The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Attorney General, what planning his Department has undertaken in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.
Jeremy Wright
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Anna Soubry
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the guidance note on public sector pay and terms published by his Department on 5 February 2016, whether he plans to place that guidance on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
There are no current plans to place the guidance note on public sector pay and terms on a statutory footing.
The note is a reminder of the rules that are in place and the Government’s expectations on public sector employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of her Department’s programmes in the eight districts of the Central Region of Uganda in preventing the spread of malaria.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID works with UNICEF in the Central Region of Uganda on a programme to prevent the spread of malaria. As part of this, the Integrated Community Case Management programme is improving access to testing and treatment for children under five with high fever. This is an important intervention in preventing the spread of malaria and reducing deaths related to malaria and other treatable diseases.
Results from the 2014-15 internationally recognised Malaria Indicator Survey showed that the prevalence of malaria in children in the central region where the eight districts are located had reduced from 39.1% in 2009 to 10.5%. This is largely as a result of targeted interventions including the programme funded by DFID and implemented by UNICEF.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has made to the World Trade Organisation to request that anti-dumping measures are taken against the People’s Republic of China.
Anna Soubry
The World Trade Organisation does not have a role in conducting anti-dumping investigations. Responsibility for anti-dumping investigations and imposing anti-dumping measures against imports into the EU and the UK lies with the European Commission. These investigations are driven by requests from EU producers.
The Government makes regular representations to the Commission concerning allegations of dumping of steel. My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister pressed for more action on dumping of steel at European Council on 17 and 18 March. The government judges each anti-dumping case on its merits, based on the evidence presented by the Commission and on representations from interested parties, including producers, users and importers, but is strongly in favour of effective trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices where justified. We have voted in favour of anti-dumping measures on several steel products since July, including the imposition of provisional anti-dumping measures on reinforcing bar in January, an investigation for which we lobbied the Commission successfully, and on cold-rolled flat steel products in February.
We have supported industry calls for higher duties on specific cases where this is justified by the evidence. For example, in the reinforcing bar case we have raised the steel industry’s concerns that the provisional duties were too low with the Commission. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke with Trade Commissioner Malmström about this and received assurances that the Commission will reconsider this during the definitive stage of the investigation, if industry can provide the necessary evidence.
We also welcomed the opening of four new anti-dumping investigations involving steel products earlier this year.
The Government continues to push the Commission for faster, more effective action to deal with dumping of steel. This was one of the conclusions of the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council on Steel in November, a meeting which my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was instrumental in convening. In advance of the Commission’s energy-intensive industry stakeholder’s summit on 15 February – another key action from the Competitiveness Council – the government and several other EU Member States sent a joint letter to the Commission, pressing it to make full and timely use of all trade defence instruments to tackle unfair trade. I played an active role at this summit. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has also raised these issues in discussions with Commissioner Malmström, most recently at the OECD conference on the challenges facing the steel industry on 18 April. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Intellectual Property) reiterated the need for faster and more effective action on dumping at the Competitiveness Council held on 29 February and the Presidency conclusions of that Council reflected this message. I did likewise at the European Steel Day on 21 April. Officials also have regular discussions about anti-dumping cases with Commission officials and officials from other EU Member States.
The Government is also supporting a robust discussion of the issue of overcapacity through the EU’s ongoing dialogue with the Chinese and other governments, including at the OECD conference. My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister has discussed this issue directly with President Xi and was told that China will take steps to reduce its overcapacity. My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer also raised it during his visit to China in February and my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills raised it with his counterpart in February. Similarly, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised it during his visit to China in April.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy to renegotiate with EDF the strike price for Hinkley Point C power station.
Andrea Leadsom
Hinkley Point C is a good deal for consumers – it will provide reliable energy at an affordable cost, powering nearly six million homes for around 60 years and creating more than 25,000 jobs.
Today nuclear provides around 16% of our electricity but these ageing plants won’t go on forever. Therefore the Government is committed to our policy of building new nuclear in the interest of energy security, decarbonisation and keeping costs down for the consumer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the benefits cap applies to Syrian migrants.
Justin Tomlinson
Syrians entering the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme are able to work and have access to some benefits on arrival. Like other claimants they will be subject to the benefit cap.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the number of GPs; and what steps he is taking to ensure that employment terms and conditions for GPs encourage employment in areas with (a) an elderly demographic and (b) a high workload.
Alistair Burt
The Government has committed to increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice. Health Education England, NHS England, the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) and the British Medical Association’s GP Committee are working together on a ten point GP workforce plan to boost recruitment, encourage experienced GPs to remain in the profession and support GPs to return to practice.
GP partners are independent contractors rather than National Health Service employees. However, the funding that practices receive does take account of the age profile of its patients and practice workload.
The Carr-Hill formula calculates the share of funding that each practice receives based on its weighted patient list size adjusted for several factors including age. NHS England is currently reviewing the formula and this is intended to adapt it to better reflect deprivation and other factors of the registered practice profile that impact on practice workload. Additionally, the changes to the GP contract for 2014/15 moved funding from the Quality and Outcomes Framework to core practice funding and a new Avoiding Unplanned Admissions enhanced service, which requires practices to proactively case manage vulnerable patients through developing personalised care plans, including identifying a named accountable GP and care coordinator.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what use is made of correspondence from GPs in undertaking personal independence payments assessments.
Justin Tomlinson
Atos and Capita Healthcare Professionals and DWP Decision Makers give full consideration to all information provided by GPs when assessing Personal Independence Payment claimants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what planning his Department has undertaken for the possibility of the UK voting to leave the EU.
Andrew Selous
On 19 February, the Prime Minister set out the Government’s position on Europe.