Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of implications for her policies of the finding in the Fair Admissions Campaign’s report, An unholy mess, published in October 2015, that schools which are their own admission authorities are consistently failing to comply with the School Admissions Code.

    Nick Gibb

    Many of the findings of the report echo those reported by the Chief Schools Adjudicator in her Annual Report for the 2013/14 school year. The Government will shortly consult on a package of changes to the School Admissions Code which will both respond to concerns from parents and to the findings in the Chief Adjudicator’s Annual Report. That package will include measures to improve fairness and transparency.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs supported by the Scotch whisky industry in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

    Damian Hinds

    There is no alcohol duty payable on exported Scotch Whisky.

    The government is committed to supporting the Scotch Whisky industry. The duty on spirits was cut at March Budget 2015 and, to continue this support, Budget 2016 announced a duty freeze for spirits this year.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the recent tender awarded by the Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Groups of an appointed provider to operate a Stoma Prescription service is consistent with (1) Part 1X of the Drug Tariff national framework for the dispensing and supply of stoma and urology; (2) Part 7 of the National Health Service Act 2006, as amended; and (3) the NHS England guidance issued in November 2015.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No such assessment has been made by the Department.

    This is a matter for NHS England. NHS England advises that clinical commissioning groups in Nottinghamshire are satisfied that they have met all the requirements of the tendering process in relation to the procurement process in awarding the contract to provide a stoma prescribing management service for the people of Nottinghamshire.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what studies and research his Department has undertaken or commissioned on the potential benefits of equity release on retirement incomes; and if he will estimate the potential effect on the public purse of a lower take-up rate of means-tested old-age benefits resulting from greater use of equity release.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Figures published by the Equity Release Council, an industry body, on the extent of equity release lending are available here:

    http://www.equityreleasecouncil.com/document-library/equity-release-market-report-spring-2016/

    The Government has not undertaken or commissioned any recent studies on the relationship between equity release and means-tested benefits.

    “

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to Greece to ensure that refugees have access to clear information on the Dublin III regulation and its family unity provisions in a language they can understand; and what steps expert personnel deployed to Greece in May 2016 are taking to ensure that detailed and coherent information is provided to refugees who are in accommodation sites across mainland Greece.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Home Office staff seconded to the Greek Government and the European Asylum Support Office are there to support the overall asylum system in Greece and improve the Dublin process. Two applicants have arrived in the UK since May 2016.

    Providing refugees with access to clear, detailed and coherent information is the responsibility of the Greek authorities. The UK believes that member states should meet their international obligations and provide due process and adequate care to those seeking protection within their territories.

    The Commission Implementing Regulation No 118/2014 clearly sets out the obligations for Member States to provide an information leaflet for applicants for international protection, including a specific leaflet for unaccompanied children.

    Following the EU-Turkey agreement and discussions with the European Commission and the Greek Government, the UK has offered a further 75 expert personnel to help with the processing and administration of migrants in reception centres, act as interpreters, provide medical support and bolster our existing team assisting the Commission to ensure effective and efficient coordination.

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to remove the presence of asbestos on school sites in (a) England and Wales and (b) Derby North constituency.

    Nick Gibb

    The issue of asbestos in schools is a serious one. Policy on the effective management and removal of asbestos at Welsh school sites is devolved to the Welsh Government, but in England it is one of the department’s priorities in order to ensure that our schools are safe for children and teachers.

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is the lead regulator on managing asbestos, advise that as long as asbestos is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, it is not a significant risk to health.

    The Department directly funds the removal of asbestos through schemes such as the Priority Schools Building Programme and provides capital funding for asbestos management and removal where appropriate for those schools that have identified that asbestos is in poor condition or poses a high risk of deterioration.

    We also provide support to those who are legally responsible for managing asbestos in schools by providing targeted guidance to schools on the effective management of asbestos in their schools.

    The duty holder has the legal responsibility of effectively managing asbestos in schools. In schools where asbestos poses a high risk of disturbance or is deteriorating, the duty holder should remove asbestos using capital funding that has been provided by the Department.

    The Department is not committing to the removal of asbestos in all schools, as blanket and accelerated removal of asbestos in schools is potentially more dangerous and may involve greater risk to school children and staff.

    It is, however, the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the North Korean population of implementing targeted human rights sanctions against named North Korean politicians and officials.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our policy of smarter sanctions requires that any new sanctions measures must consider broader policy objectives in parallel with the impact of any new sanctions on the general population. We would also consider carefully our ability to defend the legality of the sanctions decision under EU law. Existing UN and EU sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are based upon UN Security Council Resolutions prohibiting the further development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Any introduction of sanctions on human rights grounds would require the establishment of a new sanctions regime at UN or EU level. A key consideration would be the potential to improve the human rights situation in the DPRK weighed against the potential impact on the activity of non-governmental organisations undertaking important humanitarian activities inside the DPRK to assist some of the most vulnerable members of DPRK society.

  • 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 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for NHS diagnosis and treatment services of the findings of research indicating that women who have severe pre-menstrual tension are significantly more likely to develop high blood pressure.

    Jane Ellison

    This research was published on 25 November by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Contributions to the evidence base are welcomed, but any recommendations for NHS clinical practice will be made on the basis of consideration of the research by clinical advisory bodies.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of lower sulphur dioxide emission limits for merchant vessels in force from 1 January 2015 on (a) seafarer employment and (b) passenger and freight services (i) from Hull and (ii) in the North Sea.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The fall in oil prices means that the cost to the industry of complying with the 0.1 per cent sulphur limit is much lower than predicted. For the time being, these environmental rules do not appear to pose any significant obstacle to growth and employment to ships operating in the North Sea.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licenses issued under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 are currently in force; and how many applications for such licenses for what reasons have been (a) granted, (b) refused, (c) suspended and (d) revoked in the last 12 months.

    George Eustice

    Under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 there are currently two licences in force. One of these licences was suspended for twenty days in December 2015. Applications for renewals of both of these licences have been received and are currently being considered.

    In May 2015, Defra also received an application for a licence from a further circus. As that circus subsequently decided not to tour in England in 2015 their application was discontinued without Defra making a decision whether to grant or refuse the application. In the last 12 months, no other applications for a licence have been received by Defra and no others have been refused, suspended or revoked.