The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 Question 31677, how many Tier 2 (ICT) visa applications were denied because the Certificate of Sponsorship does not specify a salary of at least £28,400 in the last three years.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the rise in levels of homelessness and rough sleeping in England.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness. One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new national £10 million programme to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, building on the success of our No Second Night Out initiative. We are also developing a new national £10 million Social Impact Bond fund to help to help homeless people with the most complex needs such as mental health difficulties or addiction.
At Budget we went one step further and announced we will launch a new £100 million programme for low-cost move on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.
We are working with local authorities, homelessness charities and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the draft recommendation from NICE not to recommend the drug Strensiq for the treatment of hypophosphatasia for critically ill infants who are otherwise likely to die, what other treatment options are available.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating Strensiq (asfotase alfa) for the treatment of paediatric-onset hypophosphatasia under its highly specialised technologies programme.
NICE’s draft guidance, published in December 2015 for consultation, did not recommended asfotase alfa. However this is not NICE’s final guidance to the National Health Service.
NICE’s draft guidance states that there are currently no other treatments available that specifically prevent or delay the progression of hypophosphatasia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the status of British academics wishing to be included in cross-European research project applications funded by the EU.
Joseph Johnson
I have been in close contact with Commissioner Moedas on the topic of cross Europe research funding. The Commission have been very supportive of the UK perspective that while the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU funding and collaboration arrangements continue unchanged. And as we announced on the 13th August, the Treasury will underwrite funding for approved Horizon 2020 projects applied for before the UK leaves the European Union.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many citizenship applications from EU nationals have been rejected as a result of changes to the rules on the evidence required to demonstrate permanent residence since those changes came into force.
Mr Robert Goodwill
No statistical information is available showing the reason for rejection of citizenship applications.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been identified for resettlement in the UK as part of the vulnerable Syrian refugee resettlement programme since 20 September 2015.
Richard Harrington
UNHCR identifies and proposes Syrian refugees for the VPR scheme from among the whole of the registered refugee population in the region, over 4 million people. This includes people in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities. Approximately 430,000 registered refugees meet UNHCR’s vulnerability criteria.
We will not be giving a running commentary on how many people have been identified for resettlement in the UK. Not all referrals translate into arrivals for a variety of reasons. We therefore do not consider it would be appropriate to provide this figure.
Notwithstanding this the Home Office is committed to publishing data on arrivals through the resettlement programme in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 26 November 2015 and will cover the period July-September 2015. These numbers will be updated each quarter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of eligible patients across England received access in (1) 2013, and (2) 2014, to the full range of NICE approved tumour genetic testing for (1) breast cancer in NHS tertiary centres, (2) breast cancer in NHS secondary centres, (3) colorectal cancer in tertiary centres, (4) colorectal cancer in secondary centres, (5) lung cancer in tertiary centres, (6) lung cancer in secondary centres, (7) melanoma in tertiary centres, and (8) melanoma in secondary centres.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All NHS England commissioned secondary and tertiary hospitals will be able to collect blood and/or tissue samples for the purpose of genetic testing, depending on the sampling technique required. The testing itself is however usually undertaken by commissioned genetic laboratories, which will typically serve a catchment area much greater than the hospital in which they are based. There will usually be recommended criteria in place to guide National Health Service referrals for genetic testing.
In a small number of cases, usually for very rare conditions, a test may need to be sent away to a non commissioned laboratory, including some abroad and some falling within the private sector, to access expertise. Funding will, however, continue to be provided from NHS budgets.
The United Kingdom is also leading the world by using cutting edge technology in the form of whole genome sequencing to transform healthcare and health research. The Prime Minister launched the 100,000 Genomes Project to bring the benefits of genome sequencing to NHS patients. The Project will sequence 100,000 whole human genomes of NHS patients with cancer or a rare disease by the end of 2017. Eleven Genomic Medicine Centres have been established across the country and are recruiting patients to this landmark project. Otherwise, NHS England does not hold data on private or self-funded care or testing commissioned from either NHS or third party laboratories.
Information on the percentage of eligible patients who received access to genetic testing is not held by NHS England. Due to data protection requirements, detailed data on the reasons for referral for specific tests are not currently aggregated at national level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider issuing guidance restricting the taking of photos and videos following the Shoreham air show crash.
Mike Penning
We have taken this question to relate specifically to those involved in policing in light of the recent disciplinary action taken against two Police Officers working for Sussex police on probation who attended the scene of the crash in September 2015.
There are clear standards of behaviour for those involved in policing. Standards of Professional Behaviour for police officers are underpinned by the policing Code of Ethics, developed by the College of Policing and laid before Parliament in July 2014. The Code outlines the expectations of all who are involved in policing and which should be upheld in all circumstances. Forces are responsible for providing guidance to their officers and staff in terms of the appropriate handling of any such incidents including the taking of photos and videos, as well as maintaining discipline within the force according to the Standards of Professional Behaviour for policing. The College of Policing, which was established by the Home Office in October 2012, has published information on its website on the appropriate way to post information online for those working in policing.
The Home Office cannot intervene or comment on individual cases, which are a matter for individual forces.
Where such incidents take place and the conduct of those involved in policing falls below the expected standards, it is for individual forces to investigate such allegations and instigate disciplinary proceedings where it is appropriate to do so. I understand that Sussex Police pursued disciplinary procedures in this incident.
The Home Office is continuing to improve the police discipline system to ensure that the processes and their outcomes are transparent and that police officers are held to account for their actions to ensure full public confidence in the integrity of police.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to support feasibility studies into local renewable energy projects beyond 2017, following the end of the Rural Community Energy Fund.
Andrea Leadsom
This Government is committed to the devolution of powers and responsibilities to local people and local decision makers. We believe that this will allow them to identify and develop their local area as they want and optimising the assets and resources available to them.
To date, over 40 areas have submitted interest in this process and a number of devolution deals have been signed many including energy as a significant part of that deal. DECC will continue to support local areas in developing their own plans.
In the meantime, the Rural Community Energy Fund continues not only to fund feasibility but also delivery of projects for local renewables. Our heat networks delivery unit and Salix are supporting other local energy priorities, and we announced significant additional funding for both schemes during this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much central government funding has been allocated to (a) the London Local Enterprise Partnership and (b) all Local Enterprise Partnerships to support the creative industries in each year since 2011-12.
Mr Edward Vaizey
All Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), including the London LEP, have access to funding through programmes such as Growth Deals. However, decisions on what to prioritise rightly rest with the LEPs themselves, ensuring a strong business voice to maximise local growth. In London, for example, the LEP is investing £5m in a Digital Skills Programme to ensure young Londoners have the skills they need to access jobs in the capital’s thriving tech sector.