The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost to the NHS of treating age-related macular degeneration by 2050.
Alistair Burt
From the data collected it is not possible to identify how much was spent specifically on treating patients with age-related macular degeneration.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost of treating age related macular degeneration by 2050.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the cost of energy bills to people served by District Heating Networks.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
In March 2015 DECC published a report by AECOM titled ‘An Assessment of the Costs, Performance, and Characteristics of UK Heat Networks’. The report included a review of the prices charged to final customers by a representative sample of heat networks (7 in total). The average heat price was found to be 6.43p/kWh but with a wide range of 4.64 to 9.88 p/kWh reflecting differences in network design, construction, commissioning and operation. On average this is less than the modelled cost of gas central heating in flats and terraced houses when boiler ownership costs are included (7.22 to 10.24p/kWh).
The Government is aware that costs to the consumer can vary and achieving cost savings is dependent on the quality of the individual network. DECC has supported industry development of a technical code of practice for heat networks, and worked closely with industry and consumer groups on the development of Heat Trust, an independent consumer protection scheme that launched in November 2015. There are also plans to launch an on-line cost comparator tool in 2016 to allow a consumer to assess their charges against gas central heating. This greater transparency of heat charges is complemented by the billing information requirements in the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s British Road Safety Statement, published in December 2015, Cm 9175, when he plans to consult on legislative changes to improve urban cycle safety by ensuring that sideguards and rear under-run devices are not removed from HGVs but remain permanently fitted.
Andrew Jones
The Department plans to consult on amendments to the Construction and Use Regulations in the second half of 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of super centres on smaller, privately-funded child care businesses located close to them.
Mr Sam Gyimah
There is a duty on local authorities to judge what provision is appropriate to meet local needs in their areas. An overarching statutory framework places a legal duty on local authorities to have arrangements in place to secure sufficient children’s centres to meet local need and to consult where changes are planned to local children’s centre provision.
In deciding what arrangements to make, local authorities must have particular regard to the quality and quantity of early childhood services in the area. Local authorities are best placed to understand local needs and the different ways children and families can be supported locally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether decisions to close HM Revenue and Customs offices are subject to ministerial approval on a case-by-case basis.
Mr David Gauke
As HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced in November, it is transforming the way it works to be able to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer, meeting the Government’s challenge to all departments to do more with less.
As part of that programme, HMRC plans to bring together its employees in 13 Regional Centres. These will be large, modern offices, equipped with the digital infrastructure and training facilities needed to build a more highly-skilled workforce.
Treasury Ministers are supportive of the objectives of HMRC’s transformation programme. However, HMRC is a non-ministerial department and decisions on where to locate the future Regional Centres are operational ones, which are ultimately approved by its Executive Committee.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people diagnosed with hepatitis C are eligible for treatment under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for new direct acting antiviral drugs.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) modelling, NHS England has planned for 10,000 patients to be treated in 2016/17. No national registry exists for hepatitis C and as a result NICE estimates that the NHS should be treating 10,000 people based on the total number of people diagnosed with hepatitis C, their genotype, their treatment history and their disease severity, all of which impact on treatment eligibility.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has provided support to the US administration for its remotely piloted aircraft system strikes in Yemen.
Penny Mordaunt
The UK Government has not provided support to the US for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System strikes in Yemen.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether 77th Brigade’s full operating capability has been met.
Penny Mordaunt
Following its establishment in April 2015, 77th Brigade is planned to reach full operating capability in December 2019.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to students with refugee status.
Edward Timpson
The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. Children with refugee or humanitarian protection status have access to the education system in the same way as citizen children.
Many pupils with refugee status will be classed as having English as an additional language (EAL). Current school funding arrangements enable local authorities to allocate a proportion of their funding to schools on the basis of the number of pupils in each school who have EAL, and who have been in the school system for a maximum of three years. Local authorities, in agreement with their schools forum, have the freedom to set the pupil rate for this, based on local circumstances.
Furthermore, pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years attract additional funding to the schools they attend in the form of the Pupil Premium. This is worth £1,320 per annum for each eligible pupil in primary school, and £935 per annum for those in secondary school. Pupils who are looked after by the local authority, including unaccompanied refugee children, and those who have left care through adoption or other specified routes also attract the Pupil Premium Plus, at the higher rate of £1,900 per annum. Schools have flexibility over how they use the funding to improve the educational outcomes of their pupil premium-eligible pupils, and are held to account through the focus in Ofsted inspections and the school performance tables on the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cleverly on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on the renovation of the official residence and offices of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Secretary-General’s official residence is fully maintained and allowance is made in the existing Secretariat budget to provide ongoing general maintenance. It is custom to refurbish the premises on the appointment of a new Secretary General thus giving a cycle of approximately eight years. The budget for the renovation of the official residence was agreed by the Board of Governors at its meeting in June 2015, before the appointment of Patricia Scotland. Nevertheless, we welcome the Secretary-General’s statement that "any work on Hill Street must represent value for money and no extravagance."
We also welcome steps by the Secretary-General to create a Commonwealth Hub through the shared use of existing premises at Quadrant House. Incorporating the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Local Government Foundation will help bring these organisations together alongside the Secretariat. It will also help the Secretariat to reduce overheads while obtaining value from existing resources and developing new partnerships to better deliver outcomes.