Tag: Greg Mulholland

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps members of the public can take to ensure that their local authorities comply with the National Planning Policy Framework.

Gavin Barwell

There are many ways in which local people can ensure that Local Planning Authorities have regard to the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework when carrying out their planning functions.

Local Plans prepared by Local Planning Authorities are assessed against requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework as part of the tests of soundness. There are opportunities at various stages for communities to comment on the Local Plan including at publication stage. Each local council must prepare a Statement of Community Involvement. This should set out a local council’s policy for involving communities in the preparation and revision of its Local Plan.

Local Planning Authorities are required to make decisions on planning applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The National Planning Policy Framework is such a material consideration. There are opportunities for communities to comment on planning applications.

Neighbourhood planning also provides a powerful set of tools for local people to ensure they get the right types of development for their community, where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area. Communities are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like, and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2016 to Questions 43380 and 43381, what proportion of that £12 billion was spent on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) winning contracts directly from government and (b) large companies winning contracts directly from government and then outsourcing parts of those contracts to SMEs.

Ben Gummer

In 2014-15, Central Government spent over £12 billion with small and medium sized businesses, of which £4.88 billion was direct spend and £7.27 billion through our supply chains.

A full breakdown of the data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-spend-with-smes-2014-to-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints the Crown Prosecution Service has received in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland

The following table shows the number of complaints received by the CPS in the past three years:

Year	Total Complaints
2013/14	Not available*
2014/15	1950
2015/16	1878

*Due to a technical issue which the CPS is currently resolving, the figure for the total complaints received in 2013/14 is not available at this time. The CPS will write to the Honourable Member to provide this figure once the issue has been corrected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s definition is of an advanced nurse practitioner.

Ben Gummer

An advanced nurse practitioner is generally accepted to be a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice, the characteristics of which are shaped by the context of practice. A Master’s Degree is recommended for entry level to an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANPs) role. This role is not defined by the Nursing Midwifery Council or the Department.

Today ANPs work in a variety of health care settings and in a number of different roles, which range from a nurse consultant managing a specialist service in a hospital to being a nurse partner within a general practice.

Information on how many ANPs are employed by the National Health Service in each region of the United Kingdom in each of the last five years is not held by the Department.

We have made it clear that we are not planning to impose a ‘one size fits all model’ for our plan to provide a seven-day NHS. It will be for local commissioners and providers to decide how best to deliver seven day services in hospitals and for them to work with their Local Education and Training Boards to develop workforce plans to support this.

Although not explicitly mentioned in NHS England’s Five Year Forward view, ANPs are part of the solution to addressing the health and well-being gap; care and quality gap; and funding gap. For example, ANPs are involved in the new care models such as in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Vanguard site will develop a prevention team made up of health and care professionals including general practitioners (GPs), ANPs, mental health nurses, extended care support and therapy support.

Seven day access does not mean that every GP must work every day or that all practices must open at evenings and weekends. Through schemes such as the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund, practices are encouraged to collaborate together in delivering more convenient and accessible services for patients in the evenings and weekends through multiple methods including innovative use of technology, working together at scale, and better use of skill mix to both improve patient care and release GP capacity.

The recent independent evaluation of the first wave of the PM’s GP Access Fund reported that “evidence to date suggests that the strategy of making more use of nursing staff, particularly Advance Nurse Practitioners (ANPs), is resulting in benefits including released GP capacity…”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to support the sustainable management of forests outside the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

Protecting forests delivers substantial climate, development, biodiversity and ecosystem outcomes. Stopping deforestation offers the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a globally significant scale, while protecting the vital services, such as regulating rainfall patterns, on which the world economy depends for agricultural productivity and sustainable economic growth.

Addressing deforestation and supporting the sustainable management of forests is a priority for the UK’s £3.87 billion International Climate Fund (ICF), and the Prime Minister announced in September that this will rise to £5.8bn over the next Spending review period. To date, over £700m has been programmed, including initiatives that: incentivise action to reduce deforestation and forest degradation; support forest management, governance and market reforms; curb illegal and unsustainable use of forest resources; and promote investments in sustainable forestry, agriculture and land management.

The UK also plays an active leadership role in international fora, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biodiversity, and the United Nations Forum on Forests. Last year, we played a key role in the negotiation of the New York Declaration on Forests, which set ambitious targets for halving (by 2020) and halting (by 2030) the loss of natural forests, eliminating deforestation from the production of key agricultural commodities by 2020, and accelerating restoration efforts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the contribution of 30 November 2015 by Lord Mendelsohn, in the House of Lords, Official Report, column 937, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter referred to on the amendment concerning UK Government Investments Limited.

Anna Soubry

A copy of the letter to Lord Mendelsohn, dated 27 November, referred to during the debate on the Enterprise Bill on 30 November 2015, has been placed in the Libraries of the House. A previous letter to Lord Mendelsohn, dated 19 November, also on the subject of UK Government Investments, has also been placed in the Libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Business Growth Service.

Anna Soubry

An interim impact evaluation of the Growth Accelerator programme was published in November 2014. This was followed by a formative evaluation in January 2015, which looked at the delivery of the programme and informed the design of the Business Growth Service. A policy response to the formative evaluation was published in March 2015, in line with a commitment to the National Audit Office

A review of the Manufacturing Advisory Service was completed in December 2010 and published the following year. An Impact Analysis Methodology study of the Manufacturing Advisory Service is being published in early 2016.

A full economic evaluation of the Business Growth Service will continue beyond the closure of the service in March. All documents will continue to be available on www.gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the US (a) government and (b) Congress on comments made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on banning Muslims from entering the US.

Mr Hugo Swire

We have not made any formal representations to the US Government or Congress. However, the Prime Minister, my right hon Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made clear that he completely disagrees with Mr Trump’s comments, which the Prime Minister described as “divisive, unhelpful and wrong”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of curry chefs working in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry

The Government does not hold information on the value of the curry industry, the number of curry houses, trends in the number of curry houses or the number of curry chefs.

Official statistics carry figures on the value and number of restaurants, takeaways and other food service businesses in general, but do not detail specific types of food being served. Similarly while the number of chefs and catering staff will be estimated there is no consideration of their specialisation in terms of cuisine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for which countries that the UK has reimbursement arrangements with under the European Health Insurance Card regulations his Department has identified as not having staff with relevant language skills.

Justin Tomlinson

There is no requirement for DWP staff to have foreign language skills when dealing with EEA Member States in relation to the reimbursement process under the EHIC regulations.