The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Leader of the House, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Office.
Chris Grayling
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 29 February 2016, to Question UIN 27946.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.
Brandon Lewis
The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed.
The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.
The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. HM Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has produced an implementation plan for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government intends to produce a report in due course that will set out how the UK is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Colleen Fletcher on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) efficiency of existing diagnostic tests and (b) effectiveness of current treatments for Lyme disease.
Jane Ellison
Lyme disease is a complex infection where challenges in understanding of disease progression, and consequently diagnosis and treatment, remain.
The National Health Service and Public Health England (PHE) use well established validated diagnostic tests for Lyme disease that are highly reproducible between laboratories. International External Quality Assurance schemes are in place to ensure consistency between different test centres. Commercial manufacturers and international academic groups have research programmes into improved tests and PHE continuously reviews new Lyme serology tests and will validate and implement new tests if appropriate.
All treatment for Lyme disease within the NHS should be evidence based, and targeted at the disease mechanisms underlying those symptoms. Most cases are diagnosed in primary care and PHE has published a referral pathway for general practitioners to follow to ensure problem cases are seen by an appropriate NHS specialist.
To further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a new clinical guideline on Lyme disease, for both primary and secondary care, for publication in 2018. The Department is also commissioning three Systematic Reviews by independent academic groups to cover
― diagnosis and diagnostic tests;
― treatment; and
― epidemiology/transmission routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department has allocated to support Sir John Parker in his report on diversity on corporate boards.
Margot James
The secretariat to Sir John’s review is provided by private sector sponsors and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been very supportive of the review and providing support at ministerial and official level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for Zimbabwe’s political and economic future in the event of the death of President Mugabe.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Zimbabwe faces enormous political and economic challenges. A peaceful transition to a leader willing to make reforms could move Zimbabwe towards a more democratic, prosperous future. The UK does not support parties or individuals, but rather the implementation of policies that could lead to eventual normalisation of Zimbabwe’s international relations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that the extension of right to buy to housing associations will apply to tenants whose properties were built exclusively with private finance.
Brandon Lewis
Under the agreement with the National Housing Federation, there will be a presumption that housing association tenants will have the right to purchase their home at Right to Buy level discounts.
The agreement states that housing associations may exercise discretion over sales of properties provided through charitable or public-benefit resources or bequeathed for charitable or public-benefit purposes, and in the possession of the housing association before it became registered under the Housing Act 1974 (or later equivalent legislation).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reconsider expanding Gatwick airport in the light of comments by the Chief Executive of that airport.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government continues to consider the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart to ensure that the Mothers of Soacha are able to keep their relatives’ graves in their current cemetery without incurring financial costs.
Mr Hugo Swire
Any claim in negotiating compensation for the preservation of the graves must be requested directly via the government of Colombia, through the local compensation courts. Her Majesty’s Government is unable to interfere directly in this process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what statutory arrangements are in place to penalise rail franchises which consistently perform poorly; and how often such arrangements have been called on since 2010.
Claire Perry
Section 55 of the Railways Act 1993 (as amended) gives the Secretary of State power to make an Enforcement Order where a train operator contravenes a term of the franchise agreement. Such an Order may require the train operator to take specified steps to address the contravention and can include a requirement to pay a penalty if the Train Operator contravenes the Order.
Section 57A of the Railways Act 1993 (as amended) gives the Secretary of State a separate power to impose a penalty for contravention of a term of the franchise agreement as an alternative to making an Enforcement Order or in addition to such an Order (provided that the Order does not include a penalty provision).
Since 2010 no train operator has been required to make a payment for breach of an Enforcement Order under section 55. Some 13 Enforcement Orders under Section 55 have been issued, and one train operator has been required to make a penalty payment imposed under section 57A.