC have directly consulted with GDS who have been involved in the design of the process and the creation of the solution for Tax-Free Childcare.
The Government will continue to talk with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that Tax-Free Childcare is as simple and secure as possible for parents to access and use.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the availability of passenger information data on board trains.
Stephen Hammond
Since 1998, all new trains have been fitted with audio-visual Passenger Information Systems (PIS). Many older trains have also been retrofitted with this equipment while those that have not do at least have tannoy systems. The law requires all trains to have audio-visual PIS by 2020 and the industry’s ongoing work to meet this has been further facilitated by recent franchise decisions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Government Digital Service on the integration of the new online childcare accounts into gov.uk.
Nicky Morgan
Tax-Free Childcare will be hosted on the Government Digital Service (GDS) Gov.uk website alongside other Government digital services. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have overall responsibility for the implementation of these services, in partnership with National Savings and Investments (NS&I) who will operate the accounts.
The GDS are leading the Government’s work to link digital inclusion into policy programmes and digital services. HMRC have directly consulted with GDS who have been involved in the design of the process and the creation of the solution for Tax-Free Childcare.
The Government will continue to talk with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that Tax-Free Childcare is as simple and secure as possible for parents to access and use.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what support his Department makes available to encourage electoral registration for those who are not able to register online.
Greg Clark
People can continue to apply to register to vote on a paper form, available from their local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
EROs are encouraged to provide assistance for electors through both face-to-face contact and telephone communication, irrespective of the format of registration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the digital inclusion implications of requiring online accounts for new childcare proposals announced in Budget 2014.
Nicky Morgan
Tax-Free Childcare will be hosted on the Government Digital Service (GDS) Gov.uk website alongside other Government digital services. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have overall responsibility for the implementation of these services, in partnership with National Savings and Investments (NS&I) who will operate the accounts.
The GDS are leading the Government’s work to link digital inclusion into policy programmes and digital services. HMRC have directly consulted with GDS who have been involved in the design of the process and the creation of the solution for Tax-Free Childcare.
The Government will continue to talk with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that Tax-Free Childcare is as simple and secure as possible for parents to access and use.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review prescription charges for adults with cystic fibrosis.
Dr Daniel Poulter
In 2010, responding to Professor Sir Ian Gilmore’s review into extending entitlement to free prescriptions to all those with a long-term condition, the Government made clear that in light of the challenging financial context, no changes would be made to the current list of exemptions. Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the National Health Service to maintain vital services for patients.
The extensive system of exemption arrangements, including for those on low incomes who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions, which is in place means that around 90% of all prescription items are already dispensed free of charge. Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs) are also available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions. This is the fifth year the cost of an annual certificate, and the third year the cost of a three month certificate, have been frozen. Both certificates will also remain at £104 and £29.10 respectively, next year. There is no limit to the number of items that can be obtained through a PPC. The annual certificate benefits anyone needing more than 12 items a year, and the three month certificate anyone needing more than three items in that three month period.