Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-03-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he is making on his plans to begin to reduce public sector net debt as a share of gross domestic product in 2016-17.

Harriett Baldwin

The latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecast published in November 2015 shows that the government is on track to reduce public sector net debt as a share of GDP in 2016-17. The government remains committed to continuing the job of returning the public finances to a more sustainable position. In a low inflationary environment, taking account for economic shocks, the most reliable way to bring debt down as a share of GDP is to run a surplus and maintain it in normal times.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people accessed personal pensions between (a) April 2015 and April 2016 and (b) April 2014 and April 2015.

Mr David Gauke

The Government does not have information on all payments from personal pensions taken since April 2014.

Information on the taxable element of pension flexibility lump sums taken since April 2015 is collated and published quarterly by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). However, this includes other types of private pensions such as occupational pensions, not just personal pensions. This also provides details of the number of people who have taken these payments. The publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/flexible-payments-from-pensions.

Equivalent information for the period April 2014 to April 2015 is not held, as HMRC only began to collect this information after the introduction of pensions freedom and choice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Prime Minister, if he will visit Northern Ireland before 23 June 2016.

Mr David Cameron

I visit all parts of the United Kingdom regularly, including Northern Ireland. I last visited Northern Ireland on 27 February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering Public Service Obligation Route status to the Londonderry to Stansted Airport service.

Mr John Hayes

The UK government has agreed in principle to support the air route between City of Derry Airport and London though a Public Service Obligation. It is now for Derry City & Strabane District Council take forward the tender process to identify an airline to operate the route.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Sudanese government reports of attacks on Christians and proposals by the Sudanese government to demolish church property in the Bahri region of Khartoum.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan, including allegations of the destruction of churches, continues to be an area of concern for the UK. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum consistently raise it with the Government of Sudan as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue, most recently during the visit of a senior Sudanese delegation to London on 10 October. More widely, we continue to call on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005 within which religious freedom is enshrined.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to enable the Government to direct the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland to investigate a complaint from a former police officer where matters giving rise to the complaint took place more than 12 months ago and there are exceptional circumstances which justify such an investigation being held.

Mr Ben Wallace

The RUC (Complaints etc) Regulations 2001 allow the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland to investigate complaints into matters which took place more than 12 months ago in exceptional circumstances, for example when new evidence has come to light which was not reasonably available at the time of an original complaint.

The Police Ombudsman is accountable to the Northern Ireland Assembly, through the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times Minsters in her Department (a) visited and (b) met personnel at national security establishments in Northern Ireland in 2014.

Mr John Hayes

Home Office Ministers have visited and met a wide variety of organisations and individuals involved in supporting security in Northern Ireland. Details of ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people did not have a National Insurance number on 31 March 2015.

Priti Patel

Information is not available on how many people did not have a National Insurance Number (NINo) on 31 March 2015 because not everyone needs, or is entitled to a NINo.

The majority of UK Nationals are allocated a NINo by HMRC when they approach age 16.

DWP is responsible for allocating NINos to adults, which mainly affects adults entering the UK from abroad. A NINo is only allocated when an individual requires one for employment purposes, where the individual has a legal right to work in the UK, or if there is entitlement to a Social Security Benefit/ Tax Credit or in order to be awarded a Student Loan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make an assessment of the performance of the National Crime Agency in its first year of full operation in Northern Ireland.

Mr John Hayes

Since 20 May 2015, the National Crime Agency has been operating with full powers in Northern Ireland. The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to monitor the exercise of the functions of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland. The interim Memorandum of Understanding between the National Crime Agency and the Northern Ireland Policing Board states the Board is required, not later than six months after the end of each financial year, to issue a report relating to the policing of Northern Ireland for the next financial year. The report will include an assessment of the exercise of the functions of the NCA in Northern Ireland. It further requires the Director General of the National Crime Agency to attend the Northern Ireland Policing Board and, in order to assist them, the National Crime Agency is to provide, on a quarterly basis, performance reporting on the exercise of the NCA’s functions in Northern Ireland which will be aligned to the key threat areas in the National Control Strategy, as outlined in the NCA’s Annual Plan. The NCA is committed to playing its role in tackling serious and organised crime in Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on research being undertaken to assist those severely affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

George Freeman

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Major investments include a £2.2 million programme of research with an overall aim to set up a primary care COPD cohort including the full range of disease severity, as a platform for testing novel health service interventions.

The NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London has a £0.8 million research area in COPD, including severe COPD. Details of this research are available on the unit’s website at:

www.rbht.nhs.uk/research/our-research/brus/research-areas/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/

Current studies relating to severe COPD delivered by the NIHR Clinical Research Network include:

– a study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two doses of benralizumab in patients with severe to very severe COPD with a history of COPD exacerbations;

– a study to evaluate the effect of 52 weeks of once daily treatment of orally inhaled tiotropium and olodaterol fixed dose combination compared with tiotropium on COPD exacerbation in patients with severe to very severe COPD; and

– a study to optimise dose selection and evaluate safety after treatment with the Holaira™ Lung Denervation System in patients with moderate to severe COPD.

“