The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding will be allocated to local authorities to undertake scoping studies related to the establishment of Clean Air Zones.
Rory Stewart
We will be providing funding to support the implementation of Clean Air Zones where necessary and will be discussing the details of this with the relevant Local Authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make funds available to expedite the process of reopening the A591 in Cumbria.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government has received a number of representations to help repair the A591 damaged by the recent Storms, including a request for assistance from Cumbria County Council, the local highway authority, who is ultimately responsible for the management and maintenance of the road.
The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 27 December 2015 the Department for Transport would be providing £40 million to help rebuild vital local highway infrastructure in Cumbria and Lancashire damaged by the recent storms, including the damaged section of the A591. This announcement built on the government’s earlier provision of up to £2 million in the initial aftermath of the severe wet weather to enable Cumbria and Lancashire authorities to carry out an initial assessment of what repairs were required to roads and bridges.
A follow up announcement regarding the A591 was made on 14 January 2016 which highlighted that Highways England, along with their contractors, has been brought in to deliver a full and permanent reinstatement of the road as quickly as possible.
Further information is in the following weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-announces-plans-to-reopen-a591-in-cumbria-following-storm-desmond-and-eva
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.
Nick Gibb
The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in Scotland who reach state pension age in 2016-17 will receive the full flat rate of the new state pension.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department cannot model the impact of the new State Pension at a regional or country specific level. Results for the whole of Great Britain can be found at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the obligations upon member states of the EU include any duty to observe the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The EU is not itself a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Any agreement for the EU to accede would need to be agreed unanimously by all EU Member States (including the UK) and all other contracting parties to the ECHR.
Our renegotiation deal reaffirmed that the Charter of Fundamental Rights does not extend the ability of the Court of Justice of the European Union or domestic courts to rule on compliance with fundamental rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2016 to Question 34503, if he will release a summary or redacted version of risk assessments carried out by the Cross-Government Working Group on RPAS.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Cross-Government Working Group on RPAS commissioned a piece of work, led by the Ministry of Defence, to analyse the potential use of drones for criminal purposes including the potential use of drones for terrorist purposes. This work is ongoing and being kept under review. I will place a redacted summary of the work to date in the Libraries of both Houses before the Summer Recess.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he plans to take to ensure that local government representatives are included in the process of exiting the EU.
Mr David Jones
As the Secretary of State said in his statement of 5 September, we are going to listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible – from the large PLCs to small business, from the devolved administrations through to councils, local government associations and the major metropolitan bodies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the status is of the Healthier Together programme in Greater Manchester.
Mr Philip Dunne
These are matters for the local National Health Service.
We are advised by NHS England that the Healthier Together programme has now moved into implementation and is part of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. The recently appointed Chief Officer for the Partnership has assumed the role of Programme Sponsor to oversee the implementation phase.
All areas of Greater Manchester are developing detailed plans and business cases for the transfer of care for high risk elective general surgery patients to the hub sites from 1 April 2017. This is a new way of working whereby current teams from different hospitals will work under single governance and leadership to achieve the required quality and safety standards for patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what preparatory work his Department has undertaken in advance of sending letters to tax credit recipients on changes to tax credits.
Damian Hinds
HM Revenue and Customs will be ready to notify tax credit claimants of their 2016/17 tax credit award in good time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultants have opted out of routine weekend working through the schedule 3 paragraph 6 of the NHS consultant contract in the last year.
Ben Gummer
This information is not held centrally.
Schedule 3 Paragraph 6 of the 2003 NHS consultant contract allows consultants to refuse non-emergency work after 7pm and before 7am during weekdays and weekends. The definitions section clarifies that this also applies to emergency work for those consultants whose specialty by its nature involves dealing routinely with emergency cases, e.g. accident and emergency consultants.
NHS trusts hold information on consultant working patterns. However, this information would not reveal how many individuals have relied on the clause to not participate in weekend work as part of their contract, or to work them at expensive locally negotiated rates.
In its 2013 report ‘Managing NHS hospital Consultants’ the National Audit Office (NAO) reported that 91% of trusts who responded to its survey paid for additional work using locally agreed rates, with rates of up £200 per hour reported. The NAO expressed the view that “This is likely to be linked to the fact that the contract allows consultants to refuse to work outside 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.”
A subsequent report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts concluded that as a result of the opt out, hospitals struggle to provide the appropriate level of consultant-led care for patients.