Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the number of political prisoners held in that country; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) with mental health conditions, (b) with long-term disabilities and (c) who receive social care who will be affected by the planned cap on housing benefit for tenants in supported housing.

    Alistair Burt

    Ministers have not yet made any official representations to other Government departments about the proposed changes to housing benefit for tenants in supported housing. Neither has the Department made any formal estimates of the people likely to be affected by the proposed changes. However, discussions are ongoing at official level between Departments.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the National Wildlife Crime Unit on reducing wildlife-related crimes.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Office has not conducted an assessment of the effect the Unit has made on reducing wildlife-related crimes.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26995, what steps he has taken to support people who have moved home because of flooding and are unable to sell their primary home within the 18-month eligibility period for refund of stamp duty.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government has doubled the eligibility period from 18 to 36 months for refunds from the higher rates of SDLT if purchasers move home before selling their main residence. The Government believes that the longer period of time is fairer to purchasers who may, due to circumstances beyond their control, be unable to sell a previous main residence within 18 months.

  • Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the UK’s digital industries.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The UK is home to a thriving digital sector, worth £118.3 billion and equivalent to 7.3% of UK GVA. 43% of the UK tech sector’s total exports go to the EU.

    Digital Single Market reforms could be worth £330 billion a year to the EU economy. This is a clear example of how the single market benefits the UK digital industries.

    The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has carried out a rural proofing assessment of the likely effects of measures contained in the Bus Services Bill.

    Andrew Jones

    The general and specific impacts of the Bill’s provisions are included in a number of Impact Assessments, which will be published shortly. The impact assessments include a ‘rural proofing assessment’.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to comply with the European Court of Justice judgment of 2015 on VAT on green products such as solar panels.

    Jane Ellison

    The UK has applied a five per cent reduced rate of VAT to installations of 11 different types of energy saving materials since 2001. That reduced rate remains in place and is unchanged.

    Following the judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the government published a consultation on this particularly complex issue. We are currently considering the responses to this consultation.

  • Paul Beresford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Beresford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Beresford on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on external consultants at (a) Epsom Hospital, (b) East Surrey Hospital and (c) The Royal Surrey County Hospital respectively over the last five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The requested information is not held centrally.

    The available information is provided in the table below.

    The Department holds expenditure data for National Health Service trusts as part of the year end accounts consolidation process. The data is held for the trust which a hospital belongs to rather than for individual hospitals.

    External Consultant Spend by Trust (2011/12-2015/16)

    Financial Year

    Epsom and St Helier University (£000)

    Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (£000)

    Royal Surrey County NHS Foundation Trust (£000)

    2011/12

    2,836

    881

    2,067

    2012/13

    1,525

    1,036

    1,216

    2013/14

    1,289

    509

    2,288

    2014/15

    1,215

    502

    3,165

    2015/16

    1,784

    56

    2,537

    Source: Department of Health Accounts and NHS Improvement

    Notes:

    1. This information is based on the Cabinet Office definition of “Consultancy Services” (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405538/6.1_Cons_definitions.pdf):

    “Assistance provided by consultancy services provided outside the ’business-as-usual’ environment when in-house skills are not available and will be of no essential consequence and time-limited. Consultancy may include the identification of options with recommendations, or assistance with (but not delivery of) the implementation of solutions.”

    This is not the same as spend on external medical consultants; which would have to be obtained from trusts/foundation trusts directly.

    2. This guidance is issued to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts as part of the Department’s Group Accounting Manual, and can be seen on pages 160/161 of that document.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, to which countries the 1,780 foreign national offenders referred to have been deported.

    James Brokenshire

    Of the 426 cases referred to in answer of 14 October to Question 11080:

    – none were certification withdrawn

    – 359 have been certified under Regulation 24AA

    – all data provided relates to the First Tier Tribunal only

    – 25 are listed as abandoned or withdrawn by the appellant

    – 89 were dismissed by the relevant tribunal

    The Home Office does not disclose country specific information as its disclosure could prejudice relations between the UK and foreign governments.

    Notes : (1) All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

    (2) Data Extracted on 28th September, 2015 in line with response to Question 11080

  • 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 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from planned reductions in travel expenditure in each of the next five years.

    Mark Lancaster

    As a result of Spending Review 2015 the Ministry of Defence will reduce its annual transport expenditure over the Spending Review period. The estimated savings from this measure are around £25 million per year.