Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department makes available on the prevention of loss of hearing amongst older people.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England and the Department jointly published the Action Plan on Hearing Loss in March 2015. The action plan identifies exposure to noise and increasing age as the two major risk factors of hearing loss in working age and older adults. It includes a key objective to: improve the hearing health of all communities, improving equalities and reducing inequalities through prevention of hearing loss; ensure that diverse communities are aware of the importance of good hearing and communication; and, provide effective and up to date communication support for people living with hearing loss to ensure they realise their aspirations. Delivery of this objective will be supported by:

    • NHS England working with partners to promote the development of care programmes to focus on people at risk, including those with dementia, depression, diabetes and cataracts.
    • Public Health England collating existing data on incidence, prevalence and impact of hearing loss in people aged 65 and over and if possible in key groups such as people with dementia; and,
    • The Health and Safety Executive: working with industry stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve compliance with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005; and, reviewing the feasibility of otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing as a leading indicator of damaging exposure to noise for workers.

    An oversight group with membership from government departments, arm’s length bodies and stakeholders in the hearing loss community will review and monitor progress of implementation of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy that the changes to interest rate relief on buy-to-let mortgages announced in the Summer Budget 2015 apply to purchasers within a limited company structure.

    Mr David Gauke

    The restriction to finance cost relief brings the rate of relief available for individual landlords more in line with that of corporate landlords.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of workless 18 to 21-year olds who will be enrolled on universal credit in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available. The number of people on benefits is driven by a range of factors, and because of this the programme measures progress by the successful achievement of its delivery plan rather than numbers of claimants.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to exempt victims of domestic abuse who move home to escape violence from the provisions on fixed term tenancies of the Housing and Planning Bill.

    Brandon Lewis

    Fixed term tenancies will enable local councils to review on-going need for a tenancy and, if this is still the case, to issue a new tenancy for the same or a more suitable home.

    Where existing lifetime tenants transfer, the provisions in the Bill ensure that local authorities retain a discretion to offer the tenant a further lifetime tenancy in their new home.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to promote battlefield tourism in England in the next 12 months.

    David Evennett

    The Heritage Lottery Fund is able to support projects concerned with historic battlefield landscapes. Over the coming months the Heritage Minister will be visiting several battlefield sites both at home and abroad to commemorate important events such as the Battle of Hastings and to promote battlefield tourism. The Battlefields Trust is on hand to help preserve and promote battlefield heritage across the UK and local authorities may also be able to help promote battlefields.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31440, on primary education, how many (a) head teachers, (b) teachers and (c) union representatives her Department worked closely with during the introduction of those reforms.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department works with teachers, head teachers and unions in developing education policy; our assessment reforms are no exception.

    The assessment reforms which take effect this summer follow two public consultations in 2013 and 2014. Our primary school assessment and accountability consultation, running from July to October 2013, received 1,187 written responses, including 320 teachers, 324 head teachers and 21 union or professional organisations. We also held discussions at a series of events and conferences alongside this. In 2014, our consultation on performance descriptors for statutory teacher assessment, running from October to December 2014, received 880 responses.

    All assessment materials produced by the Standards and Testing Agency are developed in close collaboration with teachers. Teachers were involved in the initial creation of the new test model and are involved at three key points during the development of every new test. Teachers will also be involved in setting the expected standards.

    We have listened to the concerns of teachers, head teachers and unions as the reforms have been introduced. In response we have given teachers more time to submit teacher assessments and published a ‘clarification’ document to guide schools through the new arrangements.

    We also set up two expert groups involving serving and former teachers to advise the Department on aspects of assessment, including the Commission on Assessment Without Levels and the Rochford Review of Assessment for pupils working below the standard of national curriculum tests.

    We will continue to listen to the concerns of teachers and their union representatives as the details of the new assessment arrangements are finalised.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Keen of Elie on 11 May (HLWS694) regarding the increasing threat from dissident Irish republicans, what plans they have to establish a means for liaising more regularly and effectively with members of both Houses of Parliament from Northern Ireland on such matters.

    Lord Dunlop

    A number of established mechanisms already exist for the purpose of communicating the threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism to both Houses. These include the biannual written security statements to Parliament setting out details on threat levels, oral and written Parliamentary questions, meetings of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and briefing meetings with Peers and MPs. It is also open to MPs and Noble Lords to use procedures of both Houses to raise these matters and hold ministers to account.

  • Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) help expedite implementation of neighbourhood plans and (b) prevent delays resulting from judicial review of such plans.

    Gavin Barwell

    We are committed to supporting communities throughout the process and encouraging more communities to join them. Reforms in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 will help to speed up and simplify the neighbourhood planning process. We are looking to introduce a new package of measures that would further strengthen the neighbourhood planning process when Parliamentary time allows over the course of the second session.

    The neighbourhood planning legislation means that most challenges to neighbourhood planning decisions need to be brought within six weeks of the decision that is being challenged, rather than three months for most other judicial review proceedings, with no discretion to extend the time limit. This helps ensure that any associated delays are minimal. The establishment of the Planning Court in 2014 also means that it is more likely that these cases will be heard quickly by a specialist planning judge.

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many arrest warrants have been issued for people sentenced for a serious sexual offence who failed to appear in court for sentencing in each year since 2010.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Data on Failure to Appear (FTA) warrants collected by the Ministry of Justice includes information on the category of warrant but does not include information on the specific offence for which the defendant is being sought. This information has been provided in response to Parliamentary Question 47082.

    It would not be possible to separately identify those defendants for whom a warrant was issued in connection with failing to appear in court for a sexual offence without incurring disproportionate cost.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the Royal Colleges the potential side effects of osteoporosis drugs on (a) jaw and (b) general bone health.

    George Freeman

    As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Government’s independent expert advisory body the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) keep the safety of osteoporosis drugs under continual review including their effects on the jaw and on bone health. The MHRA, together with the CHM, ensures that the product information for osteoporosis medicines contains up to date information and issues updated advice as appropriate.

    Warnings about the risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw (severe bone damage in the jaw) and atypical fractures of the femur (unusual fracture of the thigh bone) are included in the product information (Summary of Product Characteristics for healthcare professionals and Patient Information Leaflet for patients) for all medicines containing bisphosphonates or denosumab which are used in the treatment of osteoporosis. New information and advice on these risks have been communicated to healthcare professionals in the MHRAsafety bulletin in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014 as new information has become available. A patient reminder card on the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw is currently being introduced for patients treated with denosumab and bisphosphonates given by injection and healthcare professionals have been informed of this new measure via the MHRA bulletin.

    Information about the recognised risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical fractures of the femur with bisphosphonates and denosumab is also included in the 2014 ‘Osteoporosis – Clinical Guideline for prevention and treatment’ developed by the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group which includes the Royal College of Physicians.