Tag: Parliamentary Question

Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 to Question 30916, for what reasons related party transactions by academy trusts can be classified as irregular or improper by the Education Funding Agency.

Edward Timpson

Related party transactions by academy trusts can be classified as irregular or improper if they are not dealt with in accordance with Parliament’s intentions, legislation, the terms of the trust’s funding agreement, the Academies Financial Handbook or the trust’s internal procedures. This includes spending money other than for the purposes intended by Parliament or without the appropriate standards of conduct.

Academy trusts operate under a robust accountability system which holds them to account for the results they achieve and their use of resources. This includes a requirement to publish audited accounts each year allowing the wider public the chance to hold academy trusts to account to help make sure that spend is securing better outcomes for pupils.

The 26 related party transactions are irregular and noted in the table below (together with our findings from reviewing 2013/14 financial statements). It is important to note that irregular classification can occur where there is insufficient evidence to form an opinion.

Concern type	Summary of concern	Number of breaches
At cost	The trust either confirmed that services from a related party were not provided at cost or there was insufficient evidence of this.	5
Off-payroll	The trust confirmed that they were not compliant with HM Treasury’s off-payroll requirements for a senior member of staff.	5
Procurement	The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a related party.	6
Procurement issues/ recruitment of family	The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a familial related party.	1
Procurement/ at cost	The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a related party. The trust also either confirmed that services from a related party were not provided at cost or there was insufficient evidence of this.	9

January 1, 2023

Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to minimise the difference between the number of words to which young children in low-income and high-income households are exposed.

Nick Gibb

No matter where they live or what their background, every child in this country deserves the opportunity to read, to read widely, and to read well. The Government wants all children to develop a wide vocabulary irrespective of their background. In August 2015, the Secretary of State launched a literacy campaign to make children in this country the most literate in Europe, in the next five years.

We placed phonics at the heart of the curriculum to give all young children the skills to decode words and provide the foundation for them to read fluently.

The National Curriculum framework sets a clear expectation that teachers develop pupils’ vocabulary, building on pupils’ current knowledge. This covers both general vocabulary development and the subject specific language that pupils need to be able to use to progress in, for example, mathematics and science.

Vocabulary development is emphasised and integrated throughout the programmes of study for English and linked to their reading, writing and spelling. Both the reading and writing domains of the English programmes of study emphasise the importance of building pupils’ vocabulary.

Reading widely and often, together with reading for pleasure is also reinforced throughout the programmes of study, and attention to the quantity and quality of reading will support vocabulary development.

We are working with The Reading Agency to set up book clubs in hundreds of primary schools across the country; we are supporting their work to enrol 8 year olds in libraries; and we support the voluntary sector’s ‘Read On. Get On’ campaign, which is playing a key role in raising literacy. Our ambition is that children can get to know the classics of English literature whether or not these books are on the bookshelves at home. In February 2016, Penguin Classics launched their ‘Classics in Schools’ initiative to give sets of 100 classics to schools at reduced cost.

January 1, 2023
Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with pharmaceutical companies on steps to reduce the cost of cancer drugs for the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood

The Department has frequent discussions with representatives of the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry as well as with individual pharmaceutical companies on a range of topics. We want to see the latest and most advanced drugs made available to National Health Service patients in a way that ensures value for money.

January 1, 2023
Rishi Sunak – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rishi Sunak on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of maternity care.

Mr Philip Dunne

In November 2015, the Department announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth, by 2030.

The Government has already invested in a capital fund for equipment to improve safety and training programmes for staff.

January 1, 2023
Mark Menzies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to improve the provision of work in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work. Improvements have been made to increase work but we want to go further. We are looking at the ways in which this might be achieved.

January 1, 2023
Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to open an investigation into the case of James Thompson.

Mike Penning

As I stated in response to Questions 14066 and 16560, although the Criminal Cases Review Commission is funded by my Department, it is entirely independent of Government, and Ministers cannot, and should not, attempt to intervene in its reviews or decisions.

January 1, 2023
John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what tendering and commissioning process was followed in selecting builders at the direct commissioning site at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

Brandon Lewis

These will be detailed commercial arrangements that will be established through a competitive procurement process. Existing public procurement processes will apply.

January 1, 2023
Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements there are for negotiating national prices for rare disease drugs that are not reviewed by NICE.

George Freeman

The prices of branded medicines to the health service, including those for rare disease drugs, are controlled by a voluntary and statutory scheme. The 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) agreed a fixed level of growth on the vast majority of National Health Service spend on branded medicines with additional expenditure above this level paid for by the pharmaceutical companies. Over the first three years of the 2014 PPRS the UK Health services are expected to get back almost £1.8 billion in PPRS payments.

It is NHS England’s responsibility to develop commissioning policies for treatments provided as part of prescribed specialised services, including some medicines for rare diseases. As part of the development of such policies, NHS England may take into account commercial offers manufacturers may make to the NHS. The Accelerated Access Review is looking with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence at a range of new mechanisms for drug reimbursement adaptive pathways and managed access agreements.

January 1, 2023
Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maggie Throup on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what budget he plans to allocate to each clinical commissioning group in England to support the effective transfer of obesity surgery in April in a manner consistent with NICE’s clinical guidelines.

George Freeman

NHS England is not currently able to provide a figure for individual clinical commissioning groups on 1 April 2016 as the basis for calculating the figures is still being finalised.

January 1, 2023

Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of government NHS funding which primary care was allocated to in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

The table below shows the total National Health Service expenditure and total primary healthcare expenditure for the last three years for which audited outturn data is available. This includes primary medical care, primary dental services, primary eyecare services, community pharmacy and drugs prescribed in the community.

The Department accounts data has been used as a consistent data source across primary care services. However, this excludes some funding streams to general medical practice, such as for out of hours services.

Year	NHS Revenue Expenditure under Clear Line of Sight Rules (£ billion)	Expenditure on Primary Healthcare (£ billion)	Primary Healthcare Expenditure as a % of NHS Revenue Expenditure
2012-13	102.57	21.32	20.79
2013-14	106.50	21.32	20.02
2014-15	110.56	21.68	19.61

January 1, 2023