Tag: Lord Rooker

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 July 2014 (HL939), what was the ranking of the UK in the Health at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators report for (1) infant mortality, (2) numbers of MRI and CT Scanners, (3) low birth weight infants, (4) overweight and obesity amongst adults, (5) overweight and obesity amongst children, (6) mortality from cardiovascular disease, and (7) mortality from cancer; how these rankings compared to those for 2013; and what plans they have to improve the UK rankings.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The United Kingdom’s rankings among OECD member states (as shown by the 2015 and 2013 Health at a Glance reports) are the following:

    Health at a Glance 2013

    Health at a Glance 2015

    Infant mortality

    25th lowest out of 34

    19th lowest out of 34

    Low birth weight infants

    21st lowest out of 34

    21st lowest out of 34

    MRI units

    7th lowest out of 28

    4th lowest out of 32

    CT scanners

    3rd lowest out of 29

    3rd lowest out of 32

    Obesity among adults

    28th lowest out of 34

    27th lowest out of 34

    Overweight and obesity among children (measured)

    18th lowest out of 34

    32th lowest out of 33

    Mortality from cardiovascular disease (ischemic heart disease)

    19th lowest out of 33

    18th lowest out of 34

    Mortality from cardiovascular disease (cerebrovascular disease)

    22nd lowest out of 33

    14th lowest out of 34

    Mortality from cancer

    25th lowest out of 33

    26th lowest out of 34

    The Government welcomes the OECD reports as an authoritative contribution to the development of health policy in the UK. For the health service in England, we have taken note of the OECD’s findings. The underlying data on health outcomes informs the development of our mandates and other guidance to the health and care system, in particular to NHS England and Public Health England.

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to bring the rules regarding transparency in respect of overseas company ownership of UK property into line with those for UK registered companies’ property ownership.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As announced, the Government is considering measures to increase the transparency of beneficial ownership of assets by foreign companies

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the consultation promised by the Prime Minister in his speech of 28 July 2015 at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore regarding property ownership and extending what we currently ask of UK companies to foreign companies” will commence.”

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    I refer the hon. Member to my recent answer (HL5950) to him on the same issue, to which I have nothing further to add.

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the Anti-Corruption Summit in London referred to by the Prime Minister in his speech in Singapore on 28 July 2015 will take place; who will be invited; whether there will be opportunities for anti-corruption organisations to participate; and how the British Overseas Territories will be involved in that Summit.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    In his Singapore speech the Prime Minister said the summit would take place in May 2016, a specific date will be announced in due course. The summit will bring together a range of governments and major international organisations in a commitment to strengthen the global response to corruption. On the involvement of the Overseas Territories, I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister’s response to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (C21654) on 15th January 2016.

  • Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civil servants working in the diet and nutrition fields were transferred from the Food Standards Agency to the Department of Health following the machinery of government changes in July 2010; and how many remain working in the same fields at present.

    Earl Howe

    53 civil servants working in the diet and nutrition fields were transferred from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to the Department in 2010. Of these, seven currently work on diet and nutrition in the Department. There was a second machinery of Government change in April 2013, at which time 23 of those who transferred to the Department from the FSA then transferred to Public Health England.

  • Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the diet and nutrition budget in the Department of Health in June 2010; how much that sum increased by incorporating budgets transferred from the Food Standards Agency to the Department of Health following the machinery of government changes in July 2010; and what is the current level.

    Earl Howe

    The Department’s programme budget for diet and nutrition in 2010-11 was £700,000 and the Food Standards Agency budget that transferred to the Department following the machinery of Government changes in 2010 was £10.126 million. The 2014-15 programme budget for diet and nutrition is £70,000 in the Department and £4.8 million in Public Health England. These budgets do not include staffing costs.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any department, executive agency or non-departmental public body has a banking arrangement with the Co-operative Bank.

    Lord Deighton

    Treasury policy is to hold Exchequer funds safe and secure at the Bank of England and to minimise balances held with commercial banks. The Treasury has been working with departments in recent years to minimise balances held in commercial accounts.

    Government Departments and most public bodies bank with the Government Banking Service, which is a directorate within HM Revenue and Customs. GBS is a shared service which manages contracts and supports banking services to Government departments using cost-efficient and modern commercial banking platforms. The balances held by the Government Banking Service are utilised to reduce the Government’s daily borrowing requirement and in turn its financing costs.

    In the rare circumstance where banking is required outside of the contract then the Department concerned must seek Treasury approval to open separate commercial accounts. This will normally be when third party-funds are being managed or the banking service requirement is complex. The Treasury provides an annual update to the Public Accounts Committee on monies held outside the Exchequer / Government Banking Service. The most recent update was published on 13th January 2014 and can be found at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270747/36048_Cm_8774.pdf

    From the information provided by departments we can confirm that the Forestry Commission and National Forest Company have a banking relationship with the Co-operative Bank.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to move responsibility for planning policy to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    No.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to deregulate the planning system.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    I refer the noble Lord to my Written Ministerial Statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, Column WS40, which outlines the planning reforms that we have undertaken to date on housing, and the further reforms we are proposing.

    In this session, we will also be implementing recommendations from the Red Tape Challenge and consult on some further technical changes on planning administration.

    I also refer him to my Written Ministerial Statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, Column WS79, on our proposals on brownfield land.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have on the impact on the housing supply of taking planning decisions at the most local level.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    I refer the noble Lord to my Written Ministerial Statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, Column WS40, which comprehensively explains how our planning reforms, including the abolition of the last Administration’s top-down Regional Strategies, have increased housing starts to their highest level since 2007 and resulted in 216,000 homes being given planning permission in England in 2013-14.