The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make plans to provide the Housing Ombudsman service with greater powers to deal with complaints from members of the public.
Brandon Lewis
There are no current plans to provide the Housing Ombudsman Service with greater powers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to encourage apprenticeships in cyber studies.
Matthew Hancock
Government has supported a Cyber Higher Apprenticeship programme delivered by the Tech Partnership with Training Provider QA, creating more than 250 new roles across industry for school leavers. New Cyber Intrusion Analyst and Cyber Security Technologist Trailblazer Apprenticeships have been developed which are now available to Employers and Apprentices. We have also integrated a cyber stream into the Fast Track Civil Service Apprenticeship scheme, offering 50 new roles across government with another cohort joining this year. Additionally, GCHQ has its own apprenticeship scheme incorporating cyber security. Since 2012, over 170 new apprentices have either graduated or joined the tailored two year foundation degree course.
As announced by the Chancellor in November 2015, we are working with Employers to develop a Cyber Security Higher Apprenticeship pilot scheme that will address cyber skills gaps in three critical sectors: Transport, Finance and Energy. These apprenticeships will combine relevant cyber content, with sector-specific training. Industry in each sector will play a leading role in defining the additional course content. We will launch a targeted marketing campaign to encourage businesses and young people to consider a cyber apprenticeship with opportunities being advertised shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to introduce mandatory data collection on hospital-initiated postponement or cancellation of ophthalmology follow-up appointments.
Alistair Burt
All follow-up appointments should take place when clinically appropriate. It is for clinicians to make decisions on when they see patients, in line with their clinical priority, and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment. The appropriate interval for follow up appointments will vary between different services or specialties, and between individual patients, depending on the severity of their condition.
To ensure that patients are seen at the appropriate time, NHS England’s guidance, “Recording and reporting referral to treatment waiting times for consultant-led elective care” is clear that when patients on planned lists are clinically ready for their care to commence and reach the date for their planned appointment, they should either receive that appointment or be transferred to an active waiting list. At that point, a waiting time clock will be started and their wait reported in the relevant statistical return.
Hospital episode statistics contain details of all outpatient appointments at National Health Service hospitals in England and commissioned by the NHS from independent sector organisations in England. The recording of a primary diagnosis and postponed or cancelled appointments is not mandatory within the outpatient commissioning data set and there are no plans to make it so.
Data is not, therefore, available on the number of cancelled or postponed follow up appointments for patients with age-related macular degeneration, central retinal vein occlusion and diabetic macular oedema.
No assessment has been made of the effect of hospital-initiated postponement or cancellation of ophthalmology follow-up appointments on patients’ sight. However, officials have met with the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning and are considering their concerns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected maintenance period is for HMS Defender.
Harriett Baldwin
The maintenance period of HMS Defender is planned to start before the end of 2016 and complete in late 2017. Precise details and its duration are currently the subject of ongoing negotiations with industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with industry representatives on the Universal Service Obligation announced by the Prime Minister on 7 November 2015; and what representations he has received from such representatives since.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Secretary of State and DCMS officials have discussed the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) with industry representatives, and will be meeting fixed and mobile operators in coming weeks. The Government will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether injured army veterans are exempt from personal independence payment assessments.
Justin Tomlinson
Service personnel and veterans who are entitled to a Guaranteed Income Payment of 50% or higher through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) are eligible to apply for Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) instead of having to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Entitlement to AFIP does not involve an assessment other than by reference to the AFCS award.
All individuals claiming PIP are subject to an assessment of their daily living and mobility needs. In the majority of claims an assessment will involve a face-to-face consultation with an independent health professional. Assessments may also be carried out on paper evidence alone. We ask claimants to provide any evidence that they have to hand when they submit their PIP2 questionnaire. Such evidence could include evidence used or received in relation to a claim for AFCS or a War Pension. We also ask claimants to tell us who should be contacted in case further evidence is required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number and value of projects funded by the Landfill Communities Fund in each of the last five years.
Damian Hinds
Information on projects funded by the Landfill Communities Fund is published by the regulator of the fund, ENTRUST. This information is available on their website at:
http://www.entrust.org.uk/environmental-bodies/project-search/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 24530, what methodology is used to calculate prices in connection with anti-dumping cases relating to the US and Russia.
Anna Soubry
The US and Russia are both treated as market economies in anti-dumping investigations by the European Commission. This means that, with some exceptions, dumping is calculated on the basis of prices prevailing in the US and Russian domestic market. The exceptions are set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009 (the EU’s basic anti-dumping Regulation) and the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (the “AD agreement”).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to promote postgraduate loans in 2016-17; and what expenditure his Department has allocated for such promotion.
Joseph Johnson
The Department is working alongside its delivery partner The Student Loans Company and stakeholders such as Universities UK and Prospects to ensure the correct information and guidance is readily available. The Student Loans Company produces information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and expenditure for 2016/17 is expected to be in the region of £120,000.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NATO military interoperability.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Readiness Action Plan (RAP), agreed at the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014, is progressing well and it will deliver enhanced NATO Response Forces, including the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), by the time of the NATO Summit in Warsaw in July 2016. The UK has played a leading role in the implementation of the RAP: we have committed to spending 2% of GDP on Defence, and 20% of that on new equipment; we will lead a capable and credible VJTF (Land) Brigade in 2017; we have increased our commitment to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces this year; and will continue to provide Airborne Early Warning, Air to Air Refuelling, Tornado and Typhoon aircraft to the VJTF (Air).
Considerable work on survivability, sustainability and readiness of NATO forces has been undertaken. The RAP includes a commitment to generate an enhanced NATO Response Force (eNRF) including a VJTF. To enhance survivability, the eNRF has been designed from the outset as a Joint, Multi-National force with an appropriate quantity and balance of forces needed to effectively conduct the full range of potential operations. Integral logistic structures, which include the newly created Multi-National Corps Headquarters in Poland and a Multi-National Division Headquarters in Romania, ensure the sustainability of the enhanced NRF and VJTF. Enhanced NRF forces are designed to meet the readiness timelines that are laid down in NATO’s strategic planning documents, including the Alliance’s Graduated Response Plans.
Considerable work on Interoperability has also been undertaken since the end of combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. This has built upon NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative to ensure that NATO’s Multi-National forces force are able to continue to operate together effectively beyond the end of combat operations in Afghanistan. For our lead of the VJTF (Land) in 2017, the British Army will operate alongside the armed forces from 13 contributing nations.