Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with employers and providers of apprenticeships on the effect on take-up of the new funding arrangements proposed for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, published on 12 August 2016.

    Robert Halfon

    Department for Education officials have held regular discussions with employers, training providers and representative organisations since the publication of the funding proposals in August. We will be publishing details of our final funding policy for apprenticeships in England from May 2017 shortly.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many early conciliation cases processed by Acas in each quarter since October 2013 related to disputes regarding (a) non-payment of wages and (b) non-compliance with minimum wage legislation; and how many such cases (i) resulted in early conciliation and (ii) progressed to an employment tribunal.

    Nick Boles

    The information will take time to collate. When collated, I will place this information in the Libraries of the House.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish the outcome of its consultation on the review of the BBC’s Royal Charter which closed on 8 October 2015.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The government published a Summary of Responses to the BBC Charter Review consultation on 1 March 2016.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have refused to disclose legal advice regarding the impact of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the NHS.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government considered the information referred to be exempt from release on the basis that it is subject to legal professional privilege.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment on the closure of the Business Growth Service.

    Anna Soubry

    As a Spending Review decision, closure of the Business Growth Service (BGS) was not subject to a formal impact assessment. We do not expect closure of the BGS to have an impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in the light of the recent report by the Office of the UNHCR detailing atrocities committed against civilians, particularly women, in the civil war in South Sudan; whether the Responsibility to Protect policy applies in that case; and if so, how it will be applied.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the recent UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report. The Responsibility to Protect was agreed by all UN member states; it imposes an obligation on all states to protect their populations, and for the international community to assist. Due to the severity of the situation in South Sudan we are taking action on multiple levels. We are raising our serious concerns directly with the government, encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and pressing the UN Security Council to agree an arms embargo. At the UN Human Rights Council we are pressing for a UN Special Rapporteur to be agreed.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prudential Regulation Authority’s Draft Supervisory Statement on Buy-to-Let Underwriting Standards, published in March 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the 20 per cent growth in buy-to-let mortgage lending over the next three years on home ownership.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to supporting homeowners. One part of this commitment is ensuring that there is a level playing field between homeowners and landlords. In the 2015 Autumn Statement, we announced a 3 percentage point increase in the rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax applying to the purchase of additional residential properties, such as second homes and buy-to-let properties; and in the Summer Budget of 2015, we acted to restrict, to the basic rate of income tax, the tax relief on finance costs received by landlords of residential property.

    The Financial Policy Committee recently stated that the combination of forthcoming changes to mortgage interest tax relief and the implementation of the PRA Supervisory Statement will probably dampen growth of buy-to-let mortgage lending relative to lenders’ plans.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help create consensus at the UN Security Council for a referral to the International Criminal Court of the acts committed by Daesh in Iraq and Syria as genocide.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    It is not possible to refer Daesh itself to the ICC. Any referral would cover all potential crimes within a specified geographic area, rather than by a specified organisation or set of actors.

    We judge that a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the UN Security Council is not practical at this time. When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China.

    While we continue to draw the attention of the Security Council to the atrocities being committed in Iraq and Syria – on 4 May the Council held a session on the situation in Aleppo at the UK’s request – we expect that any Security Council resolution at this time seeking to refer the situations in Iraq or Syria to the ICC would likewise be blocked. Addition as per PQs 36262 and 35349.

  • 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 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38191 on fertility: medical treatments, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the issues highlighted in the report in that Answer; and if he will write to clinical commissioning groups in England to highlight the findings of that report and the importance of delivering IVF services consistent with the NICE guidelines.

    Jane Ellison

    It is for clinical commission groups (CCGs) to decide locally the extent to which fertility treatment is offered. CCGs’ decisions should be underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services may vary in response to local needs. NHS England has general intervention powers in relation to CCGs, should it be satisfied that a CCG is failing or has failed to discharge any of its functions, or there is a significant risk that it will fail to do so. It is also NHS England’s role to provide support and guidance to CCGs.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has plans to improve the quality of Lyme disease tests.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The National Health Service and Public Health England (PHE) use well established validated diagnostic tests for Lyme disease that are highly reproducible between laboratories. International External Quality Assurance schemes are in place to ensure consistency between different tests centres.

    However, Lyme disease is a complex infection; we recognise that there are real challenges in diagnosis and we are further strengthening the evidence base. Commercial manufacturers and international academic groups have research programmes into improved tests. PHE continuously reviews new Lyme serology tests and will validate and implement new tests if appropriate.