The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to review Building Regulations Approved Document B (Fire Safety).
James Wharton
My Department is considering a number of issues related to the Building Regulations and the building control system. We will make an announcement about our plans in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff working at (a) Queen’s Hospital in Romford, (b) Whipps Cross University Hospital and (c) King George Hospital in Goodmayes are nationals of other EU countries.
Ben Gummer
The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the number of staff working in National Health Service hospitals and community health services (HCHS) in England. Nationality is a self-reported field within the electronic staff record system. Data is only available for people working in NHS trusts.
The following table shows the number of HCHS staff by nationality working at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust as at 29 February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-07-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow transgender athletes to compete at the Olympic Games; what consultation they have had with the British Olympic Association about that issue; what rules apply in the UK regarding transgender athletes competing in sport; and whether they consider the IOC’s ruling to be a disadvantage to non-transgender female athletes.
Lord Ashton of Hyde
We have had no such discussions with the British Olympic Association. Sports competition regulations are a matter for the governing body.
Home Nation Sports Councils published the attached guidance in 2013 for national governing bodies of sport entitled "Transsexual people and competitive sport”.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much overtime was paid to NHS staff in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2013-14.
Mr Philip Dunne
The total overtime payments to National Health Service staff are estimated to have been:
– £380 million in 2015-16;
– £362 million in 2014-15; and
– £330 million in 2013-14
These estimates are based on pay information from the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR), which is the Human Resources and Payroll system for almost all trusts in England. These estimates do not include overtime payments to general practitioners or their staff.
ESR includes hundreds of payment type codes and payment figures are aggregated to high-level groupings using a mapping system. One of the high-level groupings is Overtime/Additional Duty Hours. The estimates provided in the answer above are based on this.
Overtime/Additional Duty Hours is just one way of buying extra staffing resource in the NHS. Shifts, absence and vacancies are also filled using additional activity payments (e.g. additional programmed activities and additional hours at plain time rates for part-time staff), bank contracts, and agency staffing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what account his Department took when preparing the Charter for Budget Responsibility, of the effect of (a) the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union and (b) future EU treaty change in respect of that Treaty.
Harriett Baldwin
The UK is not a signatory of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, which is also known as the ‘Fiscal Compact.’ The signatories of the Fiscal Compact have committed to incorporate it into the main EU treaties, within five years of it entering into force. However, it would be premature to speculate on the conclusions of future treaty change negotiations in respect of the Fiscal Compact, which will require unanimous agreement amongst all other Member States, including the UK.
However, the UK does participate in the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, which sets rules on Member States’ debt and deficits, although, unlike other Member States the UK cannot face any sanction under this process.
The updated Charter for Budget Responsibility, which sets out the government’s fiscal and debt management objectives and the fiscal mandate, states the government must explain in each Budget Report how all significant fiscal policy measures introduced by the government since the last Budget maintain the path of the public finances in a position consistent with the government’s European commitments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which show that children benefit most from home care provided by close family members rather than from that available in children’s day centres.
Lord Nash
Research suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy[1]. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.
There is also a wide body of evidence, including evidence from abroad, which demonstrates that early education delivered by childcare providers can play an important role in children’s early development and later attainment. For instance, the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) Project showed that children who had experienced a good home learning environment and attended a good quality childcare setting went on to obtain better grades in English and maths, and to earn more than those who received little or no pre-school experience.
Additionally, the ongoing Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) shows that the chances of disadvantaged children becoming high achievers by the end of primary school were doubled when they had attended any pre-school, compared to those of disadvantaged children who had not attended pre-school.
In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.
[1] Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and WAVE Trust report ‘Conception to age 2: the age of opportunity’ January 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2016-01-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost of the advertising campaign for the National Living Wage.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The total budget allocated for the National Living Wage advertising campaign is £4.95 million. The campaign will run to the end of April and we expect to come in under budget.
The Government’s new National Living Wage is a step up for working people, so it is important workers know their rights and that employers pay the new £7.20 from April 1 this year. Britain deserves a pay rise and as a One Nation Government we are making sure it gets one. The campaign will tell people about their entitlements and is targeted at employers, and workers currently earning the National Minimum Wage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under the age of 18 were dependants of adults who had been granted leave to remain in the UK and had also had a no recourse to public funds condition attached to their leave in the financial years (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.
James Brokenshire
Home Office Systems cannot be interrogated in a way that will provide any meaningful response to the question. A manual review of all applications submitted with dependants within the stipulated timeframe would be needed in order to provide an accurate response and this would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of other EU member states were (a) refused and (b) granted entry to the UK through Regulation 11(2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 in each of the last 10 years.
James Brokenshire
The Government has prevented EEA/EU nationals entry into the UK on public protection grounds in each of the last five years. The Home Office is unable to provide figures for refusals within each refusal category. Total refusals for each of the last ten years are provided in the table below.
Numbers of EU nationals granted entry to the UK through Regulation 11 (2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 are not recorded centrally.
|
EU Passengers initially refused entry each year since 2006 |
|
|
Year |
Total refusals |
|
2006 |
1663 |
|
2007 |
973 |
|
2008 |
753 |
|
2009 |
618 |
|
2010 |
594 |
|
2011 |
688 |
|
2012 |
787 |
|
2013 |
1078 |
|
2014 |
1755 |
|
2015 |
2165 |
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what procedures his Department puts in place when a person benefitting from diplomatic immunity commits a crime in the UK.
James Duddridge
In accordance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office expects all foreign diplomats and members of their families in the UK to abide by UK laws at all times. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office treats all allegations of criminal offences committed by those with diplomatic immunity seriously. We work closely with diplomatic missions in the UK and the police or other law enforcement agencies to ensure an appropriate response to all allegations. If an allegation requires further investigation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will request a waiver of the diplomat’s immunity for the purpose of investigation by the police from the diplomatic mission concerned. Failure to provide a waiver may result in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office demanding the withdrawal of the diplomat.
Further answers to recent questions about alleged criminal conduct by foreign diplomats based in the UK and waivers of immunity can be found in the Official Report (24113, 26534 and 26535).