The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-05-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the recent report The Digital Powerhouse: The innovation potential of tech clusters in the North.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
We are considering these recommendations and will respond in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bottomley on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the patient said to have been discharged unsafely by Mr Agrawal, who the responsible consultant was; and on what grounds did East Lancashire Hospitals Trust believe that Mr Agrawal had discharged that patient when he had himself been excluded from the hospital in question.
Mr Jeremy Hunt
This is an employer and employee matter between the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Mr Aditya Agrawal respectively. The Department cannot comment on individual employment matters that are the responsibility of independent organisations, and that are subject to ongoing legal proceedings or on matters relating to individual clinical cases or other personal information. We understand that the cost to East Lancashire Trust of legal proceedings concerning Mr Agrawal is £296,848.42 to date, and that the Trust does not have insurance costs for legal awards in the event of the Trust or one of its employees being subject to legal action for defamation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils with special educational needs in schools in England (a) have an education, health and care plan and (b) are educated in a special school.
Edward Timpson
As of January 2016, the number of pupils with special educational needs in schools for whom local authorities maintain an education, health and care (EHC) plan in England was 59,270; of which, 26,229 were in special schools.
The latest statistics providing the number of children and young people with special educational needs for whom local authorities maintain an EHC plan broken down by establishment type can be found in Table 1 of the ‘Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England, 2016’ statistical first release, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2016
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the use of oestrogen to prevent brittle bones.
Jane Ellison
There have been no such discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-01.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how will HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operate in the time between closing HMRC centres in Dundee and opening new regional centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the planned locations of its future Regional Centres based on a number of key principles. In addition to cost, HMRC has taken account of the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, and the need to retain the staff and skills they need to continue their transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.
HMRC plans to open two new Regional Centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a combined total of between 5,700 and 6,300 posts.In Dundee, Caledonian House is planned to close in 2018 and Sidlaw House will transfer to the administering of Universal Credit. HMRC will be holding individual meetings with every member of staff prior to any office closures or moves, to discuss what these plans mean for them and their choices.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount of time passengers were delayed on rail services from the Sussex coast into London Victoria in 2015.
Claire Perry
This data has never been collected, but consideration is being given to how to do so across the network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Syrian opposition to encourage their participation in the Geneva peace talks; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are in regular contact with the Syrian opposition. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Riad Hijab, Chair of the Syrian Higher Negotiations Commission (HNC) on 29 January, expressing his support for the HNC and highlighting the importance of their participation in negotiations. Our Special Envoy for Syria and his team are currently in Geneva alongside other international partners, supporting the opposition and engaging with the UN.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what political representations UK officials have made to the Afghan government with respect to the Afghan Minerals Law and amendments currently being considered by the Afghan government; and whether UK officials have provided technical assistance in the preparation of those amendments.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The British Embassy regularly consults the National Unity Government on improving the Minerals Law to encourage responsible investment into the extractives sector. The UK proposed revisions to the Minerals Law in a review commissioned by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and provided support for the incorporation of recommendations by transparency organisations and donor partners into amendments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new staff have been appointed to his Department since 21 March 2016.
Justin Tomlinson
A total of 337 new employees were appointed to the Department for Work and Pensions during the period 21 March 2016 to 25 April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Vinson on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of children waiting to join the Scout movement, what plans they have, if any, to review the procedures for repeat Disclosure and Barring Service checks of volunteers.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government has introduced an Update Service to enable existing criminal record certificates to be kept up to date whilst reducing the need for repeat checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The DBS is driving greater uptake of the Update Service which will continue to reduce the need for repeat checks, whilst continuing to safeguard children. The Update Service and criminal records certificates are provided free of charge to volunteers. It is for the Scout Association to determine when criminal records checks should be undertaken and whether to enable volunteers to make use of the Update Service.