Tag: Ms Margaret Ritchie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequentials are for Northern Ireland of the measures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands

The Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant allocations for the Spending Review period were set out at the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. The allocations were calculated by the application of the Barnett Formula to UK government departmental settlements in the normal way.

Further information regarding the Barnett Formula can be found in HM Treasury’s ‘Statement of Funding Policy’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report published by Ofcom on 1 December 2015 into broadband speeds in Northern Ireland.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2015 report shows that average download broadband speeds in Northern Ireland have improved over the last year. Work is underway to further improve broadband availability and speeds, and the impact of two additional schemes will be measured in due course.

Meanwhile, this Government is working closely with Ofcom to implement the broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020, as recently announced by the Prime Minister. This will give people a legal right to request a broadband connection no matter where they live. A consultation will be launched early next year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will reintroduce the Super Highway Broadband Voucher Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The £40m government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme – which closed to new applications on 12 October 2015 – was a huge success, issuing well over 50,000 vouchers, as well as funding the cost of installation of wi-fi in more than 1500 public buildings. We have no plans to reintroduce the scheme, though it is worth noting that some commercial providers, such as Virgin media, are now offering free installation of business broadband.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with Volkswagen and Renault car manufacturers regarding the recall of cars in Northern Ireland aged one to five years for refitting new computer and brake systems; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Ben Wallace

Northern Ireland Office Ministers have had no discussions with Volkswagen and Renault car manufacturers regarding the recall of cars in Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with Volkswagen and Renault on the recall of cars in Northern Ireland aged one to five years for refitting new computer and brake systems; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

My Rt hon Friends the Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Transport have jointly engaged in an exchange of correspondence with Paul Willis, Head of Volkswagen (VW) UK on VW’s plans for addressing consumer concerns over the fitting of defeat devices fitted to VW branded vehicles in the UK (including Northern Ireland). Both Ministers have urged VW UK to complete the refit/redress process as quickly as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Finance in the Republic of Ireland; and what subjects were raised at those discussions.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As has been the practice adopted by previous administrations it is not Government policy to normally release details of such meetings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Ministers for Finance and Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Ireland; and what subjects were raised at those discussions.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As has been the practice adopted by previous administrations it is not Government policy to normally release details of such meetings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to establish a database of people suffering from secondary breast cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England is responsible for collecting cancer data to support national cancer registration in England, and recognises the importance of collecting data on recurrent breast cancer. At present pilot work in acute trusts has improved the reporting for breast cancer recurrence and metastasis totheNational CancerRegistration Service,but the data is not complete. Further work is being scoped by NHS England and Public Health England based on the recommendation in the recent Independent Cancer Taskforce report to establish robust surveillance systems to collect this data on all cancers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to begin negotiations with Novartis on the procurement of the vaccine for meningitis B as part of the primary infant immunisation schedule.

Jane Ellison

The Government is taking the necessary steps to ensure this procurement is properly conducted.

We are committed to introducing this vaccine in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation, subject to the vaccine being available at a cost-effective price.