The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the cost to the EU economy of strikes by air traffic controllers across Europe in 2014 and 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government has made no such estimate and does not have comprehensive data on how airlines adjusted their schedules during the strikes, or the impacts on passengers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government intends to publish its consultation relating to death by dangerous driving and driving without due care and attention.
Sir Oliver Heald
My department is looking at driving offences and penalties for those who kill or cause serious injury and the best way to take this work forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the salaries paid to chief executives of multi-academy trusts in the last academic year for which figures are available.
Lord Nash
Information about the salaries of chief executives is not held. However, academy trusts’ financial statements disclose the number of employees whose remuneration (including any termination payments) exceed £60,000, in £10,000 bandings. The financial statements also disclose trustees’ remuneration, which may include the chief executive. The financial statements are published online by the Department for Education (available by searching “Department for Education” AND “Compare school and college performance”) and at Companies House (available by searching “Companies House service”).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 28 October (HL Deb, col 1176), whether Lord Strathclyde’s review of the powers of the House of Lords will define financial measure”.”
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston):
Lord Strathclyde is being supported in his review by a panel of external experts and a small secretariat of civil servants in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat does not include political advisers. The expert panel comprises Sir Stephen Laws, former First Parliamentary Counsel; Jacqy Sharpe, a former Clerk in the House of Commons and Clerk to the Joint Committee on Conventions; and Sir Michael Pownall, former Clerk of the Parliaments.
Several reviews have examined the powers of the House of Lords, including the Royal Commission on the reform of the House of Lords (2000) and the Joint Committee on Conventions referenced above (2006).
The review led by Lord Strathclyde is due to consider how to protect the ability of elected Governments to secure their business in Parliament in the light of the operation of certain conventions. The review will consider in particular how to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to its primacy on financial matters; and secondary legislation.
Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.
Lord Strathclyde will determine the way in which the review is undertaken and the content of his recommendations, including any definitions required. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the exercise at this stage, but neither Lord Strathclyde nor his panel of experts will be paid a fee. Lord Strathclyde is expected to seek views from a wide range of Parliamentarians, parties and groups in undertaking his review, and has issued a letter to all Parliamentarians inviting their input. He is also seeking views from the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Clerk of the House. Lord Strathclyde will report to the Prime Minister, and the Government will decide how to proceed upon receipt of his recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on climate change of the recently published report by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, entitled Executive Guide to Carbon Pricing Leadership.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government welcomes the report produced by the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition and its aim to encourage businesses to take up carbon pricing initiatives. The UK is strongly committed to carbon pricing as a policy tool to allow carbon emissions to be reduced at least cost. The Government has encouraged businesses to recognise the cost of carbon in decision-making by pressing for reforms to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading System as well as pursuing other market-based policy approaches. We also support other countries to develop pricing models through our international outreach and projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Barron on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to substitute the prescribing of high volume branded medicine with generic equivalents.
George Freeman
Generic substitution has happened in secondary care for many years, but is not currently permitted in primary care. The Department consulted on introducing primary care generic substitution in 2010, but did not progress the proposals following concerns about the potential impact on patient safety.
Most general practitioner practices and clinical commissioning groups, formerly primary care trusts, have been pursuing and supporting policies of increasing generic prescribing for 15 years or more. Generic prescribing rates are already relatively high in England at 84.1% in 2014, as reported in the Health and Social Care Information Centre report: Prescriptions dispensed in the community: England 2004-14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters to HM Revenue and Customs from members of the public remained unanswered after (a) four, (b) eight and (c) 12 weeks in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold this data. However, they regularly publish general performance reports at Gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department gives to TV Licensing on how it deals with people who do not own a television.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Within the legislative framework set out by Government, it is for the BBC Executive Board to manage licence fee collection. Under the terms of the 2006 Royal Charter the BBC Trust is required to ensure that the arrangements for the collection of the licence fee by the BBC Executive are efficient, appropriate and proportionate. In order to fulfil this function, the Trust has committed to regularly review the BBC Executive’s licence fee collection strategy, as part of the BBC’s annual report and accounts.
Last year an independent review led by David Perry QC examined the current methods of enforcement, and we are considering the review’s recommendations as part of the ongoing Charter Review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of grandparents that care for grandchildren.
Edward Timpson
Informal family and friends care arrangements, such as grandparents who provide care to their grandchildren, are made within families, without local authority involvement.
The Department collects and publishes information about looked-after children who are placed in foster care with a relative or friend. As at 31 March 2015, 7,910 looked-after children were cared for in these arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the total number and proportion of dwellings in the UK occupied with the Households Representative Person being a foreign national from (a) another EU member state and (b) a non-EU country in each of the last 10 years.
Brandon Lewis
The department collects details on the nationality of all household reference persons in the English Housing Survey. However, the sample size of the English Housing Survey does not permit us to report detailed nationality statistics.