The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what comparative assessment he has made of labour productivity in (a) the North West and (b) England.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of secondary school pupils who have been unable to participate in a school trip directly related to a statutory aspect of the national curriculum in each of the last three years.
Nick Gibb
The Department does not collect data on the number of pupils who are unable to participate in school trips related to a statutory aspect of the national curriculum. All schools have a duty to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum which, for maintained schools includes the national curriculum. It is the responsibility of schools to decide how best to teach the curriculum and this includes whether school trips could help enhance pupils’ experience and education and allow pupils to achieve better outcomes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons a high-sided heavy goods vehicle which overturned on the Humber Bridge on 1 February 2016 was permitted to cross the bridge while the bridge was closed to all high-sided vehicles due to high winds; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
Safety on the Humber Bridge is the responsibility of the Humber Bridge Board in cooperation with the local police.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals for changes to Government policy on community pharmacies.
Alistair Burt
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.
Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. A consequence may be the closure of some pharmacies but that is not our aim. We are not able to assess which pharmacies may close or the number of people who may lose their jobs, because we do not know the financial viability of individual businesses or the extent to which they derive income from services commissioned locally by the NHS or local authorities or have non-NHS related income.
We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and others, including patient and public representatives on our proposals. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-04-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of parents who will not be eligible for tax-free childcare as a result of the decision to (a) lower the upper income limit per parent from £150,000 to £100,000 and (b) increase the minimum income level per parent from the equivalent of eight hours to 16 hours at the national living wage.
Damian Hinds
The Government will publicise the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme in good time ahead of its introduction through a range of digital and print channels. HMRC will also work with the childcare industry and representative groups who interact regularly with parents to raise awareness of the scheme.
HM Revenue and Customs is developing an online childcare calculator to help parents understand their eligibility for government childcare support. From early 2017, parents of the youngest children will be able to enter the scheme first, with all eligible parents brought in by the end of 2017. Parents will not be able to open childcare accounts prior to the launch of the scheme.
TFC will be straightforward and quick to apply online for the vast majority of parents. We estimate that up to 9% of the families eligible for the scheme of that population may have issues with either accessing or using the internet. HM Revenue and Customs will ensure that assistance is provided, usually by telephone, so these families do not miss out on the support available.
Tax-Free Childcare is part of the wider government childcare offer which will be worth over £6Bn per annum and together provide generous support to families on all levels of income.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people made contact with the Forced Marriage Unit in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
James Duddridge
The Forced Marriage Unit is a joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office Unit which was set up in January 2005 to lead on the Government’s forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. Statistics on the number of enquiries and cases dealt with by the Forced Marriage Unit via its public helpline and email inbox in 2013, 2014 and 2015 are published online here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage#statistics-on-forced-marriage-collected-by-fmu
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines on levels of alcohol intake which recommend significant changes to those levels.
Jane Ellison
Before the publication of the new Chief Medical Officer’s alcohol guidelines, the guidelines had not been revised for over 20 years; the up to date evidence used to update the low risk guidelines does not support a gender difference.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths by suicide have been recorded in England among children aged under 18 within one month of being released from youth custody in each year since 2010.
Nicola Blackwood
This information is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will meet his counterparts in the Qatari government to discuss the human rights situation and working conditions of foreign workers assisting that country in building stadia for the 2022 World Cup.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), last spoke to Qatar’s foreign minister on 7 September about preparations for the World Cup. He offered continued UK support in partnering with Qatar to deliver a successful event in 2022. We continue to raise the issue of workers’ rights with the Government of Qatar; most recently on 15 September to offer UK expertise in addition to support we already give. I am meeting my Qatari counterpart in Doha later this year and will raise this issue again then.
We support the steps that the Qatari Government has taken to respond to concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and we welcome the Government of Qatar’s commitment to the ongoing, systematic reform of Qatar’s labour laws.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is owed in overpaid tax credits.
Damian Hinds
This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449343/HMRC_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2014-15__Web_accessible_version_.pdf