The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of aseptic pharmaceutical medication error within the NHS.
George Freeman
Neither the Department nor NHS England has made any such assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of steel used in the manufacture of (a) Scout, (b) the Type 26 Frigate, (c) the new Tide Class Tankers and (d) the new Offshore Patrol vessels is manufactured in the UK.
Mr Philip Dunne
Steel is sourced by our contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers. UK suppliers have provided significant quantities of steel for major defence procurement programmes whenever they have been able to meet specified standards.
The steel requirement for the AJAX (formerly Scout) Armoured Fighting Vehicle is specialist in nature which UK manufacturers were not able to provide and has been sourced to date from a overseas supplier. There is a small quantity of steel yet to be committed to contract and UK manufacturers will have every opportunity to bid for this.
For the Type 26 Frigates, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 January 2016 to Questions 22739 and 22740 to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr Farron). The steel suppliers for the Type 26 Frigates have not yet been selected.
For the Tide Class Tankers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2016 to Questions 23932 and 23934 to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Farron). It is estimated that UK customisation work will require around 80 tonnes of steel, although design work is ongoing and no orders have yet been placed.
For the Offshore Patrol Vessels currently under construction no UK steel manufacturer responded to the invitation to tender within the timeframe, but the contract to source the steel required was placed with a UK steel stockist. Around 20% of the overall requirement was sourced from UK steel mills and a further 10% from existing stock of unknown origin. The remainder was sourced from overseas suppliers, reflecting the need to ensure a competitive price and delivery at the required time and quality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by Sir Stephen Bubb, Time for Change: the challenge ahead, published in February 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a commissioner for people with learning disabilities.
Alistair Burt
The Department will consider the recommendations made in Time for Change – the Challenge Ahead, as part of development work on our Learning Disability Action Plan and in delivering the commitments we made in the Government’s response to ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’ consultation published in November 2015. However, new statutory roles and legislation are not necessarily the answer to promoting and protecting the rights of people with learning disabilities and their families.
In the response to ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’, we set out how we can make more rapid and meaningful progress by ensuring that the rights that exist under current laws and statutes are properly understood, implemented and exercised by those with learning disabilities and/or autism. This work is underway and we have made a clear commitment to consider legislation if the actions we propose do not create sufficient progress.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-03-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.19 of the Treasury report entitled, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, what impact assessment has been undertaken on which technologies will be added or removed from the list of qualifying technologies for the first-year allowance scheme for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial technologies.
Damian Hinds
At Budget 2016, the Government announced changes to 100 percent enhanced capital allowances for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial (water-efficient) technologies.
Each autumn, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) consult manufacturers and suppliers. DECC and Defra then recommend to Treasury Ministers updates to the schemes.
Details of the changes will be set out in Treasury Order 2001/2541 for energy and 2003/2076 for water in the next few months. As is routine, an impact assessment will be published alongside the Order.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 20 April (HL7528), whether damage caused to bulbs and plants in commercial horticultural establishments, in town and country alike, would be considered serious enough to warrant the issue of a licence.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, whether or not a licence would be issued would depend on the specific circumstances under which an application is made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the transparency of car hire firms and (b) ensure people hiring cars are not incorrectly charged for damage to such cars.
Nick Boles
There is already consumer protection legislation in place that protects consumers when dealing with traders, including car hire firms. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit traders from engaging in unfair commercial practices, such as providing false or deceptive information or descriptions to consumers or leaving out material information.
Local authority trading standards services and the Competition and Markets Authority enforce the CPRs, and breaches of the legislation can be reported to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 in the first instance.
In addition, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders entering into distance and online contracts to provide consumers with a range of pre-purchase information in a clear and comprehensive manner, including any additional costs and how they will be calculated.
Finally, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) provides a wide range of protections for consumers, including restricting the use of unfair terms in consumer contracts. Under the CRA, an ‘unfair term’ is defined as one which, contrary to the requirements of good faith, causes a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations under the contract to the detriment of the consumer. If a court decides a term is unfair, it will not be binding on the consumer.
A term, such as the price and the main subject matter, may be exempted from the assessment of fairness if it is transparent and prominent (expressed in plain and intelligible language and legible) and brought to the consumer’s attention in such a way as the average consumer would be aware of it.
The consumer protection legislation referred to implements EU legislation which applies in all other member states.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government plans to take to (a) reduce the number of patients receiving an incorrect initial heart diagnosis and (b) provide the correct diagnosis and treatment for those patients.
David Mowat
Swift diagnosis and treatment of heart attack are key to ensuring the best outcomes for patients. Action being taken by NHS England includes:
― increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack amongst the public and healthcare professionals as this will help speed up diagnosis;
― prioritisation of rapid treatment for heart attack by the urgent and emergency care networks, which are responsible for providing urgent care and emergency care across England; and
― improving tests for more accurately diagnosing heart attack so that correct treatment can be given as quickly as possible.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published guidance on diagnosing heart attacks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of accelerating the Small Modular Reactor Competition process.
Jesse Norman
Since launching the first phase of the competition in March, we have been exploring the potential of different Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs and routes to commercialisation. In doing so we have drawn on the findings of the independent Techno-Economic Assessment, the Phase One expressions of interest documents, the meetings held by officials over the summer with 32 technology vendors, service providers and potential investors, and our continuing discussions with regulators. This evidence is being used to inform the future of the competition. The timings for any future competition phases is being kept under review, in line with wider SMR policy development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2015 to Question 14012, what estimate her Department has made of the number of signatories to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
Rory Stewart
The Waste and Resources Action Programme manages four voluntary agreements which support collaborative action to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste. The number of signatories to each agreement is currently as follows:
Courtauld Commitment 3
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan
Hospitality and Food Service Agreement
Sustainable Clothing Action Plan
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the amount of EU funds spent in Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.
Mr Ben Wallace
Regional allocations of EU funding are set over seven-year periods, for example, the previous period ran from 2007-2013.
The information requested can be found in the financing plans for the respective programmes funded by the EU. Some information on these can be found at:
www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/european-structural-and-investment-fund-programmes-northern-ireland and www.dardni.gov.uk.
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