Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many organisations were affected by his Department’s pilot of anti-sock puppet rules; how many exemptions were made under that pilot scheme; and what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse that arose from that pilot scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The guidelines ensure that government grants are only spent on the good causes and programmes spelt out in the underlying grant agreement, and prevent taxpayers’ money being diverted to unproductive lobbying. The savings are thus delivered by ensuring all such public money is properly spent on the intended purposes, rather than seeking to reduce the absolute level of government grants as a consequence of stopping taxpayer-funded lobbying.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects effective processes to be in place to allow the issuing of fixed penalty notices to people who are smoking in cars when children are present.

    Jane Ellison

    Local authorities can issue fixed penalty notices for offences related to smoking in private vehicles carrying children; the police can use the traffic offender report to pass information to local authorities who can issue the fixed penalty notice and collect the fines. Guidance on this process has been sent to police forces.

    The police and local authorities can also collaborate on enforcement action, for example when carrying out local road safety operations, when the local authority can take enforcement action as appropriate.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was paid in prescription charges in England and Wales in 2015-16.

    Alistair Burt

    We do not have an audited figure for the total amount paid in prescription charges in England in the community for 2015-16. However, provisional data for this 2015-16 financial year indicates that, up to the end of February 2016, £402.7 million was paid. An additional £124.4 million was also paid up to the end of March 2016 through the purchase of prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs). For 2014-15, which is the latest year for which we have an audited figure, revenue from prescriptions charges dispensed in the community, including PPC revenue, totalled £503.9 million. Approximately 90% of prescriptions are dispensed in England without charge.

    Prescription charges were abolished in Wales in 2007, and the Department does not have data on prescription charges collected in Wales for prescriptions issued in England.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, in which ways operating split-site and split-team working would put a strain on organisational effectiveness.

    Joseph Johnson

    Policy teams in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are currently split across multiple locations around the country with teams and management chains divided across this landscape.

    As the Department becomes smaller, BIS needs a different model in which it is easier for all policy staff to operate without having to work around or compensate for the logistical challenges of a split site model. The Combined Headquarters model will mean all policy staff are co-located and within close proximity to one another and to Ministers. This will enable more face to face interaction between and within teams, within management chains and with Ministers.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health workers are attached to GP practices in England.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not collected by the Department.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to tackle global climate change.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK played an important role in securing the global climate Agreement reached in Paris in December 2015. The UK has started its domestic process to enable ratification of the Paris Agreement and will complete this before the end of the year.

    The UK also played a key role in securing a major global climate deal to combat aviation emissions, reached at the 39th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization on 6 October 2016.

    We will provide at least £5.8bn from the UK aid budget between 2016 and 2020 as climate finance which will continue to support developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This should help promote green investment required to meet the well below 2 degree goal set in Paris.

    Domestically we are delivering against the Paris climate deal through our UK Climate Change Act which commits us to reduce emissions by at least 80% by 2050. One of the first acts of this Government was to pass the fifth carbon budget into law – it is equivalent to a 57% reduction on 1990 levels by 2030.

  • Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-10-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess, mitigate and monitor macro-economic risks associated with trends in (a) environmental degradation, (b) resource scarcity, (c) climate change and (d) other aspects of the natural environment.

    Greg Hands

    HM Treasury regularly undertakes activities to monitor and assess key macroeconomic risks across all sectors of the economy, in line with current priorities.

    The Treasury also feeds into the wider work on environmental risks that is undertaken across government: and in particular, through consideration of the analysis, advice and recommendations of the Natural Capital Committee which reports to the government, including HM Treasury, via the Economic Affairs Committee. The NCC’s work includes assessments of environmental trends and their impacts on the economy. The government’s response to the NCC’s third State of Natural Capital Report sets out how this work will be taken forward, including through the development of a 25 Year Environment Plan which will focus on those environmental assets that are most vulnerable to unsustainable use and where investment will deliver the greatest benefit.The Treasury is working closely with Defra to develop this plan.

    Departments also work together on the UK contribution to the activities of the EU Raw Materials Initiative, which includes ongoing work that assesses and mitigates materials risks. Additionally, under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. Reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power (as set out under the Climate Change Act), allows us to assess how key sectors are identifying risks from climate change and addressing them.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Boeing P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    We are unable to release this information publicly while commercial negotiations are continuing.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library HM Revenue and Customs’ full workings, including the methodology, modelling and assumptions, which underpinned the figures included in the Tobacco Levy Consultation, published in September 2015, on the tobacco levy yield after behavioural effects.

    Damian Hinds

    The response to the tobacco levy consolation included the HMRC costing note and the DEFRA review of HMRC’s methodology, alongside consultation responses and the government’s summary. Since the government does not generally publish analysis of polices that do not go ahead, the publishing of these documents goes significantly beyond usual practice. HMRC also publish a methodological paper on tobacco entitled Econometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption in the UK. This can be found on gov.uk.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of policing on university campuses following the violent protests and criminal damage by demonstrators at an Israel Society event at King’s College London last week.

    Mike Penning

    The operational policing of protests and demonstrations are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales.

    Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views. However, like all members of the public, protesters are subject to the law. Should individuals cross the boundary into criminal acts including public order offences, criminal damage, hate crime offences or violent behaviour, the police have a range of powers to take action.