The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Bury Clinical Commissioning Group received in grants in the last three years.
Alistair Burt
Data on clinical commissioning group (CCG) grant income is not held centrally. This is a matter for Bury CCG.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what lessons were learned from the universal credit scheme pilot; and what changes have been put in place as a result of those lessons.
Priti Patel
The Department published a series of reports on Universal Credit. The latest can be found here:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of e-cigarette users who have (a) resumed smoking and (b) purchased vaping supplies from black market sources.
Jane Ellison
The best thing a smoker can do to improve their health is to quit smoking for good.
The Department recognises that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can help smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes.
This Government has committed to publishing a new tobacco control plan to further reduce the prevalence of smoking in England. The development of this plan is underway and will be published later this year. The new strategy will consider the role of e-cigarettes in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England. To help inform this element of the strategy the Department has been engaging with e-cigarette experts to ensure that local authorities and Stop Smoking Services are provided with up to date, evidenced based advice on e-cigarettes.
Whilst the Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of e-cigarette users who have resumed smoking, the evidence suggests that in the short-term, relapse rates are lower in those using e-cigarettes to quit.
The Department has not made an assessment of the number of e-cigarette users who have purchased vaping supplies from black market sources.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that UK corporate tax rules do not incentivise companies to avoid tax in developing countries.
Mr David Gauke
The Government is committed to making sure multinational enterprises pay their share of tax. The UK has been at the forefront of multilateral action through the G20 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to reform the international tax rules.
We used our Presidency of the G8 in 2013 to successfully initiate the G20-OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The final recommendations were published by the OECD in October 2015, and endorsed by the G20 leaders in November 2015.
The BEPS project represents major and unprecedented efforts. The international project involved over 60 countries, including developing countries, to work together on an equal footing to better align the taxation of profits with economic activity and value creation.
The UK has been a leader on implementing the BEPS outputs – we have adopted the OECD country-by-country reporting template; and, at Budget 2016, the UK announced that it would be the first country to act on the OECD recommended rules on interest deductibility.
The UK will continue to participate in international efforts to address BEPS by participating in the OECD’s inclusive framework to monitor implementation, which also involves developing countries, and in work to develop toolkits to assist developing countries implementing the BEPS outcomes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure widespread access to reasonably priced accommodation for students in London and other metropoles.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Government recognises the need for a diverse housing stock, providing students with a choice of accommodation to suit their individual needs. Our national planning guidance encourages local authorities to plan for sufficient student accommodation whether it consists of communal halls of residence or self-contained dwellings, and whether or not it is on campus.
The key to improving affordability is to build more homes. We are working to increase supply by accelerating the development of a new market for private renters, including our £1 billion build to rent fund and the £3.5 billion private rented sector debt guarantee scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2016-09-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which (1) NHS Foundation Trusts, and (2) NHS Trusts, have an accumulated surplus of (a) up to £1 million, (b) £1–5 million, (c) £5–10 million, (d) £10–20 million, (e) £20–30 million, (f) £30–50 million, and (g) over £50 million.
Lord Prior of Brampton
‘Accumulated surplus’ has been interpreted to mean the closing balance of a trust’s retained earnings reserve at 31 March 2016. This represents the accumulated balance of annual surpluses and deficits, adjusted for any amounts offset against other reserves, such as the revaluation reserve. As this is an accumulated balance, it will differ from the annual surplus or deficit reported in the trust’s Statement of Comprehensive Income, which forms part of figures published for the provider sector by NHS Improvement.
Trusts with accumulated surpluses in the bands specified are detailed in the attached document.
All other trusts reported an accumulated deficit overall at 31 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral Answer of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 445WH, what steps he has since taken to try and persuade the parties to the conflict to adopt an immediate ceasefire in Yemen.
Mr Philip Hammond
The UK is actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and return to the political transition in Yemen, and I welcome the recent announcement by the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen on upcoming talks. All Yemeni parties should engage without preconditions and in good faith in these talks to allow Yemen to move towards a sustainable peace. I therefore welcome President Hadi’s announcement confirming the readiness of the Government of Yemen to participate in the consultations. I discussed the need to accelerate the political process in Yemen, as well as humanitarian issues, with President Hadi in September; with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia during a visit to Riyadh in October; and with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed also in October.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average saving to passengers of capping regulated rail fare rises to RPI+0 until 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
This Government is investing record amounts in transforming the UK rail network, improving journeys for everyone. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the economic security of hard-working families. Fares continue to play a role in this, and we recognise that no one likes to see the cost of their rail travel rise.
That is why the Government has put a stop to above inflation (RPI) fare increases on regulated rail fares until 2020. This extends the cap on regulated rail fares put in place for 2014 and 2015. This means people’s earnings will, on average, rise more quickly than regulated rail fares for the first time since 2003 and an average saving of £425 to annual season ticket holders over the next five years.
This is a vital part of our long-term economic plan for Britain’s railways: delivering a bigger, better network with improved services – all while getting more out of every taxpayer’s pound we spend.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that patients who cannot consume food in the normal way are receiving the correct treatment through tube and sip feeds.
Ben Gummer
Information on annual National Health Service spend on medically assisted nutrition in end of life care is not held centrally.
It is for clinicians with responsibility for the care of people at the end of life to ensure their patients receive care and treatment appropriate to their needs. Similarly, local commissioners are responsible for ensuring the services they commission meet the needs of their local populations.
In 2014 we set out five priorities for care of the dying person which should underpin the care being delivered to all dying people. Alongside the priorities, we set out the duties and responsibilities for all staff with responsibility for looking after dying people and implementation guidance for all providers and commissioners of care. The priorities for care state that an individual plan of care, which includes food and drink, symptom control and psychological, social and spiritual support, is agreed, co-ordinated and delivered with compassion.
In December 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the care of dying adults in the last days of life, including guidance on medical nutrition and hydration. Clinicians and commissioners should have regard to this guidance when making decisions about care for people at the end of life.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department gave on ICT contracts to schools who were part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Edward Timpson
Local authorities were responsible for the local delivery of the Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF). They planned, procured and continue to manage the BSF school buildings, including ICT contracts. Advice and guidance on ICT Contracts was provided to local authorities by Partnerships for Schools: http://www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk/library/BSF-archive/BSF-ICT.html
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