Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that applications for passports are processed without delays over the peak summer period.

    James Brokenshire

    Robust operational plans are in place and are reviewed regularly to ensure Her Majesty’s Passport Office is able to process passport applications within the published service standards. The organisation’s workforce and operational plans take account of demand cycles, and contingency measures are in place.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment she has made of which of her Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

    Mr John Hayes

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD), which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants. The Government will be setting out its view in a consultation which will be published shortly.

    The changes proposed under 4AMLD must not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Home Office and Treasury regularly raise these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate risk-based approach when applying these measures.

    To that end, following the Adjournment Debate on 20 January 2016 on this issue, along with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury I have recently met representatives of the banking sector to make clear concerns. The banks now clearly understand the importance of this issue and a way forward has been agreed. Should further problems arise we will re-emphasise what we expect.

  • Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maggie Throup on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis is for NHS England’s decision not to fund the pre-exposure drug prophyaxis for HIV for the at-risk population.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has placed its position on the commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) under review. This review of the commissioning process will be undertaken by the Specialised Services Committee of NHS England in late May 2016. Depending on the outcome of that decision, a further decision taking account of the clinical evidence for PrEP, the evidence and demand for other new treatments not currently commissioned and NHS England’s available funding and priorities is currently planned for June 2016.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department’s White Paper, Success as a knowledge economy: teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice, published on 16 May 2016, what assessment his Department has made of the potential level of subscriptions which higher education providers will contribute to fund the Office for Students.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Impact Assessment for the Higher Education and Research Bill will be published shortly. It will include estimates of the total contribution of higher education providers towards the costs of Office for Students. The Government will consult on the specific structure of the registration fees to ensure they are fair and affordable for the higher education providers.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the latest arrangements are between the UK and US governments on holding detainees in Diego Garcia.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The US provides the UK with an annual assurance that they have not held any detainees in, nor transported any detainees through, the territorial land, air or seas of the United Kingdom or its territories. The latest assurance was sent on 27 June 2016. Diego Garcia is one of the UK territories.

  • Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Great Western Railway and (b) South West Trains on the provision of wifi services on those trains.

    Paul Maynard

    The Secretary of State has not met with Great Western Railway or South West Trains on the provision of Wi-Fi services.

    On all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises, in England and Wales, free Wi-Fi is being introduced. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to present a phased implementation plan for free Wi-Fi.

    As of July 2016, 25% of passenger journeys operating within the DfT controlled franchises have Wi-Fi available. We forecast 90% of passenger journeys will benefit from free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people earn below the living wage.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • 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 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the alternative processes for the NHS tariff price setting of dermatology specials, including the addition of NHS manufacturers’ costings in the tariff setting process.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Drug Tariff sets out what National Health Service dispensing contractors will be paid for the products supplied as part of providing pharmaceutical services and the fees for providing those services in primary care.

    The current arrangements in the Drug Tariff for paying for specials, including dermatological specials, were introduced in 2011. It is recognised that there can be variations in the price of some specials, which is why we are considering further possible improvements in the arrangements that govern the price the NHS pays. These include expanding the number of products covered by these arrangements and improving the data used to set the prices.

  • Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much council tax support funding has been passed from billing authorities to parish and town councils in 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The amount of Local Council Tax Support funding being passed on from billing authorities to parish and town council was £39,033,000 in 2013-14 and £31,108,000 in 2014-15. The Department does not hold figures for 2015-16.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department plans to provide to help tackle hunger in Malawi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID has a significant programme of ongoing support in health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation and economic development, particularly in rural areas and with the private sector, for growth, jobs, incomes and food insecurity in Malawi. We support increasing access to justice for women and vulnerable groups, accountability and governance reforms.

    The UK was one of the first development partners to respond to Malawi’s international appeal for emergency aid in October 2015. The UK has now committed £14.5m through partners including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) consortium led by Save the Children. This support includes:

    • Food for over 800,000 people, including pre-positioning of food, nutrition supplies and livestock vaccines.
    • Cash transfers for up to 450,000 people who live near functioning markets but do not have the means to purchase food
    • Mass screening of up to 800,000 children to identify urgent nutritional support needs
    • Specialist supplies for over 140,000 children and others suffering from acute malnutrition
    • Vital protection support to vulnerable people, including women and girls, in displacement and refugee camps