Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make Personal Health Budgets available for the provision of wheelchairs; what arrangements they plan to put in place for wheelchair users; and whether the funding stream will be managed centrally and independently from local wheelchair service budgets.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In May 2016, Simon Stevens announced that NHS England would be developing a personal health budgets model for the provision of wheelchairs. This work is in the early stages of development.

    The intention is to introduce personal wheelchair budgets from April 2017, to cover everyone who accesses the current wheelchair voucher scheme. This includes those with both low level and complex wheelchair requirements.

    Personal health budgets are not about new money but about using existing budgets differently. Therefore the budget will continue to be held at a local level.

    NHS England is working with a number of clinical commissioning group clusters to develop guidance on the delivery model. This work will cover care planning, information support and advice for wheelchair users, budget setting (using learning from the development of the Wheelchair Tariff where appropriate) and review. The guidance will be available in advance of the start of roll out in April 2017.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to seek to prohibit (a) non-UK-registered and (b) non-UK-owned fishing vessels from fishing within (i) UK territorial waters and (ii) the UK fisheries limits after the UK’s exit from the EU.

    George Eustice

    Exit from the EU presents us with an opportunity under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to improve the way in which waters within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone are managed. Defra officials will be working with the new Department for Exiting the European Union, Devolved Administrations and stakeholders to develop proposals that will allow the UK to best take advantage of this opportunity.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on students in Orkney and Shetland of reducing the accredited English language courses available to students in the highlands and islands of Scotland.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office has not reduced accredited English language courses in the highlands and islands of Scotland, including Orkney & Shetland.

    Following a procurement exercise, the Home Office has reduced the number of test centres in the UK that are able to provide Secure English Language Testing for immigration purposes, but this should not affect the availability of English language courses in Scotland or in any other part of the UK.

  • Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicola Blackwood on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Attorney General, how much of the Law Officers’ Departments funding allocated in the Spending Review 2015 will be for research and development expenditure up to 2020.

    Robert Buckland

    Spending Review 2015 set out settlements for departments and showed how the government will deliver on its priorities, eliminate the deficit, and deliver security and opportunity for working people.

    Final decisions on internal departmental funding allocations for future years, including for research and development, have not yet been made.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make representations to exam boards to remove the five per cent marking for spelling and grammar for dyslexic students.

    Nick Gibb

    In 2013 the Government restored the policy of marks for spelling, punctuation and use of grammar (SPaG)to GCSE exams as a key part of our commitment to high standards and to ensuring that GCSEs match expectations set in the highest performing jurisdictions internationally. It gives a real incentive to teachers to provide effective support to all their students to improve their written communication skills.

    For those pupils with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia, appropriate reasonable adjustments, including extra time, are available, as necessary. Details can be found in the Joint Council for Qualifications’ “Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration” at: http://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance

    “

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what criteria were applied when determining the boundaries of blocks offered in the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round by the Oil and Gas Authority.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The boundaries of those blocks offered in the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round mirrored those covered by the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) assessment carried out prior to the launch of the 14th Round. The area of the SEA was determined by the areas with most potential for hydrocarbons in Great Britain.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings he has held with UK Trade and Investment trade envoys since May 2015.

    Anna Soubry

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills hosted a roundtable alongside my noble Friend Lord Maude of Horsham at the House of Lords for all Trade Envoys on 9th February 2016. To the best of our knowledge, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has not held individual meetings with any of the Trade Envoys.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31131, for what reason the amount of financial assistance her Department has provided to UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015 was not supplied in that Answer.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID has provided £19,867 to support UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015. This was to provide surge support for coordination to UNOCHA during the production of the Humanitarian Response Plan. The secondment came to a close unexpectedly early. Following a decision by OCHA not to replace the coordinator, we have used some of the remaining funds to second an Emergency Health Sector Coordinator within WHO since November 2015 at a cost of £34,614 in response to priority needs. In addition, we are currently brokering a further surge secondment to OCHA and at this point in time the costs are not finalised.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that roadworks cause less disruption to motorists.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government wants to deliver better journeys for drivers. Roadworks are essential, but that doesn’t mean they should be in place any longer than is absolutely necessary. We are currently consulting on changes that will reduce the congestion caused by roadworks on local ‘A’ road from works left in place at the weekend but where no work is happening, and to remove temporary traffic lights as soon as the works are complete.

    We have asked Highways England to look closely at reducing the length of roadworks on the Strategic Road Network. This is being reflected in the next phase of smart motorway schemes, where Highways England are reducing both the length (distance) and duration (time they are in place) of roadworks.

    Highways England are also considering the use of higher speed limits through roadworks, where this can be done safely. Subject to safety assessments, Highway England will be starting a trial of higher speed limits on roadworks later this year.