Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time equivalent UKTI staff in his Department were based in (a) India and (b) Gujarat in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    UKTI-funded full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in India and Gujarat were as follows:

    2015 – 90 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

    2014 – 86 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

    2013 – 87.2 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

    2012- 86.5 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

    2011- 83.85 UKTI FTE in India, of which 2 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

    Under UKTI’s sector and project based approach, opportunities in Gujurat are supported by UKTI’s wider teams in India, as well as through links to experts and support in the FCO and in UKTI’s UK based networks.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17745, whether provision was made for investments in Newcastle Station with a payback period longer than the East Coast Franchise Agreement, when his Department concluded that Virgin Trains East Coast were the best value to the public purse and passengers to continue as manager of that station.

    Claire Perry

    Mechanisms exist within the Franchise Agreement that allow stakeholders and operators to propose long term investments with payback periods beyond the length of the Franchise term. We are encouraging such investment proposals at Newcastle station.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue is planned.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK-China Human Rights Dialogue is an annual event which last took place in Beijing in April 2015. We expect to hold the next round in March or April 2016.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all staff with mental health facilities receive guidance on the implications for their work of the Mental Health Act and the Code of Practice on that Act, with its guiding principles, published on 15 January 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    The Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice, which came into force in April 2015, provides statutory guidance on how functions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) should be carried out. All providers of mental health services under the Act have a duty to abide by both the provisions of the Act and the detailed guidance on how implement those provisions contained in the Code of Practice. That includes the duty of all such mental health providers to ensure their staff know and understand their responsibilities under the Act.

    Empowerment and the involvement of patients are key principles underpinning the Act, and the Code of Practice is clear that detained patients must be informed of their rights; that it is the responsibility of those treating them to ensure that patients understand their rights; and that patients are aware that they are entitled to ask for the assistance of an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) to help them understand this information.

    The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual report Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2014/15 indicates that CQC have already taken action where providers are failing to effectively monitor the Act, train staff and support patients and recommends that services use the findings of that report to make sure staff have the right skills and knowledge and decide what action needs to be taken to improve the care and support available for patients.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce nuisance telephone calls.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law.

    Specific actions include consulting on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to display calling line identification; strengthening the ICO’s direct marketing guidance; and exploring extending the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls. Baroness Neville-Rolfe’s speech on the subject to the Direct Marketing Authority can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-nevile-rolfe-on-data-protection-and-nuisance-calls

    “

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs of administering the Common Agricultural Policy in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

    George Eustice

    The Common Agricultural Policy is a devolved policy and Defra is responsible for its delivery in England. Decisions relating to the implementation of the CAP are integrated into numerous policy areas within the department and the delivery of the CAP is carried out primarily by the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England, and the Forestry Commission, alongside other business. This arrangement allows the various objectives of the CAP to be delivered effectively. However, this integrated approach to delivery also makes it difficult to calculate the total annual cost of the CAP in isolation. This is something that was identified by the National Audit Office in its recent report ‘Early Development of the CAP Delivery Programme’, and Defra is currently considering how to respond to this recommendation.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are monitoring the lending practices of challenger banks” particularly with regard to their use of high loan-to-value ratios and low value-to-income ratios

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    This Government has fundamentally reformed the UK’s system of financial regulation.

    We established the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to act as the UK’s macroprudential authority, tasked with identifying, monitoring and addressing systemic risks to financial stability. This involves monitoring levels of leverage, debt or credit growth of all banks active in the UK, including so-called “challenger banks”.

    In June 2014, the FPC took action to limit mortgage lending at high loan-to-income ratios; this action provided insurance against a rise in the number of highly indebted households.

    We also established the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) as the UK’s micro-prudential regulator, responsible for promoting the safety and soundness of the individual firms it regulates, through minimising the risk they pose to financial stability.

    The FPC’s latest assessment of financial stability risks from UK credit growth can be found in the record of its March 2016 meeting, which is available on the Bank of England’s website.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2016 to Question 40028, on investigations into unregistered schools, how many investigations her Department is currently carrying out into unregistered schools in England.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in my answer to questions 39845 and 40028, we are currently investigating institutions that may be operating as unregistered independent schools in England. The actual number under investigation fluctuates all the time as new settings come to our attention and existing ones close, or are confirmed not to be operating as schools. We will make a statement about progress in due course.

  • Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate how many consultants earn more than the Prime Minister.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    It is estimated that 8,000 consultants earn more than £142,500. This figure relates to the earnings of consultants employed by the NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) in England, and is based on NHS Earnings Estimates and Workforce Statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

    Sources: HCHS Consultants earnings figures based on statistics published by the HSCIC, from NHS Electronic Staff Record data, in NHS Staff Earnings Estimates to December 2015. The NHS Electronic Staff Record is the HR and Payroll system used by almost all National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England. HCHS Consultant numbers published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in NHS Workforce Statistics.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of trade was between the UK and Israel in each of the last five years.

    Anna Soubry

    This information can be found in the United Kingdom Balance of Payments – The Pink Book 2015 which can be found on the ONS website.