Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will hold discussions with the UN on the alleged misappropriation of reconstruction building materials to Hamas in Gaza.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID has provided £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) in order to help ensure that materials are used for civilian purposes. The MMU has identified certain cases of resale or misappropriation of materials and taken appropriate remedial action, keeping donors including the UK closely informed. We take seriously allegations of misappropriation of building materials and have regular and regular discussions with the UN to raise these concerns.

  • Baroness Valentine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Valentine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Valentine on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 December 2015 (HL Deb, col 1885) on aviation capacity, what additional work is now being undertaken on (1) air quality, (2) noise, (3) carbon emissions, (4) surface access to airports, (5) managing the wider impacts of airports on local communities, and (6) the funding and financing of new runways; and when this work will be complete.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We are testing the Airports Commission’s work on air quality further against the Government’s new air quality plan, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee. This is additional work to test compliance, and build confidence that expansion can take place within legal limits. The further work on air quality is only one element of a wider package of further work.

    We are dealing with concerns about noise to get the best outcome for residents, and doing more work on carbon to address concerns on sustainability, particularly during construction. We want to make sure that communities get the best possible mitigation deal.

    In addition, we are doing due diligence on the plans for surface access to the airports by talking to both the promoters and the key delivery bodies.

    We are also carrying out extra assurance to assess the runways’ potential both locally and nationally so it can deliver more jobs, more growth and more apprenticeships.

    On funding and financing, the Airports Commission has provided an extensive examination of the costs, financing, and commercial viability of airport expansion. The Airports Commission and the scheme promoters have made it clear that new runway capacity will be privately delivered and financed.

    We anticipate that all this further work will conclude over the summer.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will hold discussions with individual sector skills councils on the proportion of the three million new apprenticeships that need to be at level 3 and level 4.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeships are jobs, so employers themselves decide what occupations and levels they employ apprentices in.

    Employer-led Trailblazers are designing apprenticeship standards at a range of levels to meet the skill needs of their industries.

    We will continue to encourage the growth of apprenticeships at all levels to meet our commitment to 3 million new starts in England by 2020, including Level 3, Level 4 and Degree Apprenticeships.

  • Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on establishing a new national centre of expertise on tackling child sexual abuse; and when that centre is expected to open.

    Karen Bradley

    Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this Government and good progress is being made on delivering the commitments made in “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” – the Government’s response to address on a national scale the failures that had been seen in Rotherham and elsewhere. We are working collaboratively across Whitehall to deliver on our commitments and will publish an update to the “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” report later this year. This will set out our progress to date on what we have achieved in tackling offending, reducing vulnerability and supporting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. It will also set out what future steps the government plans to take.

    As part of this work, we have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat, providing a clear mandate for police forces to safeguard children and to share intelligence and best practice. We have also rolled out to all UK police forces Child abuse image database (CAID) which provides law enforcement with effective tools to search seized devices. We have delivered a £7 million uplift in funding over the financial years 2014 – 15 and 2015 – 16 for non statutory organisations which support victims and survivors of sexual abuse and have announced that the same amount will be available in 2016 – 17.

    In January this year we launched a new national whistle-blowing helpline, operated by the NSPCC, for any employee who wants to raise a concern about how their organisation is dealing with a concern about a child. The establishment of the Centre of Expertise has formed part of discussions held at the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, and we are currently working towards its procurement. In terms of the Centre working with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Inquiry is independent of Government, but the Government is, and will, continue to fully co-operate with it.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the public sector spend on health per head of population (a) in real terms and (b) as a proportion of GDP in each year between 2015-16 and 2020-21.

    Alistair Burt

    Spend as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is stated on United Kingdom public expenditure figures and is produced by HM Treasury. The Department is responsible for reporting on health spend in England and is not in a position to provide equivalent spend figures for health by the devolved administrations in future years.

    The Spending Review settlement, delivered by the Chancellor on 25 November, set the Department’s overall budget for the remaining years of the parliament and the level of funding that will be available to the National Health Service. It set absolute spending totals, not spending as a percentage of GDP, providing certainty for financial planning over the period.

  • Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to protect UK science from the effect of uncertainty about access to European Research Council grants.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK’s decision to leave the EU has no immediate effect on the right of researchers to apply or to participate in Horizon 2020 as the UK is still an EU member state. UK participants can continue to apply to the programme in the usual way. The Commission has made a public statement on its website to this effect. The future of UK access to European research and innovation funding will be determined as part of wider discussions with the EU.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assistance British police have provided to Bahrain in the last 12 months; what the (a) dates and (b) titles of those assistance projects were; which constabularies were involved; what type of assistance police forces plan to provide to Bahrain in the next 12 months; and if she will place copies of the relevant International Police Assistance Board referral forms in the Library.

    Brandon Lewis

    The British Government continues to provide support to Bahrain in a range of areas on their reform agenda.

    The provision of UK police advice and assistance is a key element in this as they progress towards being in compliance with international standards and best practice. Assistance has been provided to Bahrain by the police in the last 12 months.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to hospital trusts on the account they should take of the availability of transport links when making decisions on reconfiguring services across two sites; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS.

    NHS England has issued guidance on Planning and Delivering Service Change for Patients. As part of this guidance, NHS England specifies that: ‘Based on evidence and national clinical reference groups’ advice, commissioners need to determine the appropriate range of providers and interplay of key access requirements such as travel time.’

    All commissioners proposing reconfiguration must include an analysis of travelling times and distances in their Pre-Consultation Business Case. As part of the Best Practice Check guidelines issued by NHS England, commissioners are asked: ‘Has the travel impact of proposed change been modelled for all key populations including analysis of available transport options, public transport schedules and availability/ affordability of car parking?’ and asked to provide evidence of this through a travel impact assessment.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she had with bidders for the carbon capture and storage competition prior to the decision to withdraw funding earmarked for that competition.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Through the CCS Competition the Department has held discussions on a regular basis with both Shell and Capture Power Ltd. We continue to engage closely with the two bidders on the implications of the Spending Review decision for their Bids.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the funding criteria will be for the social investment outcomes fund; and whether NHS providers of alcohol and drug addiction services will be able to apply for that funding.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    In the spending review the Chancellor announced £80m for a new social outcomes fund to support the creation of locally developed social impact bonds tackling a range of social problems. The Cabinet Office has responsibility for the fund. The detailed criteria for the fund is being developed, but it will provide a portion of outcome payments for locally commissioned social impact bonds where some of the benefits and savings generated fall to central government.