The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance and training Ofsted inspectors receive on applying the criteria for a good Ofsted grading in settings involving children with special education needs and disability.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what attempts have been made to begin a national media campaign to recruit doctors at Chorley and South Ribble District Hospital; and in which national papers that campaign was placed.
Ben Gummer
These are operational matters for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and we have written to Stuart Heys, Chair of the Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s questions. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-05-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries have been made by hon. Members to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on tax credits claims in the last 12 months; and what the average time taken was for HMRC to respond to those enquiries.
Damian Hinds
HMRC receives enquiries from Hon Members about tax credit awards in a number of different ways. HMRC seeks to answer every one as a high priority. No comprehensive figures are held for the time taken to answer all enquiries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the level of compliance with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulations which state that biosimilars should be subject to additional monitoring until the safety of such drugs is well established.
Nicola Blackwood
In accordance with European Union pharmacovigilance legislation, biosimilar products authorised in the EU since 1 January 2011 must undergo additional monitoring. The European Medicines Agency maintains and publishes a list of medicines subject to additional monitoring. These medicines are readily identifiable by an inverted black triangle which appears on the product information which is available to health professionals and patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many government-owned goods vehicle test stations are based in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.
Andrew Jones
The number of government-owned (freehold) goods vehicle test stations are as follows;
(a) 40 in England (b) 3 in Wales and (c) 12 in Scotland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who have had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in each local authority area were excluded from school in the last five years.
Edward Timpson
The Department does not hold information on the number of pupils excluded with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Cotter on 2015-11-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to data published by the European Commission in its 2015 Annual Report on European SMEs, which found that access to finance and finding customers are some of the greatest issues faced by SMEs in the EU.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The European Commission’s Annual Report on European SMEs 2014/15 found that, access to finance for SMEs across the EU has decreased in importance with only 13% (down from 15% in 2013) citing it as the most pressing problem in 2014 behind a number of other issues. The UK’s SME Finance Monitor also found that 79% of SME loan and overdraft applications were successful in the 18 months to 2015 Q2, up from 67% in Q4 2013.
The Government continues to take steps to improve access to finance. The British Business Bank, for example, is supporting £2.4 billion of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £3.3 billion of finance to small mid-sized businesses, as of the end of June. In addition, the implementation of measures in the Small Business and Employment Act 2015 will require the largest banks to refer customers who have been declined finance to alternative providers via designated platforms.
The report also highlights that finding customers remains a problem for SMEs but that this is relatively less problematic than in previous years. We are supporting SMEs by providing advice on a range of issues through Growth Hubs, which join up local resources; the My Business Support Tool which helps businesses find the support they need quickly; and the Business Support Helpline.
Government has made public contract opportunities easier to find by making them all accessible on an improved single online portal. The Contracts Finder contains current public sector contracts (above £10,000 in Central Government and £25,000 in the wider public sector) and a forwardpipelineof potential contract opportunities up to 2020.
Of the 50,000 plus businesses that make up the customer base of UK Trade & Investment, some 90% are SMEs.
UKTI provides tailored help for SMEs, including: working out which markets suit their business; identifying export opportunities; introducing them to key contacts and setting up business meetings; and helping firms exhibit their goods and services at trade fairs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has allocated any funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood for the 2016-17 financial year.
Jane Ellison
The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many acres of farmland she plans will be protected by government investment in flood defences over the next six years.
Elizabeth Truss
As a result of the Government’s £2.3 billion, six year capital investment programme more than 420,000 acres of farmland will be better protected by 2021.
Together with our investment in the last parliament this means that more than a million acres of farmland will be better protected from flooding over this decade.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Alun Cairns
The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and staff are subject to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) policies for issues such as wellness.