The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the cost: benefit ratio of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information.
Matthew Hancock
The total expenditure of the Commission will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to support Syria’s economy after the end of the current conflict in that country.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Much of our assistance is already laying the groundwork for future reconciliation, stabilisation and reconstruction efforts inside Syria. Regarding the economy, we are already taking a long term approach to foster market stability and economic recovery. This includes the supply of agricultural inputs to farmers to increase production as well as support to small businesses. This has potential to be scaled up once a political transition is reached and depending on the nature of that settlement.
On 26 November 2015, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will commit at least £1 billion to Syria’s reconstruction. We anticipate that reconstruction funds would be allocated against a plan agreed between a new, inclusive Syrian government and the international community. We expect that, over time, this funding will include support for re-building Syria’s shattered economy and infrastructure.
However, we must not underestimate the scale of the challenge of post-conflict reconstruction. Syria has experienced 40 years under an oppressive regime and a brutal civil war. Conflict has reversed Syria into poverty. Consequently, reconstruction will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. That is why we will use our influence as a major shareholder to push the UN and International Financial Institutions and the private sector to bring their planning, resources and expertise to bear.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects the Parole Board to complete its review of the rules on releasing convicted murderers from prison if they refuse to reveal the locations of their victims’ bodies.
Andrew Selous
When assessing an offender’s continuing risk for the purposes of deciding whether he or she is eligible for possible release, the independent Parole Board already takes into account any wilful failure on the part of the offender to disclose the whereabouts of their victim’s body. The Parole Board has at my request, agreed to review its guidance on this particular issue as part of a review of all its guidance in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philippa Whitford on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department received the request from the Scottish Government to allow increased payments to Scottish people affected by contaminated blood through the current financial structures.
Jane Ellison
Since the Scottish Government announced its decision to accept the recommendations of its independent financial review in March 2016, officials in the Department and Scottish Government have been working together to facilitate the increased payments using the current payment scheme. There have, in addition, been recent conversations at Ministerial level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what he discussed in his recent meeting with his Maldivian counterpart.
Alok Sharma
I met the Foreign Minister for the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Asim, on 13 September. I discussed the importance of the UK/Maldives relationship, particularly with regard to the large number of UK tourists that visit the Maldives each year. I raised the Government’s concern about the decline in democracy and human rights in the Maldives, and urged the Maldives government to make progress on the recommendations made by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new junior doctors’ contract on patients’ safety.
Ben Gummer
The proposals are to introduce a safer, fairer contract for junior doctors that will help improve their training experience to better support patient care every day of the week.
Our ambition for the National Health Service to be the safest healthcare system in the world is underpinned by reducing, not increasing, the number of hours junior doctors work each week. The new contract will include improved, legally (and contractually) enforceable safeguards – including that no junior doctor working full time will be expected to work on average more than 48 hours a week, unless they opt-out of the European Working Time Directive in which case it is maximum of an average 56 hours a week. The number of hours that can be worked in any single week by any junior will be limited to 72 (down from 91 currently) and there will be a limit of five consecutive long days or four consecutive nights.
We will also bring the working hours and service delivery of junior doctors within the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection regime. Putting patients first is the responsibility of employers and staff. Juniors must feel confident that when they raise safety concerns they are listened to. Where doctors are asked to work in conditions that they believe are unsafe, including being asked to work patterns that put patient safety at risk, they will be asked to use the reporting mechanisms available to them (including alerting their line managers/clinical supervisors, reporting through the local incident reporting system which will upload to the National Reporting and Learning System) to raise the issue with both the board of their trust, and reporting data will be available for the CQC to use during inspections. We would expect trust boards to look at any such report and decide how to respond to it; and we would expect the CQC, when it carries out an inspection, to look at how the board has responded to this and other data reporting safety incidents and concerns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the humanitarian impact of increasing the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza; and whether they have plans to discuss that issue with the government of Israel.
Baroness Verma
The biggest impediments to Palestinian economic progress are the Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions. The current movement and access restrictions relating to Gaza are leading to a stagnated economy and worsening situation for the people living there. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but is firmly in Israel’s security interests. We have consistently called on Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, including extending operating times at Kerem Shalom and will continue to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20950, how many other rail franchises his Department has commented on to the Office of Rail and Road in relation to track access when new additional paths are created.
Claire Perry
The Department does on occasion offer comments to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on track access applications that could affect the Department’s franchised train operations, in order to ensure that the ORR is aware of the potential implications of such applications for the Department’s financial and policy position. During the course of 2015 the Department offered comments in response to applications from Arriva Trains Wales, Crossrail (MTR), Hull Trains, Grand Central, Alliance Rail (GNWR) & (GNER) and Heathrow Express.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding from the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund was spent in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Anna Soubry
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) are administered in London by the Greater London Authority. Annual allocations are set out in the London ERDF Operational Programme 2007-2013 and London ESF Regional Framework 2011-2013 which can be found on the Greater London Authority’s website. The allocations could be spent up to the end of 2015. Allocations were not broken down for each London borough but a full list of projects funded by ERDF can be found also on the Greater London Authority’s website. A list of projects funded by ESF can be found under ESF funding for London on the Department for Work and Pensions website on gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 12W, what assessment he has made of the effects on revenues of a reduction in the top rate of tax from 45p to (a) 44p, (b) 43p, (c) 42p, (d) 41p and (d) 40p.
Mr David Gauke
The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review and any decisions on future changes are taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.