Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allowing Mohammed Al -Qeeq to transfer to a hospital in Ramallah from Afula Hospital; and what further representations they plan to make concerning the use of torture in Israeli prisons.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations on this specific case, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are following this case and those of the other hunger strikers closely and have spoken to Amnesty International about them. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem maintain a dialogue with the relevant Palestinian organisations about the condition of the hunger strikers. The EU in Jerusalem recently issued a local statement on administrative detentions, including the case of Mr Al Qeeq. We have been informed that Mr al-Qeeq is in a stable condition and has not been forced-fed as alleged.

    We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We also have concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees and about Israel’s respect of its obligations in this regard as an Occupying Power under applicable international law. We have raised concerns over treatment of Palestinian detainees with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact on UK tax receipts of the corporate tax regimes in Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Baroness Donaghy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Donaghy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of historic patterns of recruitment showing that universities are more effective in filling teacher training places than other forms of provision, such as School Direct, how they will ensure that the new system of allocating training places for 2016–17 meets national and regional teacher supply needs.

    Lord Nash

    As part of our nationwide recruitment drive for 2016/17, we have changed the approach to initial teacher training (ITT) allocations for this year. The National College of Teaching and Leadership has not allocated a specific number of places to individual organisations for postgraduate ITT courses. This approach offers the opportunity for School Direct lead schools, school-centred ITT (SCITTs) and universities to recruit the number of trainees they need locally (within a limited set of recruitment controls).

    One of the aims of the change of approach was to improve recruitment at a national level while still moving towards a school-led system. We created a school-led minimum recruitment level to ensure that school led ITT routes have the opportunity to recruit to at least 51% of the overall market in 2016/17. These levels were based on previous recruitment and were set in order to meet the dual priorities of maximising the chance of recruiting enough trainee teachers and continuing to move to a school-led system.

    We have developed a location recruitment control which we will use where there is a geographical disparity. They are monitoring regional recruitment across all subjects. School Direct lead schools, SCITTs and universities across all regions have been given greater freedom for the 2016/17 academic year to manage their recruitment according to local need.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2015-16; and how much that fund is estimated to spend in 2016-17.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that it expects to publish information on Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) expenditure for 2015-16 in Board Papers for NHS England’s Board meeting on 26 May 2016.

    The budget allocated for the CDF for 2015-16 was £340 million and new financial control mechanisms, to be put in place from 1 July 2016, are intended to ensure that the CDF does not exceed its fixed £340 million budget in 2016-17.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to require manufacturers to display the calorific content of alcoholic drinks on labels.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government has no plans to require manufacturers to display the calorific contents of alcoholic drinks on labels. However, some businesses do choose to do so voluntarily.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Railways Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for our future relationship with agencies such as the European Railways Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency. Until we leave, EU law still applies, and current arrangements will continue.

  • John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what way his Department will hold clinical commissioning groups responsible for making improvements along the cancer pathway including (a) early diagnosis and (b) supporting people beyond treatment.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is committed to reworking the clinical commission group (CCG) assurance framework for 2016-17 to reflect the triple aim of closing the gap on health inequalities, improving the quality of care and achieving financial sustainability, in addition to the themes of the Five Year Forward View: prevention; patient and community engagement; clinical priorities; and development of new care models.

    Cancer has been identified as one of these clinical priorities, and metrics will be selected which reflect the strategic priorities laid out by the independent Cancer Taskforce, including early diagnosis and supporting people to live well, with, and, beyond cancer.

    The assessment framework brings together the assurance framework and key metrics, and will incorporate future transformation as well as current performance. It will drive improvement rather than just assure and assess.

    CCGs will receive an overall annual rating and, within the framework, will be rated for six clinical priorities of: cancer, dementia, diabetes, mental health, maternity, and learning difficulties.

    CCGs will be rated on the same four point scale used by the Care Quality Commission: outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate. The ratings for the clinical priority areas will be made by independent expert committees.

    The metrics are currently in development and NHS England expects to publish a set for consultation in December 2015, at around the same time as the planning guidance, with a final version in March 2016. The assessment framework will come in to operational effect from 1 April 2016 and initial ratings in the six clinical priority areas will be published in June 2016.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a level transition for people moving from tax credits to universal credit in terms of the amount of benefits received; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    We have put transitional protections in place to ensure that people on existing tax credits whose circumstances remain the same do not lose out in cash terms when they are transferred on to Universal Credit.

    We will introduce regulations to give effect to these provisions in due course.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what consultation process took place in respect of the (a) establishment and (b) proposed privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

    Anna Soubry

    The answers to the hon. Member’s questions can be found in the policy document entitled “Future of the Green Investment Bank plc” that was published on 18 November on GOV.UK:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-investment-bank-the-future

    “

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to measure the effectiveness of his Department’s work to tackle obesity.

    Jane Ellison

    We will be setting out a comprehensive new strategy to tackle childhood obesity in due course.