Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to restrict the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies.

    George Freeman

    There are no plans for additional controls on the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies. In the United Kingdom, there are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products. These legal controls apply equally to medicines sold or supplied via the internet or e-mail transactions. Under medicines legislation, it is unlawful for medicinal products for human use to be marketed, manufactured, imported from a third country, distributed and sold or supplied in the UK except in accordance with the appropriate licences or exemptions. Prescription only and pharmacy medicines may only be legally sold or supplied by or under the supervision of a pharmacist on registered pharmacy premises. In addition, prescription only medicines may only be dispensed against a prescription written by a doctor, dentist or independent prescriber. There are also controls on quantities of certain pharmacy medicines that can be sold or supplied and that applies if the medicine is sold in a pharmacy or online.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to putting in place immediate arrangements for members of the armed forces to be trained in train driving, operating and management.

    Earl Howe

    Defence has no current plans in place to provide training in train driving, operating or management.

  • Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian government about the FARC prisoners on hunger strike.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We understand that there are members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on hunger strike in 13 prisons across the country. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in Colombia’s judicial process, we have in the past raised concerns regarding due process and prison conditions with the Government of Colombia – particularly in relation to imprisoned trade unionists. That said we do not currently intend to make specific representations to the Colombian government about the current hunger strike by members of the FARC.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of those eligible service personnel who have left the armed forces have participated in the Specialist Support Programme of the Careers Transition Partnership in each year since 2010.

    Mark Lancaster

    Information is held on personnel that have participated in the Specialist Support Programme (SSP) (formerly the Recovery Careers Service and now called CTP Assist) for the period 1 April 2013 – 30 September 2014. Data prior to this date is not held as there was no requirement to collate this information prior to April 2013.

    All eligible individuals who require support from the SSP are referred to it. Between 2013-14 and 2014-15 the following numbers of personnel have participated in the SSP:

    2013-14 – 3,000

    2014-15 (1 April 2014 – 30 September 2014) – 1,960

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of damage to (a) local roads and (b) the strategic road network caused by recent flooding; and from which cost heading funding for (i) already identified and (ii) anticipated repairs is to be found.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced funding of £40 million for Cumbria and Lancashire following Storms Desmond and Eva. We also agreed to help fund the assessment of damage to local highway infrastructure in both areas. In addition, the Department also announced £3.3 million to provide a temporary footbridge and the repair of Tadcaster Bridge in North Yorkshire and a further £5.5 million to rebuild Elland Bridge in Calderdale which includes providing a temporary pedestrian footbridge whilst these works are underway.

    The Department is also working closely with all local highway authorities affected by the floods to see what further support and assistance can be provided as they complete their assessments of damage.

    Two sections of road on the strategic road network have been damaged by the recent flooding. The river bank was washed out on both sides at Warwick Bridge on the A69 near Carlisle. This will be repaired, as agreed with the Environment Agency (EA), using gabion baskets at an estimated cost of £60,000. The cost of the repairs will be met by the DBFO Company who maintains this stretch of road.

    A 1.5 mile section of the westbound dual carriageway at Bassenthwaite Lake on the A66 in Cumbria is currently closed due to the recent storms. As a consequence of the westbound closure, the two lane eastbound carriageway is being used with one lane open for eastbound traffic and one for westbound traffic. The repair costs will be dependent on the findings of a recent geotechnical survey. However the provisional cost estimate for reopening this section of the network is between £3m and £5m.

    The rest of the strategic road network in the North West region has now been returned to a fully serviceable condition. This has involved the clearance and inspection of all affected culverts and the removal of a significant amount of detritus off sections of the network that witnessed flooding. This included the removal of material off the carriageway following two minor earth slips on the A66 in the vicinity of Warcop. The cost of clearing the affected network in the North West region is estimated at £275,000.

    Inspections of bridge structures and other assets across the North West region have revealed scour (erosion of soil) related issues and other damage at a number of locations, with further inspections currently underway. Remedial works on the A66 at Eden Bridge near Temple Sowerby are estimated at £125,000. Additionally, the Environment Agency has contacted Highways England about a section of scour/land slip adjacent to the River Greta east of Briery interchange. An inspection has been arranged to determine the proximity and potential risk to the A66 at this location.

    The funding for repairs to the strategic road network is being met via an additional £8m for storm damage provided by DfT.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to implement the EU Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

    Karen Bradley

    We are committed to ending Violence Against Women and Girls. The previous Government signed the Istanbul Convention (the Council Of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence) and this Government remains committed to ratifying it but have made it clear that we will not do so until we are absolutely satisfied that we fully comply with all articles but amendments to domestic law, to take extra-territorial jurisdiction over a range of offences (as required by Article 44), are necessary before the Convention can be ratified.

    The Ministry of Justice is currently considering the approach to implementing the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements in England and Wales and will seek to legislate when the approach is agreed and Parliamentary time allows. The Ministry of Justice will be consulting Ministers in the devolved administrations formally about whether legislative changes on extra-territorial jurisdiction in England and Wales should extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

    The Convention applies to the whole of the UK so any changes necessary to the criminal law in Scotland and Northern Ireland prior to ratification are matters for the devolved administrations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28284, how much the Business Rate Retention Scheme has raised for the Greater London Authority in each year since the scheme’s introduction.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The income available to the Greater London Authority through the Business Rates Retention Scheme was £863.2 million in 2013/2014 and £936.2 million in 2014/2015. The income is forecast to be £1.0396 billion in 2015/2016.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of international scientific evidence concerning moderate alcohol consumption as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The alcohol guidelines review was undertaken by a group of independent scientific experts who were commissioned to report back to the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers and make recommendations on new low risk drinking guidelines. The Guidelines Development Group scrutinised all of the available evidence concerning alcohol consumption including moderate alcohol consumption and the protective effects to overall mortality. They set out their assessment of the systematic reviews in their report.

    The Alcohol Guidelines Review – Report from the Guidelines development group to the UK Chief Medical Officers is attached.

  • William Cash – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    William Cash – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, by what mechanisms the National Grid can procure electricity supplies outside of the capacity market.

    Andrea Leadsom

    National Grid routinely purchases electricity through the balancing mechanism to ensure supply and demand balance precisely minute-by-minute. National Grid is also able to contract forward to ensure the availability of capacity which can provide these balancing services, for example, through the Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR); and for the provision of other ancillary services required to meet the physical needs of the system, although these services are often provided by capacity which is also participating in the energy market. These will still be available to Grid after the Capacity Market begins operation and some of the services will be available through plant participating in the capacity market.

    During 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17, ahead of the introduction of the capacity market, National Grid has also been allowed by Ofgem to procure capacity into the Supplementary Balancing Reserve (generation) and Demand-side Balancing Reserve. National Grid has already procured 3.6GW for next winter which ensures we will have an adequate capacity margin. Once the capacity market begins operation in 2017/18, Ofgem have stated that they will discontinue this facility.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for a Disclosure and Barring Service local intelligence check to be completed by the Metropolitan Police Service.

    Sarah Newton

    From June 2015 to May 2016, the average time taken to complete Disclosure checks by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was 94 days and for the police as a whole, 22 days.

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is working closely with the small number of forces, including the MPS, whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the MPS has established a Gold Group to oversee the recovery plan which they have in place to reduce the time taken. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.