Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission an inquiry into contaminated blood in England and Wales.

    Jane Ellison

    Given the thoroughness of Lord Penrose’s report, published in March 2015 and the fact that the report sets the events in Scotland in the wider UK context at that time, our view remains that there is no need for a further public inquiry in England. The report, together with over 5,000 documents from the period 1970-85 that have already been published by the Government, provides a comprehensive picture of events and decisions made. Another Inquiry would not be in the best interests of sufferers and their families as it would be costly and further delay action to address their concerns and significantly delay plans to reform existing payment support schemes.

    On 21 January 2016, the Government published a consultation seeking views on proposed reforms to the schemes supporting those infected with, or affected by, HIV and/or hepatitis C through NHS-supplied blood products. I would encourage all those with an interest to respond.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria and pay grades his Department uses to decide on pay rises for political aides and special advisors.

    Matthew Hancock

    All public servants, including special advisers, are subject to an overall 1% pay remit.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will request that English Heritage flies the Union Flag over national monuments in its custody in place of its own house flag on each day of the week.

    David Evennett

    There is not an intention to request changes to the English Heritage Trust’s flag flying protocol. Where English Heritage Trust sites, particularly those with military or royal connections, have more than one flagpole, the flag flying policy states that the Union Flag should be flown daily.

  • David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Common Agricultural Policy on the level of poverty among farmers in Africa.

    George Eustice

    In the past, the CAP ‘dumped’ EU surpluses on global markets through export subsidies. These export subsidies lowered prices for producers in the rest of the world and represented unfair competition with farmers, particularly in developing countries.

    However, over time the CAP has reformed and negative impacts on producers in the rest of the world have been reduced. In the 1980s, export subsidies accounted for around one-third of the CAP budget, but during the last CAP period they represented only around one per cent of the CAP budget. Furthermore, the EU, along with other developed countries, recently committed to eliminating all export subsidies by 2020 as part of the February World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement in Nairobi.

    The EU also grants tariff-free access to its market to Least Developed Countries through the ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) agreement. Many of the countries covered by this agreement are in Africa.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the measurement of diesel emissions from cars in the light of evidence that nitrogen oxide emissions in real time road trials are up to 12 times higher than in laboratory tests.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The UK Government has been at the forefront of action at European level to introduce Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing for new cars. The RDE test will be conducted on public roads and will require manufacturers to ensure new diesel (and petrol) cars control nitrogen oxide emissions to below 2.1 times the laboratory test limit from 2017. From 2020 the requirement will be tightened so they must be at or below the laboratory limit (with a margin for measurement uncertainty).

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Government official or Minister discussed with the Crown Estate its decision not to report the incident of 13 March 2016 at Windsor Great Park involving Prince Andrew to the police.

    John Penrose

    There have been no discussions by Ministers or Government officials with the Crown Estate regarding its decision on this matter.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Attorney General, if he will list by offence type the number and proportion of cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service has opposed bail on the grounds of the associated person exception for (a) male and (b) female defendants in each of the last three years.

    Robert Buckland

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number cases where bail has been opposed. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in renegotiating the UK-Malawi tax treaty since January 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    As is usual in any negotiation, the text of a tax treaty remains confidential between the two governments during the negotiations. It is not therefore possible to comment on the contents of a treaty before it is signed.

    The majority of the UK’s double taxation treaties are based on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention. However, some developing countries prefer to follow the United Nations Model, whose provisions differ in some respects from the OECD Model, including in the “permanent establishment” article. Many of the UK’s treaties with developing countries contain at least some of these provisions. A treaty will be signed only when both governments are satisfied with its contents.

    It has long been the UK’s policy to include robust anti-abuse provisions in its tax treaties to ensure that they operate as intended and in particular that residents of third countries cannot indirectly benefit from their provisions.

    The text of the new treaty with Malawi was substantively agreed some time ago. However, in August 2016 Malawi raised some further points for consideration, which we will work together on. When that process is complete, and both countries are satisfied with contents of the new treaty, it will be signed and published. Parliament will scrutinise the revised agreement, as part of the affirmative Statutory Instruments procedures, before the treaty can enter into force.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the amount of expected underspend for his office against departmental expenditure limits in 2015-16.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Departmental Expenditure Limit for HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor includes the Government Legal Department (GLD), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). The estimated underspend against the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit is £2.69m. Total expenditure is estimated to be £190m.

    GLD sets its fees and fee rates at the beginning of the year with the aim of achieving full cost recovery and in line with HM Treasury guidance Managing Public Money. In setting the fees and fee rate judgements about volumes of work, the impact of inflation, and cost are made and as a result it is normal for there to be a variance.

  • Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve international cooperation on increasing the number of people on the stem cell and bone marrow registers.

    Jane Ellison

    International cooperation is an essential element of the provision of stem cells to patients requiring a transplant. Worldwide, 50% of adult stem cell donations and 30% of cord blood donations move across national boundaries.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that the provision stem cells through the Department’s delivery partners, NHS Blood and Transplant and the Anthony Nolan, is as effective as possible and this includes adopting innovative practice to maximise the chance that donors will be able to donate.

    The ethnic diversity of the United Kingdom is reflected in adult bone marrow donors through the targeted recruitment of donors. The diverse nature of the UK stem cell resources means that they will play an important part of the global network matching donors to patients. The information supplied from the UK unified registry (Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry) to the global registry (Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide) directly increases the chances that patients across the globe have a chance to find a suitable donor.