Tag: Parliamentary Question

Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the funding provided by the Government to the BBC or to bodies co-funded by the BBC for Gaelic language television programming was in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16; and what her Department’s forecast is for the future level of such funding.

Matt Hancock

There is a successful partnership between the BBC and MG Alba for the funding and delivery of Gaelic language broadcasting through the BBC Alba television channel. Decisions about the levels of licence fee funding and number of hours for individual nation’s services are editorial matters for the BBC.

01/01/2023

Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames on 2015-10-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) complaints, and (2) claims, were submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in each year from 2010 to 2014 inclusive.

Lord Bates

The numbers of new cases received by the independent Investigatory Powers Tribunal each year are published on the Tribunal’s website at: http://www.ipt-uk.com/section.aspx?pageid=5 .

The numbers of complaints and claims for the years 2010 to 2014 are as follows.

Year	Human Rights Claims	Complaints	Both	Total
2010	49	40	75	164
2011	46	46	88	180
2012	37	52	79	168
2013	58	67	80	205
2014	58	60	97	215

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal does not collate the information about the average length of time from a complaint or claim being submitted to the announcement of a ruling. The cases received by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal vary in scope and complexity. Each case is considered on its own merits and receives appropriate legal scrutiny.

01/01/2023

Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding the Government has committed to provide to (a) projects and (b) the government in Bahrain in each financial year from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We support Bahrain’s ambitious reform programmes and will provide in the region of £2.1 million of funding in support of projects aimed at strengthening human rights and the rule of law in 2015-16. The allocations for subsequent financial years to 2019/20 have not yet been agreed.

01/01/2023
Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of businesses in England and Wales without insurance in 2015.

Rory Stewart

We have made no assessment on the number of business without insurance in 2015.

A survey of small and medium business enterprises (SMEs) commissioned by Defra in 2014 found that 3% of SMEs reported that they did not have commercial insurance. The survey is available on Defra’s website at the below:

http://goo.gl/SqW3iG

“

01/01/2023
Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria are for making a ministerial directive against the closure or downsizing of a hospital.

Ben Gummer

The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are (i) support from general practitioner commissioners (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

A local authority has the power to refer NHS substantial reconfiguration proposals to the Secretary of State if they consider:

― the consultation has been inadequate in relation to the content or the amount of time allowed;

― the NHS body has given inadequate reasons where it has not consulted for reasons of urgency relating to the safety or welfare of patients or staff; or

― a proposal would not be in the interests of the health service in its area.

Upon receipt of a local authority referral, the Secretary of State can refer the matter to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) for its advice. The Panel will consider whether the proposals will provide safe, sustainable and accessible services for the local population, taking account of factors including: clinical and service quality, patient and public involvement, the surrounding local services and national policies.

On receipt of IRP advice, the Secretary of State would then decide whether or not to accept it. Since its inception in 2003, all Secretaries of State have used the IRP advice to inform their decisions.

01/01/2023
Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the level of installed capacity was for (a) wind and (b) solar energy in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last 10 years.

Andrea Leadsom

The level of installed capacity for wind and solar PV in Yorkshire and the Humber, for the ten years to 2014, is given in the attached table. Data for 2015 will be available on 29 September, 2016.

01/01/2023
Lord Shinkwin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Shinkwin on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the UK National Screening Council’s review of cell-free DNA testing has had, and will have, on the community of people with Down’s syndrome; and in particular, the impact of cost per trisomy detected” being listed as an important factor to consider in their economic analysis.”

Lord Prior of Brampton

There is a long established NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (NHS FASP) that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommendation on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) does not change the choices available to prospective parents within the programme therefore no assessment has been made.

The UK NSC announced its recommendation that NIPT should be introduced as an additional test into NHS FASP as part of an evaluation. The recommendation was not based on cost per trisomy but on the basis that NIPT is much more accurate than the current testing used in screening and can substantially reduce the number of pregnant women going on to have an invasive test, which itself carries a risk of miscarriage. The economic model reviewed by the UK NSC suggested that NIPT initially offered to women with a chance of greater than 1 in 150 of carrying a fetus with a trisomy would result in 9,912 NIPT tests being carried out, and 350 retests would be required. As a result of the NIPT testing, the number of invasive tests would fall from 7,910 to 1,434. The majority of invasive tests avoided are in trisomy free pregnancies, so that the number of test related miscarriage of healthy pregnancies would subsequently fall from 46 to three per year.

01/01/2023
David Winnick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Leader of the House, what progress has been made on plans for the complete renovation of the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling

The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster, co-chaired by the Leader of the House of Commons and the Leader of the House of Lords, was established on 16 and 20 July 2015 to examine the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster. The Committee is considering evidence from a wide range of experts, Parliamentarians and stakeholders and will report in due course.

01/01/2023
Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the health and safety requirements for operators of rickshaws.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In England and Wales, excluding London, rickshaws (in the form of pedal-powered vehicles for carrying passengers, often also referred to as pedicabs) are regulated as taxis. They are therefore required to meet a local licensing authority’s taxi licensing conditions and any applicable byelaws. Under the different legislation that applies to London, they fall outside the scope of taxi regulation. The police have some limited powers to address inappropriate behaviour such as obstructing footways or driving in a reckless manner. The Government has recently announced its intention to introduce legislation to enable Transport for London to regulate pedicabs in London.

01/01/2023
Nia Griffith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights in West Papua.

Alok Sharma

We follow the situation in the province of West Papua with close interest, whilst respecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia. The British Ambassador to Indonesia has visited West Papua a number of times to raise our concerns on this issue with members of the police, religious and community leaders.

01/01/2023