The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) ministers and (b) officials of his Department will be present at the International Aids Conference in Durban in July 2016.
Jane Ellison
Officials from Public Health England will be attending the conference and feeding back to Ministers on the issues discussed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the costs to the NHS Litigation Authority of late release of medical records where those records reveal a case to be unfounded; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
The timetable for the release of medical records in clinical negligence cases is determined by the Pre Action Protocol for clinical negligence claims. This prescribes 40 days for the release of the records, or the ability to request an extension to that time.
The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) works with National Health Service trusts to ensure prompt release of medical records and other information which will inform the outcome of a claim for compensation. Often expert evidence will be required to give conclusive evidence as to whether there was negligence and if so, whether that caused injury to the claimant. As claims are often resolved in-house by the NHSLA, any costs which arise as a result of delays in receiving medical records are not recorded separately as they will fall within overall administration costs.
46% of claims were resolved without payment of damages in 2014/15; however, as above, it is often necessary to obtain expert medical advice to determine whether compensation is due.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on reducing the number of people sleeping rough in the UK.
Mr Marcus Jones
One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new national £10 million programme to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, building on the success of our No Second Night Out initiative.
Homelessness is a devolved matter. I have not had any conversations with my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive but would be happy to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the total untaxed capital gains that will accrue to the beneficiaries of the starter homes scheme by 2020, taking into account the discount and any anticipated rise in house values.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The 2015 Conservative manifesto had the clear objective to build affordable homes, including Starter Homes to support young people into home ownership. They will be sold at a minimum 20 per cent discount on open market value and for no more than the price cap of £250,000 (£450,000 in London). The amount of discount will vary according to local property prices. No separate assessment on capital gains has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2016-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reported concerns about (1) the use of ordinary pencils for ballot papers as opposed to pens or pencils with indelible ink, and (2) ballot papers being changed, during the EU referendum ballot; and whether they are planning to ensure that polling stations are provided with special ballot pens or pencils using indelible ink.
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Government has noted the Electoral Commission’s comments on this issue in its report on the EU Referendum. The rules governing the conduct of the referendum, which were based on the legislation in place for UK Parliamentary elections, did not specify the type of writing implement that electors must use to complete their ballot paper and voters were able to use the pencil provided or mark their ballot paper with a pen if they preferred. There were also specific safeguards in place to protect the integrity of the ballot.
We are not aware of any cases of ballot papers being changed at the referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy to maintain the level of funding to the NHS from national insurance contributions (NICs) regardless of the overall amount raised by NICs; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared to 2014-15 to support the transformation of services across the country. This investment is £2bn more than the NHS asked for, and will help deliver the Government’s objective in moving to a seven day NHS by 2020.
The Government does not commit to achieving a specific level of funding to the NHS from National Insurance contributions (NICs). Instead, a fixed proportion of each class of NICs receipts (from employees, the self-employed and employers) is allocated directly to the NHS; this adds up to about 20% of NICs receipts. The rest of NHS funding comes from general taxation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-12-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what legal and regulatory obligations apply to members of the public identified by banks as Politically Exposed Persons; and what information his Department holds on how such people are identified by banks.
Harriett Baldwin
At present, only foreign Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) are subject to the Money Laundering Regulations (2007). The Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, requires enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) measures to also be extended to domestic PEPs. We intend to interpret the Directive in a way that continues to allow banks to apply a “risk-based approach” to both the identification and application of EDD measures. This involves treating UK PEPs on the basis of risk when undertaking due diligence measures. We intend to set out this view in our consultation on transposition of the Directive which will be published in early 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of hoverboards.
Anna Soubry
Self-balancing scooters, commonly referred to as hover-boards are regulated for safety under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. These Regulations require products to be safe. Enforcement of the Regulations rests with Trading Standards for consumer products. Trading Standards have already prevented over 100,000 being made available to consumers and further action is being taken as appropriate.
The Regulations provide powers for non-compliant products to be prevented from being made available to consumers until they are brought into compliance. Where products are not brought into compliance Trading Standards can apply to the Courts for permission to destroy the goods.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been working with Trading Standards to ensure consistency of approach to deal with these products and to raise the profile of the potential safety issues with consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to allow aid to enter and be distributed throughout Yemen without restriction.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Improving access into and within Yemen for commercial goods and humanitarian aid is one of the UK’s top priorities. We have consistently called on all parties to improve commercial access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies; facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need; and safeguard major access routes and key infrastructure in Yemen, including airports, sea ports and fuel distribution sites.
In addition, we fund agencies and NGOs who have the best access and ability to deliver humanitarian aid. In addition, we have provided:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from his US counterpart on the security situation in Libya; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) spoke with US Secretary of State Kerry on 29 February and discussed a range of issues, including Libya. We have regular discussions with international partners, including the United States, in support of the Libya Political Agreement, including on security matters.