Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage UK companies to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay in clothes factories in Bangladesh in their supply chains.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK, through DFID, is encouraging UK companies to improve working conditions, safety standards and pay in the garment sector in Bangladesh in a number of ways. The UK has used every opportunity to call for companies to take responsibility for the working conditions. This has included a Westminster Hall debate, repeat Ministerial visits to Bangladesh, and various meetings with retailers and buyers.

    The UK Government has also encouraged all UK Brands to sign up to the Bangladesh Safety Accord, an independent and legally-binding agreement between trade unions and private companies that was established in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster to improve safety and health standards in the Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment Industry. A total of 30 UK companies have signed the Accord.

    The UK is also supporting the Trade in Global Value Chains Initiative (TGVCI) which supports UK companies to invest more in their supply chains and improve working conditions in the factories in which they are working. DFID also supports the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which is a leading alliance of British companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations working together to improve the lives of workers around the world.

  • 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 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the set up costs, and (2) the running costs, of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In the first year, the setting up costs and the running costs of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be £3.6 million. The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will sit within NHS Improvement and therefore other costs, such as premises and back office functions, will be met by NHS Improvement.

    The budgets of arm’s length bodies are agreed on an annual basis, subject to business planning. The budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be set through this process.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many structures funded in the Occupied West Bank through the EU Consortium have been demolished by the Israeli government since 1 January 2016.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    None of the structures constructed under the EU multi-donor programme for social and public infrastructure in Area C have been demolished to date.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of hotel bookings her Department made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in each of the last five years.

    Karen Bradley

    We refer the Honourable Member to the answer to PQ 37638, given by the Cabinet Office.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she would expect a Regional School Commissioner, having arranged, following a formal notice, for an Academy to move from one multi-academy trust to another, to carry out an investigation of the stewardship of the original Trust; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) act in the name of the Secretary of State. Where a RSC takes the decision to transfer an academy from one trust to another, there will have been several discussions with both trusts involved. If such a move is due to concerns over performance, the RSC will hold the outgoing trust to account, ensuring that any remaining academies are receiving the best support and the trust is regularly monitored.

    This information is publicly available and can be found in the RSC decision-making framework on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf

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  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to manage the levels of stress experienced by school support staff.

    Nick Gibb

    When well deployed and supported, teaching assistants can make a valuable contribution to the education of our children. They are entitled to a suitable work-life balance and it is regrettable if they are experiencing excessive stress in their work.

    Responsibility for managing teaching assistants and other support staff rests at local level. Head teachers best understand the needs of their schools and the support staff who work within them.

    The Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) guidance report; “Making Best Use Of Teaching Assistants”, offers the latest evidence and makes a number of recommendations to help schools make best use of their teaching assistants. The EEF report is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/TA_Guidance_Report_Interactive.pdf.

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  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK were admitted to mental health hospitals outside of their local authority area in the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    Information on the number of patients who were admitted to mental health hospitals outside their home local authority in St Helens North constituency, Merseyside and the United Kingdom in each of the last five years is not available. However, information on the number of people in non-specialist mental health beds treated out of area between September 2014 and July 2015 is set out in the attached table: the number of people in non-specialist mental health bed, placed out of area at the end of the month, for England and Mersey Care NHS Trust, September 2014-July 2015.

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department plans to enable the sharing of best practice from current and completed devolution deals.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is pleased to have reached agreement on devolution deals with seven local areas during 2015 which will enable local people to make decisions on the priorities and investments which will best help local areas to succeed and grow. We are now focused on implementation of these deals, and as part of this process monitoring and evaluation will be crucial.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Tornado and (b) Typhoon aircraft are (i) in the Forward Available Fleet, (ii) in the Sustainment Fleet and (iii) awaiting decommissioning or disposal.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The information requested is detailed in the attached table.

    The Forward Available Fleet comprises aircraft which are serviceable and those which are short-term unserviceable. Short-term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other rectification or technical inspection work that can arise on a day-to-day basis. Dependent on the nature of the work, aircraft may be designated as requiring either ‘short-term maintenance’ or ‘short-term works’.

    The Sustainment Fleet numbers represent those aircraft in the Depth Fleet, which comprises aircraft which are undergoing planned depth maintenance or upgrade programmes.

    Decommissioning and disposal are part of the same process and are therefore grouped together.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance with regulations on electrical safety in care homes in England.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There has been no recent assessment of the level of compliance with the regulations on electrical safety in care homes in England by the Health and Safety Executive, Local Authorities or the Care Quality Commission.

    There is general guidance for dutyholders on expected electrical standards on the HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm and specific guidance for social care in HSE publication Health and Safety in Care homes chapter 4. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg220.htm.

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