The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many job vacancies in his Department have been reserved as internal posts in the last 12 months.
Matthew Hancock
For the 12 month period between 8/6/15 and 7/6/16, Cabinet Office advertised 26 vacancies for internal applicants on its intranet site. In the same period, 469 Cabinet Office vacancies were advertised on the Civil Service Jobs search internet page.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to remove international students from the Government’s migration targets following the decision to leave the EU.
Mr Robert Goodwill
International students are included in net migration statistics that are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia also include students in their net migration figures.
Like other migrants, students who stay for longer than 12 months have an impact on communities, infrastructure and services while they are here, so it is right that they are included in the net migration count.
We are committed to reducing non-EU migration across all visa routes in order to bring net migration down to sustainable levels as soon as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is (1) their policy, or (2) the policy of NHS England, that primary care centres should be amalgamated into larger units.
Lord Prior of Brampton
As part of the New Care Models Programme, NHS England is supporting local health and care commissioners and providers to come together to improve the health and care they provide. This includes the development of population-based care models known as integrated Primary and Acute Care Systems and Multispecialty Community Providers (MCPs). Where and how to develop new care models are decisions taken by local partnerships, in response to local conditions. The Programme is not directing or requiring the amalgamation of primary care centres.
There are 14 MCP vanguards, with a single organisation accountable for joined-up General Practitioner (GP) and community services and some specialist care, mental health services, and social care for a defined population. The building blocks of a MCP are the ‘care hubs’ of integrated teams. Each typically serves a community of around 30,000-50,000 people. These hubs are the practical, operational level of any model of accountable care provision. The wider the scope of services included in the MCP, the more hubs you may need to connect together to create sufficient scale. All 14 MCP vanguards now serve a minimum population of around 100,000.
The majority of GP practices are already working in practice groups or federations. This provides opportunities to expand services, stabilise practice income and work at scale, which has benefits for patients, practices and the wider system. These include economies of scale, quality improvement, workforce development, enhanced care and new services, resilience and system partnerships.
A new voluntary MCP contract will be introduced from April 2017, to integrate general practice services with community services and wider healthcare services. Measures from the GP Access Fund and vanguard sites that are currently piloting this approach, will be learned from to support mainstreaming of proven service improvements across all practices, and funding will be provided for local collaborations to support practices to implement new ways of working.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral contribution of 28 October 2015, Official Report, column 429, on junior doctors’ pay, what assessment he has made of the proportion of the junior doctor workforce that will not have their pay reduced.
Ben Gummer
Our offer for a new contract for junior doctors guarantees that the 99% of junior doctors who work legal and safe hours will not receive a pay cut compared to their current contract.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of vacancies in each region and nation of the UK which were advertised on Universal Jobmatch were advertised as paying the National Minimum Wage in the most recent month for which figures are available.
Priti Patel
As part of the terms and conditions which employers must agree to in order to be able to post their vacancies on Universal Jobsmatch, it states that employers must ‘provide a rate of pay equal to, or more than the National Minimum Wage, unless a lawful exemption applies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to introduce a Victims’ Law since May 2015.
Mike Penning
In the Queen’s Speech we made a commitment to bring forward measures to increase the rights of victims of crime. Further detail on our plans will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Leeds North West of 12 January 2016 on meeting hon. Members with constituencies along the River Wharfe.
Rory Stewart
The Secretary of State received five letters in January from the hon. Member for Leeds North West about the recent flooding in Leeds. The Secretary of State met him and all Members for Leeds constituencies on 20 January to discuss the flooding in Leeds, as well as flood defences on the nearby River Aire (to which the River Wharfe is a tributary). The Secretary of State will be responding to the specific points raised by the hon. Member for Leeds North West within the next week. In the meantime, I can confirm that I am happy to meet MPs with constituencies along the River Wharfe
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Allan on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle cyber harassment.
Karen Bradley
Legislation is in place to deal with internet trolls, cyber-stalking and cyber harassment, and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour. Through the Criminal Justice Act 2015, we have strengthened two communications offences which can be used to prosecute misuse of social media: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, giving the police longer to investigate either offence, and increasing the maximum penalty for the former to two years imprisonment.
Through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, we have brought together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to work in partnership to help keep children and young people safe online.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he was consulted before the imposition of a 40 mph speed limit on the A15 north Caenby Corner; what guidance is provided to highway authorities on imposing and varying speed limits; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
Setting local speed limits is a matter for the local highway authority, as they are best placed to determine the speed limits for their areas, based on local knowledge and the views of the community. The Department for Transport (DfT) has issued guidance to help them determine the most appropriate speed limit in ‘Speed Limit Circular 01/2013 – Setting Local Speed Limits’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times he has visited Scotland since the 2015 General Election; and what meetings, with whom, were held on each of those visits.
Mr Mark Francois
Whilst the Secretary of State has not visited Scotland since the 2015 General Election, officials have had a number of meetings on proposed City Deals across Scotland.