Tag: Parliamentary Question

Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33450, for what reason the website eureferendum.gov.uk will still be available to view during the period from 27 May 2016 to the date of the EU referendum.

John Penrose

It is important to ensure that the public continue to have access to factual information throughout the Referendum campaign. The Government has been clear that it will comply fully with the statutory restrictions in place during the 28 day period from 27th May 2016. No new content will be added to the EUreferendum.gov.uk website during this period.

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01/01/2023
Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new Apprenticeship Levy on the number of apprenticeship start-ups from September 2016.

Nick Boles

The Department does not produce forecasts for apprenticeship starts. Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is dependent on employers offering opportunities and hiring apprentices.

The levy will fund a step-change in apprenticeship numbers and quality – delivering on our commitment to 3 million new apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. It will put apprenticeship funding on a sustainable footing and improve the technical and professional skills of the workforce.

It will encourage employers to invest in their apprentices and take on more. Employers in England who pay the levy and are committed to apprenticeships training will be able to get out more than they pay in to the levy through a top-up of additional funding to their digital accounts. The government will apply a 10% top-up to monthly funds entering levy paying employers digital accounts, for apprenticeship training in England, from April 2017. Apprentices who have been accepted on to an apprenticeship before April 2017 will be funded for the full term of the apprenticeship under the terms and conditions that were in place at the time their apprenticeship started.

01/01/2023
Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what functions undertaken by Defence Business Services are being considered for inclusion in the Corporate Services Integration and Innovation Provider contract.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS current operations will be outsourced. The scope of any potential Corporate Services Integration and Innovation Provider (CSIIP) contract will be confirmed in the event that a decision to outsource is taken.

01/01/2023
Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of early years intervention on the educational effect of child poverty.

Caroline Dinenage

Tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, is a priority for this Government. This Government is committed to ensuring that all children are able to fulfil their potential.

There is a strong evidence base from the UK and around the world that shows high-quality early education has long lasting benefits for children. Analysis of the evidence from Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project has shown that pre-school is of particular importance to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also know that attending high-quality pre-school from age two has a positive impact on cognitive attainment.

The Department has commissioned a major piece of longitudinal research– the Study of Early Education and Development – to understand more about how high-quality early education affects attainment and social and behavioural development up to age seven. Findings are forthcoming and will be published and available at: http://www.seed.natcen.ac.uk/reports.aspx

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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

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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