Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the three unpublished industry studies of the safety of the herbicide glyphosate relied upon by the European Food Safety Authority when it reached its decision that glyphosate is not carcinogenic to humans, namely the 2001 study owned by the Israeli pesticides company ADAMA Agan Ltd Carcinogenicity Study with Glyphosate technical in Swiss Albino Mice, the 2009 study owned by the Australian pesticides company Nufarm Glyphosate technical: Dietary Carcinogenicity Study in the Mouse, and the 1997 study owned by the Japanese pesticides company Arysta Life Sciences HR-001: 18 month Oral Oncogenicity Study in Mice.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The European Food Safety Authority concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard in humans. This conclusion followed a very thorough consideration of a wide range of scientific data, including a number of studies on laboratory animals.

    The mouse carcinogenicity studies were performed by independent testing laboratories and comply with the applicable OECD test guideline and Good Laboratory Practice. Carcinogenicity studies in mice are among the many EU data requirements for pesticides, and help to establish whether or not an active substance in a pesticide has carcinogenic potential.

    Under the regulatory system for pesticides, studies are not published because of the danger that data may be wrongly used to support other rival applications for authorisation. However, requests to view the documents can be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about transport services to St Helena.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Representations have been received from the Elected Councillors of the Legislative Council of St Helena as well as from a number of potential providers of a scheduled air service to St Helena.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the sustainability and transformation plan for Nottinghamshire.

    David Mowat

    Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review in October, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.

    We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.

    NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution of 6 November 2015 by the Minister for Community and Social Care, Official Report, column 1307, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the provisions of the Off-patent Drugs Bill would be potentially harmful.

    George Freeman

    The current legal framework allows a clinician to prescribe drugs outside their licensed indication where that will best meet the clinical needs of their patient. This clinical freedom is crucial in delivering appropriate healthcare to groups of patients for whom medicines have not historically been licensed, e.g. children. It is also helpful in enabling prescribers to quickly pick up and apply new evidence that will help patients with particular clinical needs. The Off-Patent Drugs Bill would introduce a legal duty to apply for a licence for off-patent drugs where evidence of effectiveness for a new indication becomes available. This will create an expectation that only licensed uses of drugs are acceptable and therefore that off-label use is not appropriate. This would cause unnecessary delays in patients getting the medicines they need by slowing the rapid uptake of new evidence in clinical practice. This is why we believe the proposed legislation could potentially be harmful.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pupils take a full EBacc range of subjects in (1) sponsored academies, and (2) maintained schools.

    Earl of Courtown

    Provisional figures for 2014/15 show that 27.8 per cent of pupils in sponsored academies and 37.5 per cent of pupils in local authority maintained mainstream schools were entered for all components of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

    This information is published in the Statistical First Release “Provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015”.[1]

    A list of qualifications which count towards the English Baccalaureate is available on the school performance tables’ website.[2]

    [1] 2014/15 provisional table can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467605/SFR37_2015_National_Tables.xlsx. (Years: 2014/15 Table 3a)

    [2] A list of qualifications which count towards the English Baccalaureate can be found at: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/secondary_14/English_Baccalaureate_list_of_qualifications_July_2015.xls.

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  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the Human Rights and Democracy Report 2015.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The FCO plans to publish the 2015 Human Rights and Democracy Report in April 2016.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 February (HL5642), how they describe the recent settlement of the payment of tax by Google if not as a special arrangement”.”

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collects the tax due under the law. It does not enter into special arrangements with taxpayers. In accordance with its published guidelines on resolving disputes, HMRC has taxed all of Google’s profits chargeable to tax in the UK for the period in question at the full statutory rate of tax.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people using the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre required a mandatory reconsideration of funeral payments in each month in 2015; and how many of the decisions on those reconsiderations were in the claimant’s favour.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding his Department has provided for big data projects in the last 10 years.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government recognises the potential of Big Data and is taking steps to ensure the UK is at the forefront of research and innovation in this field.

    Figures are only available from 2011, and since that time, the Government has invested over £520 million in developing the UK’s big data and high-performance computing capital infrastructure.

    This includes major investments in specialist centres such as the Alan Turing Institute, the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, the Higgs Centre for Innovation, and the Hartree Centre at the Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus.

  • Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Strategic Advisory Group for the Research Councils will be established, what will be its membership, and what are its terms of reference.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government encourages Research Councils to work closely with other Research Councils and their communities. With regards to the Global Challenges Research Fund, Research Councils are establishing an advisory group – as they do with other areas of research. Details of the group can be found on the Research Councils UK website: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/160526/.

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