The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how much his Department has spent to date on legal advice; and how much he estimates will be so spent during 2016-17.
Mr David Jones
The Department has been billed for £12,711 in relation to legal fees since it was established. Detailed work is underway to establish the Department’s future budget requirements, including for legal advice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to provide support for (a) junior doctors and (b) other medical staff employed in hospitals who are experiencing stress.
Mr Philip Dunne
Employers across the National Health Service are responsible for the health and wellbeing of all their staff. They will provide access to a range of services and support to staff including doctors who feel they are experiencing stress.
The Department continues to commission NHS Employers to provide advice, guidance and good practice to the NHS on improving staff physical and mental health and wellbeing. This includes an emotional wellbeing toolkit enabling staff to check their own emotional wellbeing and encourage discussion with colleagues. NHS Employers is also working with NHS England who are investing £5 million in a new NHS staff physical and mental health and wellbeing initiative, with the support of Public Health England.
There are particular additional issues for junior doctors relating to the need for them to move between different hospitals in the course of their training. Health Education England, which is responsible for doctor training arrangements has a programme of work to address these issues. This includes looking at reducing the number of training rotations to help balance doctors’ work and other responsibilities such as family and caring commitments, giving doctors ten weeks’ notice of new placements and reviewing the process for the annual review of competence progression to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.
Jane Ellison
The Department does not hold details centrally of lost stationery items nor does it collect details of the cost to replace lost or stolen items.
The Department’s official Losses and Special Payments Register has confirmed that there have been no cases of ‘stolen’ stationery reported in the last five fiscal years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following their failure to notify Tower Hamlets Council that Housing Benefit claimants had been migrated to Universal Credit, how many claimants have been overpaid Housing Benefit by that Council, and what action has been taken to ensure any overpayment recovery action is financially sustainable for those claimants.
Lord Freud
DWP is aware of issues raised by Tower Hamlets Council. The Department’s housing costs team have contacted Tower Hamlets to ask for examples so the Department can look into their concerns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18534, what assessment she has made of the effect on the forward planning work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit of the timetabling and notice provided of the decisions on the funding allocation for that Unit from March 2016; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
Defra is in regular contact with the National Wildlife Crime Unit about its work. I met the head of the unit on 3 December and Defra officials attended both the Governance Board and the Tasking and Coordination Group for the unit on the same date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of short school inspections carried out last term were converted into a full section 5 inspection; and if she will list those inspections.
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 Libraries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-02-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to create a fiscal surplus by the end of this Parliament.
Greg Hands
The government has made significant progress on deficit reduction to date – the deficit has more than halved as a share of GDP from the post-war peak we inherited in 2009-10. The government will reduce public sector net borrowing at the same average rate as the previous Parliament. But with warnings of a weaker outlook for the economy, we cannot be complacent in thinking the job is done and we must continue with the plan to return the public finances to a more sustainable position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the UK’s membership of the EU to the protection of the UK’s critical national information infrastructure from cyber-attack.
Matthew Hancock
Cyber threats transcend borders and so international cooperation is crucial to keep the UK safe. Whilst protection of the UK’s critical national infrastructure is a national security issue, and therefore outside the authority of the European Commission, we work closely with the EU to promote the UK’s vision of a free, open, peaceful and secure cyber space internationally. Our partnership with EU countries help improve our ability to manage cyber security risks, through initiatives likes CERT-CERT cooperation and the work of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security, which promotes best practice and knowledge on cyber security. As a result, we are safer, stronger, and a better off as a member of the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Executive Remuneration Working Group’s conclusions that executive pay is not fit for purpose” and that extensive reform is needed to allay “widespread scepticism and [the] loss of public confidence”.”
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government has noted the views set out in the interim report of the Executive Remuneration Working Group.
Government reforms introduced in 2013 provide a significantly more transparent and robust governance framework for executive pay. The reforms give shareholders a binding vote at least every three years on company pay policies and an annual vote on the remuneration report which sets out exactly what directors have been paid. The annual vote is advisory but if the shareholders vote down the report, the company has to bring a revised pay policy to the next Annual General Meeting.
These reforms give shareholders effective powers to challenge excessive executive pay and to hold boards to account on pay policies and it is now for investors and companies to engage constructively to ensure that pay policies are fit for purpose and that they align the interests of executives, shareholders and companies.
Evidence from the current round of Annual General Meetings is that the reforms are having an impact and that shareholders are increasingly willing to use these powers where they are dissatisfied. BP and Smith and Nephew’s shareholders, for example, voted against their companies’ remuneration reports and the shareholders of Weir Group voted against that company’s remuneration policy in a binding vote. There have been significant shareholder votes against the remuneration reports at a number of other companies.
The Government has no current plans for further legislation or regulation, but expects to see companies liaising effectively with shareholders and adjusting pay policies where there is shareholder dissatisfaction.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek assurances from the government of Iran that Nazanin Ratcliffe will be granted access to a lawyer and due process rights.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We regularly lobby the Iranian government on all of our consular cases; requesting consular access for our officials, and to ensure that they have access to lawyers and are receiving appropriate medical care. Most recently the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the issue with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 May, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the subject with the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in London on 18 May. The Iranian government do not recognise dual nationals of any country, therefore we cannot gain direct access to dual nationals held in custody.