Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to facilitate a process of credit card transfers for people in debt.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, which includes the credit card sector. Consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.

    The FCA is currently undertaking a thorough review of the credit card market through its ‘credit card market study’. The market study is investigating three areas, including the extent of unaffordable credit card debt and how consumers can drive effective competition through shopping around and switching.

    On the 3rd November 2015 the FCA published its interim report which found that the market was working reasonably well for most customers. However, the FCA expressed concern about the scale of potentially problematic debt in this sector, and the incentives for firms to manage this.

    The interim report also included the FCA’s early thinking on potential remedies which include measures to give consumers more control over their credit limits, measures to encourage customers to pay off debt quicker when they can afford to, and proposals that firms do more to identify earlier those consumers who may be struggling to repay and take action to help them manage their repayments.

    The FCA also set out potential measures to allow consumers to open access to their credit card usage to other market participants, as well as clarifying standards for price comparison websites, in order to facilitate shopping around and switching. The FCA is currently asking for feedback on the findings and potential remedies.

    The Government is looking forward to the full report in the spring, and would encourage interested parties to give their views to the FCA to assist it in addressing the issues it has identified.

  • Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Rooker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to bring the rules regarding transparency in respect of overseas company ownership of UK property into line with those for UK registered companies’ property ownership.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As announced, the Government is considering measures to increase the transparency of beneficial ownership of assets by foreign companies

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has made to ensure that the safeguards on private sector instruments in the 19 February 2016 communiqué of the OECD Development Assistance Committees are implemented in the UK.

    Justine Greening

    The UK will comply with the agreement reached at the 2016 High Level Meeting (18-19 February 2016) in line with the timetable agreed by the OECD.

  • Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government for what reason NHS England intends to treat only a specified number of patients in 2016–17, as defined by recently published run rates for operational delivery networks services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) specifically requires Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to prioritise hepatitis C patients on the basis of highest unmet clinical need, as part of a progressive rollout of treatments over the next five years.

    NHS England is funding providers to double the number of patients treated and this number will ensure the National Health Service fully meets in 2016/17 the patient numbers NICE set out for progressive rollout of the treatments at the time it published its guidance.

    NHS England has invested in a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to incentivise ODNs to meet their agreed rate of roll-out. If their treatment rates deviate from this agreed rate of treatment, they are no longer eligible for these incentives.

    In meeting the obligations of its Mandate, NHS England has set out a planning approach for hepatitis C that delivers access to NICE recommended treatment without disinvestment in other health services.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to extend the Pensions Wise service to people (a) between 20 and 40 and (b) between 40 and 50; and if he will make that service available to advise people on whether to invest in a lifetime ISA or under auto enrolment.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Pension Wise provides free and impartial guidance to those aged 50 and over with a defined contribution pension to help them understand their options.

    It was announced at the 2015 summer budget that the age for eligibility would be lowered to 50. Pension Wise has developed new content for 50 – 54 year olds to make the guidance appointments more relevant to their needs and this is now live.

    The government plans to restructure the delivery of public financial guidance to ensure that all consumers can access the help they need when they need it.

    Pension Wise does not give specific advice on products or provider recommendations. There are currently no plans for Pension Wise to provide guidance on lifetime ISAs or Automatic Enrolment.

  • John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which EU (a) legislative and (b) other proposals her Department is leading negotiations on for the Government in the Council of the EU.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Department is not responsible for leading any negotiations at the EU Council.

  • Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Freyberg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to put in place to ensure that patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer can receive all effective clinical treatments currently available through EU authorisation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Changes to the process for evaluating cancer drugs were introduced at the end of July 2016 as part of the new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). Under the new arrangements, all new cancer drugs are expected to be referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for evaluation through its technology appraisal programme. In some cases, NICE will recommend that the cancer drug is funded through the CDF, which enables further evaluation of its place in therapy. Drugs that have a European Union (EU) or United Kingdom marketing authorisation for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer will therefore be reviewed under this process and if found to be clinically and cost effective will become established treatment within the National Health Service.

    The UK remains a member of the EU until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. EU law continues to apply and ongoing compliance with EU law is considered important in facilitating orderly transition, for negotiating purposes, and to offer certainty in the meantime. As long as the UK is subject to EU law, the present arrangements remain in place.

  • Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Iraq Historical Allegations Team have spent on the contract with Red Snapper Recruitment to date.

    Mike Penning

    As of 24 October 2016, the total amount paid to the Red Snapper Group for the contract with the Iraq Historic Allegations Team was £20.8 million including VAT.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the progress of local authorities in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change annually requests that local authorities in England measure, and report on their websites, greenhouse gas emissions data for their own estate and operations. The exercise enables local authorities to make assessments of their own progress against previous years and also against other local authorities.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK plans to take as a member of the UN Security Council to facilitate diplomatic negotiations on protecting civilians in Syria.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people.

    The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement. The International Syria Support Group in its communiqué of 14 November called on all parties to adhere to International Humanitarian Law and end immediately indiscriminate attacks on civilians.