The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on military action in the south east of Turkey and the consequences of that action for Kurdish civilians.
Mr David Lidington
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 February 2016 (PQ 26321) to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-03-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how information is (1) collected, and (2) managed, to protect the confidentiality of patients who receive pharmacy services in retail outlets, under Standards for registered pharmacies, Principle 1.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists of bodies corporate are responsible for meeting the General Pharmaceutical Council’s standards for registered pharmacies and must decide how best to do so, including managing information to protect the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients and the public, within their pharmacies.
There are a number of different ways in which pharmacy professionals and the wider pharmacy team may receive patient information. Information is included on prescriptions, or may be shared by patients when seeking care from a pharmacy. In addition, information may be stored in patient medication records or other records.
Through its inspections, the General Pharmaceutical Council seeks assurance from the pharmacy team about how they maintain the confidentiality, privacy and dignity of patients and the public. These assurances can be provided through a number of different means, for example restricted password access to patient information, appropriate training of staff or making sure patients can have conversations with members of the pharmacy team in private.
All National Health service providers, including community pharmacies, also need to provide information governance assurances to the NHS on an annual basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Oman following the arrest and detention on 15 April of Mr Abdullah Habib.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of Abdullah Habib’s case and have raised concerns about freedom of expression, assembly and association with the Omani government, including at Oman’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November last year. As a result of its previous UPR, Oman welcomed the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association to visit Oman, the first Middle Eastern country to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the number of customer complaints regarding insurance companies in the current financial year is above or below average.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who are operationally independent from Government.
The questions have been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the Noble lord by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average loss incurred by people in receipt of universal credit in regular employment and paid monthly whose pay date fluctuates with their universal credit assessment period resulting in two sets of earnings in one assessment period and no earnings in the following assessment period, compared with claimants whose pay date does not fluctuate with their assessment period resulting in one set of earnings in each assessment period since the roll-out of the digital service.
Damian Hinds
The specific information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
Unlike tax credits which meant that claimants received demands for repayments and could never be sure they were receiving the correct entitlement, Universal Credit assesses monthly earnings and income in that month. That lessens the burden on claimants who have fluctuating incomes or irregular payments so they can budget with greater confidence and without the anxiety they will be hit with a demand for repayment.
We are currently implementing a test and learn approach to understand the interaction of Universal Credit and employer pay cycles and its effect on awards. This work will include discussions with employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.
David Mowat
Until exit negotiations are concluded, the United Kingdom remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.
The Department is currently working to transpose five directives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements he plans to put in place to assess new drugs for rare cancers.
George Freeman
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is the independent body that makes decisions on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs, including those for rare cancers, based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence.
The Government has also established the Cancer Drugs Fund, which has helped over 72,000 cancer patients in England to access life-extending drugs that would not otherwise have been available to them.
The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) was launched in April 2014 to support access in the United Kingdom to unlicensed or off-label medicines representing a significant advance in treatment in areas of unmet medical need. Eight EAMS Promising Innovative Medicines designations and four positive EAMS scientific opinions have been issued so far, including some for new cancer drugs.
The independent Accelerated Access Review is currently looking at how we can reduce the time, cost, and risk of drug development, develop a new range of flexible reimbursement models and consider the long term landscape for innovation adoption. The Review’s recommendations are expected in spring 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Sport Governance and Administration will be a minimum qualification for the staff and board members of UK Sport following its introduction in January 2016.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government expects the highest standards of governance from all our sports bodies in the UK and is working with UK Sport and Sport England to foster this. UK Sport and Sport England set standards that are a condition of funding, covering leadership, governance, financial management and administration, and also provide support and expertise to help national governing bodies to meet them where necessary. The recent triennial review recommended that UK Sport and Sport England should bring together both the governance requirements and the support arrangements for the next funding cycle.
Ensuring that those responsible have the right skills is an important aspect of achieving high governance standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to meet Premier League supporters clubs before his next meeting with the Executive Chair of the Premier League to discuss the living wage.
Tracey Crouch
We welcome the commitment that clubs in the Premier League have made to paying the living wage to their full-time employees, and we see no reason why this cannot be extended to include all employees. That is the message I will put across to the Executive Chair of the League when we next meet.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) number and (b) proportion of civil servants will be affected by the Government’s proposed exit payment cap.
Matthew Hancock
To remain the best in the world, the Civil Service needs to respond to both the challenges and opportunities of our times. The Civil Service continues to require new and different skills to respond to the fiscal environment, global competition and changes in technology, whilst at the same time delivering better services more efficiently: in short, doing more for less.
The numbers of civil servants affected by the Government’s action to end six figure pay outs in the public sector will depend upon the terms applicable when the staff leave and which staff are exited.