Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the initial disposal of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland in August 2015 on (a) the share price and (b) the proposed future sale of shares.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The first sale of Government shares in RBS was conducted in August 2015 and raised £2.1 billion for the taxpayer. This was an important first step in returning the bank to private ownership, which is the right thing to do for the taxpayer and for British businesses: it will promote financial stability, lead to a more competitive banking sector, and support the interests of the wider economy.

    The government will conduct further sales of RBS shares subject to market conditions, and in doing so will maximise value for the taxpayer. The returns on the government’s interventions in RBS will be determined by the success of the whole of the selling programme, rather than the terms achieved on the first few disposals.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of clinical commissioning groups are fully implementing NICE guidelines on fertility treatment.

    Jane Ellison

    Information about clinical commissioning groups’ approach to commissioning fertility services is not collected centrally.

    The Department has not made any estimate of the proportion of children conceived in the United Kingdom using in-vitro fertilisation relative to those countries mentioned.

    The Department has no plans to instruct NHS England to commission fertility treatment centrally. Fertility services do not meet the criteria set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to be nationally commissioned by NHS England.

  • Graham Stuart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Graham Stuart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stuart on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to have obtained all the information required by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China for the final response to the inspection report in connection with the export of pig trotters to China.

    George Eustice

    We are working with the UK pork industry to collate the necessary data and information required by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China, which will be submitted by the end of June. The UK Agriculture, Food and Drink Counsellor, based in Beijing, has met with the Chinese authorities to raise the importance of this agreement and press for expeditious consideration of the UK application to allow exports of UK pigs’ trotters to commence as soon as possible.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much the UK contributed to the funding of UN special envoys through (a) the UN regular budget, (b) the UN peacekeeping budget and (c) voluntary contributions in each of the last five years.

    Alok Sharma

    This response answers PQ 44298 and PQ 44301. For the purpose of these PQs we have defined ‘UN special envoy missions’ as Special Political Mission thematic cluster I, which covers special and personal envoys and advisers of the UN Secretary General.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays the UK’s assessed contributions for these as a part of our contribution to the UN Regular Budget, which are mandatory under the UN Charter. The UK’s fixed percentage share of the budget for each Special Political Mission was 6.604% during 2011 and 2012, and 5.179% from 2013 to 2015. The peacekeeping budget does not fund Special Political Missions. The UK does not hold a central register of UK voluntary contributions to SPMs.

    The table below provides the total number, annual budget and UK contribution to the cluster I SPM for calendar years 2011-2015.

    Year Number Total budget (UK contribution) in US$ millions
    2015 11 $37.3m ($1.93m)
    2014 10 $24.9m ($1.29m)
    2013 8 $16.7m ($0.866m)
    2012 7 $11.43m ($0.755m)
    2011 6 $8.69m ($0.574m)

  • Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what priority his Department accords to improving GP services through GP Forward View.

    David Mowat

    Improving general practice (GP) services is a priority for the Department, and the GP Forward View, published on 21 April by NHS England, sets out a package of support to help get general practice back on its feet, improve patient care and access, and invest in new ways of providing primary care.

    The Five Year Forward View recognised the need to expand and strengthen primary and ‘out of hospital’ care and to invest more in primary care. The Government is committed to improving access to GP services as part of the plan for a seven day NHS, and by 2020, everyone will be able to access GP appointments at evenings and weekends. Achieving improved access not only benefits patients but also has the potential to create more efficient ways of working, which benefits GPs and practice staff.

    The GP Forward View sets out that there will be an extra £2.4 billion investment per year for general practice services by 2020/21 – this represents a 14% increase in real terms. The overall investment for general practice includes a £500 million national ‘turnaround’ package to support GP practices. This is part of a wider package of support for general practice, which contains measures to help boost the workforce, drive efficiencies in workload and modernize primary care infrastructure and technology.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of pension credit in the 2015-16 financial year.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information as requested for 2015/16 is not available.

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

    “

  • Biography information for The Countess of Mar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for The Countess of Mar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for The Countess of Mar on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 July (HL1538), whether, in preparing that answer, they took account that of the substances in jet engine oils, only tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate has an exposure standard or short-term exposure limit, and that EH40/2005 Workplace Exposure Limits states that the absence of a workplace exposure limit does not indicate that [a substance] is safe”

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The previous answer took account of all the substances referred to in the Cranfield University’s Aircraft Cabin Air Sampling Study regardless of whether they are subject to Workplace Exposure Limits. For example, two of the substances measured (tolulene and carbon monoxide) are the subject of a European standard for safety, health and comfort limits (BS EN 4618:2009). In addition to this, for the substances that do not have a European standard, other limits and guidelines have been considered in assessing the significance of any health risk of exposure to the concentrations measured in cabin air. Several of the substances monitored during the research, for example TBP, TOCP and tetrachloroethylene, have workplace exposure limits (WEL). For substances that do not have a WEL, a number of guidelines were used that have been recommended by the World Health Organisation as well as different groups in the UK and EU. These groups include Kotzias et al, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Committee on the Medical Effect of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of Greater Manchester City Deal procurement contracts have been given to SMEs in the Greater Manchester area.

    James Wharton

    The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this data on contracts awarded by local authorities.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of social enterprises in delivering high quality healthcare services.

    Ben Gummer

    It is a statutory obligation that decisions on healthcare provision should be taken independently by local commissioners. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) must decide how to use their resources in a way which is evidence based, clinically-led and cost-effective in order to provide high-quality healthcare for people in their area. CCGs must also balance both short-term need and long-term transformation in line with the NHS Five Year Forward View’s (5YFV) objectives.

    Where a social enterprise provides a regulated activity, under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, it will have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall. Following inspection of individual social enterprise providers, the CQC will publish a report on its website.

    The Government firmly believes that providers from all sectors, including social enterprises, play an important role in providing high quality, safe and efficient care to patients, as well as helping to realise the ambitions set out in the NHS 5YFV. That is why, working in partnership with Public Health England, NHS England and representatives from the voluntary sector, the Department is in the final stages of a review looking at partnerships and investment in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. The final report of the review is expected to be published in the spring.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for consent determined by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have required environmental impact assessment since 2010.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Since 2010, when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has determined applications for consent, three Oil Transfer Licence applications have required environmental impact assessments.