Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with NICE on changes to its current methodology for evaluating new drugs.

    George Freeman

    Departmental officials are in regular contact with officials in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including NICE’s methodologies for the assessment of new drugs and other technologies.

    The Accelerated Access Review is expected to make a series of recommendations which may include reforms to NICE’s processes and methods pathways and mechanisms in connection with innovative treatments.

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

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

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage UK travellers abroad to take out adequate holiday insurance.

    James Duddridge

    Encouraging travellers to obtain comprehensive travel insurance is a key part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Travel Aware’ communications campaign, which has been active since 2001 (formerly known as Know Before You Go). Messaging on insurance is prominent in many of our travel safety materials and we run specific campaigns on insurance, reaching the travelling public through media engagement, digital activity and collaboration with industry partners such as ABTA and the Association of British Insurers.

    We have worked with the Association of British Insurers to create a new ‘checklist’ to help travellers choose the right insurance policy for their needs, which we communicate through social media and our network of industry partners. Our messages on insurance have also been reinforced by broadcasts on a wide range of national, regional and community TV and radio stations.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms since his Department was established; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

    Mr David Jones

    The Department for Exiting the European Union has used the services of a number of consulting firms to help with departmental set-up and planning. The cost to the public purse on each occasion was either nil or nominal fee (£1). Two individuals are on secondment from consultancy firms, incurring a cost to the department equivalent to median civil service salary levels.

  • Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) applications and (b) requests for decisions in principle her Department has received on proposals for expansions of grammar schools on new sites in the last five years; and when each was received by her Department.

    Edward Timpson

    Local authorities are the decision makers when a maintained school proposes to expand onto an additional site. Local authorities, rather than the Department, would therefore hold the records for such proposals.

    Since April 2012, when the Education Funding Agency was established, the Department has received applications from two schools for expansion on to an additional site. These were both initially received in July 2013.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what emergency arrangements are in place to care for those who are affected by bombings in Syria.

    Earl of Courtown

    The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

    We continue to closely monitor the humanitarian impact of airstrikes in Syria. DFID’s partners are activating their own contingency plans and have scaled up their interventions to meet the evolving needs of the population. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to respect and uphold all provisions of International Humanitarian Law.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to encourage unemployed teachers to seek work in England.

    Nick Gibb

    Qualified teachers not currently in the workforce, including those who are unemployed, are an important supply of teachers for schools. The number of those returning to teaching has been increasing in recent years, from 11,710 in 2011 to 14,100 in 2014 (School Workforce Census, 2014[1]). The Government is keen to support schools to attract teachers back to the profession and to provide support to refresh their skills where required.

    The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) is undertaking a new pilot, the Return to Teaching Programme. 61 school partnerships have been successful in applying for funding to support potential returners. Qualified teachers outside the profession who plan to teach a secondary English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subject can access free tailored support provided by these schools. Support could include subject knowledge training, training to update knowledge of classroom practice and assessment frameworks as well as access to classroom experience and mentor support. In addition, teachers returning to mathematics or physics also have access to one-to-one advisors.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440582/Additional_Tables_SFR21_2015.xlsx

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  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to address the congestion and air quality impacts of increases in numbers of private hire vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    Licensing private hire vehicles and local traffic management are matters for local authorities. In London responsibility rests with the Mayor and Transport for London.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what financial and other resources the Government makes available to UK Trade and Investment trade envoys.

    Anna Soubry

    To fulfil their overseas and UK travel commitments, there is a dedicated budget for the Trade Envoys.

    Total cost of the programme to date has been £424,529

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of vulnerability of people on the autism spectrum to various aspects of cybercrime.

    Mr John Hayes

    The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a non-ministerial government department, however it is accountable to Parliament via the Home Secretary. As such I have contacted the NCA to inform my answer to you.

    During the course of cyber-dependent crime operations over the last five years (including SOCA Cyber and Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit led operations) and based on recorded data following a subject’s arrest we are unable to determine the level of involvement of autistic individuals in cybercrime offences, or the level of vulnerability of individuals on the autism spectrum to various other aspects of cyber crime.

    The NCA are now embarking on research in partnership with Academia, Private Industry and Special Interest groups to explore the possibility of links between Autism and cyber-dependent crime. Understanding gained from this research will inform the NCA on best practice for managing operations and educational Prevent activity.

  • 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 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list by name and contract value the contracts that are currently being reviewed in the light of the review by David Stout into the causes of the termination of the Uniting Care Partnership contract.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This is a matter for NHS England. The Department understands that information on other contracts is in the process of being collated.

    NHS England advises that it will need to review this before making decisions about sharing any of this information.