The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 January 2016, WS499, how much the Government spent on work on the criminal legal aid tendering process before deciding not to go ahead with that process.
Mr Shailesh Vara
This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 24 of the Accelerated Access Review, published in October 2015, what steps he is taking to ensure that drugs that target the genetically validated targets (a) PCSK9 and (b) BCL2 are introduced into routine NHS care; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
The Accelerated Access Review, chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, will make recommendations to government on reforms to accelerate access for National Health Service patients to innovative medicines and medical technologies making our country the best place in the world to design, develop and deploy these products. The terms of the reference for the review focus on faster access to innovations, which may include drugs that target genetically validated targets such as PCSK9 and BCL2.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Department has made no assessment of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control.
The Department’s Policy Research Programme is funding COSMOS (Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health) which is conducted by Imperial College London and expected to end in 2019. This study will investigate possible health effects from long term use of mobile phones and other wireless technologies, on a United Kingdom cohort of 105,000 adults. One of the health outcomes investigated will be tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Hearing loss is one of the factors that may be involved in the development of tinnitus and this study will monitor the incidence of tinnitus in mobile phone users.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many existing staff from the Skills Funding Agency it is planned will be transferred to the new Institute for Apprenticeships.
Nick Boles
The final size and structure of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be determined in due course. No decisions have yet been made about its structure or staffing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of a FCA-regulated monthly maximum charge on unarranged overdrafts for personal current accounts.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government is clear that consumers must be able to access clear and transparent information about the charges that may apply to financial services products, including bank accounts. In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority requires firms to be clear, fair and not misleading when giving information to consumers, including on fees and charges.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently undertaking a market investigation into competition within the retail banking market, including personal current accounts. In its May 2016 provisional decision on remedies, the CMA proposed requiring banks to take steps including: a monthly maximum charge for unarranged overdrafts; alerts to help customers avoid unarranged overdraft charges; improving comparisons by allowing customers to share data on transactions with other banks and trusted third parties; and regular prompts for customers to check that they are getting good value from their banking provider.
The CMA’s investigation is ongoing and it is currently consulting on the provisional decision on remedies. The Government welcomes the CMA’s work as a crucial step towards the goal of a highly competitive banking system, and stands ready to take action as necessary once the CMA publishes its final report in the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-09-12.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to change HM Revenue and Customs practice of not repaying incorrectly withheld arrears or underpaid tax credits to claimants as a lump sum.
Jane Ellison
To tackle the problems associated with families overestimating falls in income, since 2007, when claimants report a fall in income during the year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) adjusts their tax credit payments for the rest of the year to reflect their new income level, but will not include a one-off payment for the earlier part of the year. At the end of the year, their award is finalised when their actual income is known. If they have been underpaid, a further payment will then be made. However, provisions are in place to make arrears payments to claimants suffering financial hardship.
The purpose of withholding the payment is to reduce the number and size of any overpayments and prevent customers incurring debt.
HMRC has provisions in place to support those customers who are suffering financial hardship and in those circumstances any withheld payments can be released and paid to the customer without having to wait for the claim to be finalised. There are no plans to alter the current practice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to respond to the findings of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research evaluation study, No evidence Troubled Families Programme has any significant impact on key objectives, published on 17 October 2016.
Mr Marcus Jones
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research Impact Study was just one of 6 reports comprising the independent evaluation of the first Troubled Families Programme. The evaluation found that the programme had many positive achievements. These include:
The data shows that nearly 120,000 of the families on this programme saw their lives improve – more children attending school, youth crime and anti-social behaviour significantly cut and, in more than 18,000 families, an adult holding down a job. The evaluation does not dispute this fact.
Unsurprisingly, the ambitious and innovative impact study which used national administrative datasets to track changes in families circumstances over comparatively short time periods, was unable to specifically attribute positive outcomes achieved in employment, youth crime or school attendance to the Troubled Families Programme.
This was because at that time the level of change achieved was not significantly different from that seen in a group of families not on the programme with whom comparisons were made. This is not the same, however, as saying that the evaluation shows family outcomes did not improve, as some have wrongly inferred.
Of course, we will continue to review all evidence of how the programme is working, to learn from it and see if there’s more we can do to help families facing such multiple problems. In fact, we have already adapted the new programme in a number of ways, including extending the length of time over which family outcomes will be tracked – from 12 months to 5 years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been of the North East Traffic Commissioners Quality Contact Scheme board to date.
Andrew Jones
The Quality Contract Scheme Board (QCSB) that was convened to consider the proposed Quality Contract Scheme for Tyne and Wear published their report in accordance with the Transport Act 2000 on 3 November 2015.
The cost incurred by QCSB in fulfilling their statutory obligation to date is £206,088. This figure should not increase significantly as the report has now been published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the recent World Bank survey, Women, Business and the Law 2016, that 155 out of 173 countries, including the UK, still have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
This report provides an interesting assessment of women’s rights around the world, with a particular emphasis on how they are treated under the law. Unsurprisingly the UK is cited as providing a strong legal framework, and further progress that we have made is set out in many areas. We will continue to work with other countries to promote women’s rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many companies based in Scotland have expressed an interest in trading with Iran; and what steps the Government is taking to increase trade between Scotland and Iran.
Anna Soubry
The Government does not currently hold information centrally on how many companies have expressed an interest in trading with Iran.