The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many police officers there are per head of population (a) in Northern Ireland, (b) in the Metropolitan Police Service area and (c) on average for all police forces in the UK.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
There is currently 1 PSNI officer per 273 of the population in Northern Ireland.
The answers for part (b) and (c) are matters for the Home Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first F35 Joint Strike Fighters are planned to be operational.
Harriett Baldwin
Initial Operating Capability for the UK’s F-35B Lightning aircraft is scheduled for December 2018.
The most recent US Selected Acquisition Report (SAR 2015) estimates that the production, sustainment and support revenue generated by the global F-35 fleet through the life of the programme will be over one trillion US dollars. The UK manufactures approximately 15% of each F-35 aircraft, however as the F-35 programme is still determining its Global Support Solution footprint, we are not yet in a position to determine the potential revenue for UK industry.
The programme is expecting to procure over 3,000 aircraft across the F-35 Partner Nations. This will be further supplemented by Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. FMS engagement and future sales projections are managed by, and are a matter for, the US Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of his Department’s expected underspend against Departmental Expenditure Limits in 2015-16; what his Department’s forecast is of total Annually Managed Expenditure in 2015-16; and what that forecast was at the time of the (a) Summer Budget 2015 and (b) March Budget 2015.
Alun Cairns
As recommended by the Treasury, Departments are encouraged to maintain a reserve. The Wales Office maintains a reserve of around 5% of its annual Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), which represents our forecast underspend. This underspend can increase or decrease if planned expenditure is higher or lower than expected. In 2015-16, our DEL is £4.432m which includes the Departmental reserve of £0.222m. Our forecast of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) is £-0.020m.
The reserve stated above was also our forecast underspend at the time of the summer budget in 2015. The Department does not forecast underspends for the following financial year at the March budget. Each March, the Wales Office focuses on completing the financial transactions and processes of that current financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on social mobility of the findings of research by the Resolution Foundation, set out in its report, The Pinch, published in December 2015, on differences in household wealth between generations; and what steps the Government plans to take to address such differences.
Nick Boles
I note the Resolution Foundation’s work published in December 2015.
This Government is focussed on securing economic prosperity, providing the foundations to support opportunity for all.
Through improved education, work chances, a fairer welfare system and a stronger economy we are aiming to help increase the standard of living for everyone in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to include an undertaking to retain the staff of the Green Investment Bank as a condition when privatising that body.
Anna Soubry
It is the Department’s intention to sell the Green Investment Bank (GIB) as a going concern along with its business and staff. The GIB’s commercial value lies in its unique green specialism, including its green specialist staff. Any investor spending large sums investing in this bank will be investing precisely in this green specialism and staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policy on the factors influencing migration to the UK of the findings of the Overseas Development Institute in its report, Journeys to Europe: the role of policy in migrant decision-making, published in February 2016.
James Brokenshire
The Government believes that a comprehensive solution is needed to deal with the causes of the migration crisis, not just its consequences. This includes stability in source and transit countries; swift assistance to those in need of humanitarian protection and speedy return of those who are not. We will continue to work with EU partners to solve the immediate issues, and to implement a wider plan: in particular, we are supporting more effective management of the EU’s external border, joint action on people smuggling, and stronger cooperation with third countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases related to the Independent Police Complaints Commission have been referred back to the police for investigation in each of the last six years.
Mike Penning
Police forces are required to refer (i) all Death and Serious Injury (DSI) matters and (ii) complaints and conduct matters that meet certain criteria, as set out in regulations, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The IPCC assesses each referral on a case-by-case basis, by considering the seriousness of the matter and any relevant public interest factors. The IPCC may decide that an investigation is not required, in which case the matter will be referred back to the police force to decide what action to take. Alternatively, if the IPCC decides that the matter requires investigation, the IPCC must make a determination to undertake an independent investigation, an investigation under the supervision or management of the IPCC, or can refer back to the police force to investigate.
In 2013 the Home Secretary announced a commitment to transfer resources to the IPCC to enable it to expand to undertake all serious and sensitive matters involving the police. The IPCC is currently undertaking a change programme to deliver this expansion. In 2013/14 the IPCC commenced 109 independent investigations whilst 241 were opened in 2014/15. The IPCC is on course to meet its target of delivering between 400 and 700 independent investigations in 2015/16.
Reforms in the Policing and Crime Bill will build on this, enhancing the overall level of independence across IPCC investigations by removing managed and supervised investigations. Where the IPCC decides not to refer a matter back to the police force for investigation, it must undertake an independent investigation unless it considers that a directed investigation, a new form of investigation established by the Bill, is more appropriate.
Information on how many cases referred to the IPCC have been referred back to the police for investigation is available on the IPCC’s website for the majority of the last six years (link: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/page/archive-corporate-reports-and-plans). I will ask the IPCC to write to the Honourable Member, providing fuller information, and will ask for this response to be made available in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which medicines have been reclassified from (a) prescription only medicine to pharmacy medicine status, (b) pharmacy medicine to general sales list medicine status and (c) prescription only medicine to general sales list medicine status in each of the last 25 years; for each of those medicines so reclassified what condition that medicine was designed to treat; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
The Government is committed to the continued reclassification of medicines from prescription only to pharmacy classification and from pharmacy to general sales list classification when it is safe to do so and there is a clear benefit to public health. This is an important part of empowering patients to manage their own care. The Government’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is at the forefront of moves to reclassify medicines to non-prescription and is recognised as a leader in Europe in this regard.
Over the years reclassification has been facilitated by improving the regulatory environment for manufacturers to achieve successful reclassification of their products. Amendments to legislation were introduced in 2002 to reduce the legislative burden for reclassification; new guidance was published in 2012 to streamline the process; and in 2015 a United Kingdom platform was set up to maximise stakeholder engagement with the aim of encouraging further reclassification of medicines.
Patient safety remains the prime consideration in any decision to make a medicine available without prescription.
We are unable to calculate the total difference in cost to the public purse following these medicine reclassifications.
The attached tables contain the information for each of the last 25 years on medicines reclassified from prescription only medicine (POM) to Pharmacy (P) medicine and P medicine to general sales list (GSL) medicine. There are no examples of medicines which have been reclassified from POM to GSL. Where relevant, brand names have been included in brackets.
The lists represent the first reclassification either from POM to P or P to GSL of the product and further extensions such as wider indications, additional pack sizes or higher strengths have not been included.
Not all products listed are currently available, for various reasons, including both commercial and regulatory.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) average and (b) longest wait was for a carers’ assessment after an initial request was made since the introduction of the Carers Act 2014.
Alistair Burt
There is no central collection of data on the average and longest wait for a carer’s assessment after an initial request was made since the introduction of the Carers Act 2014. Nor is data collected centrally on the number of people currently on the waiting list for a carer’s assessment.
Data on the number of carers assessed during the financial year 2014-15 by local authority is attached. It should be noted that these figures include both joint and separate assessments from the cared for person. The source for this data is Short and Long Term Support (SALT), England 2014-15. This return is collected and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Link to SALT:
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18663
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL649), how many unaccompanied refugee children have reached the UK so far this year from (1) Europe, (2) the Middle East, and (3) elsewhere, for family reunion or otherwise for resettlement.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
In the year ending March 2016 the UK received 3,206 asylum applications from unaccompanied children who had reached the UK.
We continue to fulfil our obligations under the Dublin Regulation to unaccompanied children who qualify for transfer to the UK under family reunification provisions. Since January 2016 our records show that over 60 children have been transferred from other EU countries to the UK.
In addtion, the government continues to implement the Immigration Act 2016, including the provision to transfer unaccompained refugee children to the UK from elswhere in Europe. We are consulting local authorities as required and are also working closely with relevant Member States and other partners such as UNHCR, UNICEF and Save the Children.
We are working with UNHCR on our Children at Risk Resettlement Scheme to resettle vulnerable children, both unaccompanied and with their family members from the Middle East and North Africa region. We have committed to resettling several hundred individuals in the first year.
Information on the number of unaccompanied children granted under refugee family reunion provisions in the Immigration Rules is not captured in our data and would require a manual review. This information cannot therefore be provided without exceeding proportionate costs.