Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 28059, whether representatives of ex-intraveneous drug users and former sex-workers will be invited to sit on the working group being formed by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs as part of its review of blood donor selection criteria.

    Jane Ellison

    Stakeholder representation on the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissue and Organs’ Donor Selection Criteria Working Group consists of the Terence Higgins Trust, National Aids Trust, Patients Association, Sickle Cell Society, Thalassemia Society and the LGBT Consortium. A Stakeholder meeting is planned alongside the first meeting of the Working Group and a wider range of stakeholders is to be invited. Relevant stakeholder representatives such as former sex workers and ex-intravenous drug users will be invited to attend the Working Group when it is considering particular aspects of donor selection criteria.

  • Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of potential steps to increase provision of (a) court time and (b) relevantly skilled members of the judiciary to ensure the timely management of legal proceedings on complex planning disputes.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Planning Court was established in 2014 and has greatly increased the speed in which planning cases are dealt with.

    A dedicated cadre of lawyers and judiciary have been appointed to deal expediently with all significant planning cases.

    The Criminal Courts and Justice Act 2015 introduced a permission stage in applications for statutory review, to remove unmeritorious statutory challenges to planning decisions as early as possible.

    Current statistical data shows that the average time taken for a planning case to be dealt with in the Planning Court has reduced from 46.9 weeks in February 2014 to 25.9 weeks in March 2016.

  • Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a vote to leave the EU on policies in the Culture White Paper.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    We have made no assessment. The Government has been clear about its position in respect of the Referendum.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s policy is on VAT on household energy bills.

    Jane Ellison

    Supplies of fuel and power for domestic use are eligible for the five per cent reduced rate of VAT.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of perinatal mental illness were made in (a) Copeland, (b) Cumbria and (c) England in each of the last five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The data requested is not collected centrally. Work is underway to improve data collection on perinatal mental health.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department plans to take to safeguard new nuclear energy facilities constructed in the UK with Chinese involvement from future Chinese cyber attacks; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In the UK nuclear security is overseen by the independent Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (as amended) require those holding Sensitive Nuclear Information to have in place robust security measures approved by ONR in order to protect this information. The ONR conducts inspections to ensure compliance with security requirements and has powers of enforcement in the event of a breach.

    As part of the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) DECC has funded: 1) enhanced cyber security training; 2) a rigorous cyber incident response exercising programme; 3) forums and briefings for senior industry personnel to raise awareness of cyber threats; and, 4) work to ensure new nuclear power plants will be cyber secure by design. This work is undertaken in collaboration with industry and the ONR to ensure that there is a process of continuous improvement for cyber security in the civil nuclear sector.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department made of the potential effect on access to justice for victims of clinical negligence before it developed its proposals to introduce a fixed recoverable costs regime for clinical negligence; which other stakeholders were consulted on this matter before those proposals were developed; and what the response of those stakeholders to that consultation was.

    Ben Gummer

    We are planning to consult on the introduction of the fixed cost regime for clinical negligence claims where the damages awarded to claimants are less than £250,000. This forms part of our over-arching objective to minimise adverse incidents and provide an efficient, cost-effective approach to litigation. In doing this we are seeking to improve patient care by reducing the incidence of clinical negligence, improve customer care by ensuring the National Health Service is responsive to users; and ensure there is an appropriate and cost effective legal process in place for claimants and defendants.

    In advance of this work a pre-consultation exercise was undertaken with a wide range of bodies representing the views of patients, lawyers, bar organisations, professional bodies, NHS organisations, private healthcare providers and Welsh interests. Issues raised by these organisations included: access to justice, impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; patient safety; and the avoidance of unnecessary costs in clinical negligence cases. These views will be rehearsed in the proposed consultation document and will inform decisions that are made following the consultation exercise. Respondents will have the opportunity to provide comments on the proposals, which we have been developing with the Civil Procedure Rules Committee.

  • Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the framework is for assessing quality of education and inspecting standards and safety in settings where children are instructed in madrassas.

    Edward Timpson

    Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. The statutory guidance on the Prevent Duty[1] makes it clear that local authorities should take steps to understand the range of out of school settings, such as supplementary schools and tuition centres, in their area and take appropriate steps to ensure that children attending such settings are properly safeguarded.

    The Prime Minister has recently announced that supplementary schools which provide intensive education will need to register themselves for inspection. The government’s counter-extremism strategy[2] sets out our intentions to introduce this system. We will be consulting on this regulatory framework.

    Intervention will apply if there are concerns about the safety or welfare of the children attending these supplementary schools. Where institutions are teaching intolerance we will not hesitate to take action. We are consulting on the coverage of this proposed scheme, which is likely to include some madrasa schools.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counter-extremism-strategy

    “

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of equipment for UK aid projects was sourced from businesses in the UK in each of the last three years.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID does not procure goods and equipment directly, procurement agents, suppliers and partner organisations deliver this service on our behalf. DFID’s aid is untied with a focus on achieving the best value for money for the overall project aim.

  • Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many home fire safety checks were completed by fire and rescue services in 2013-14.

    Mike Penning

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.

    Fire and rescue services reported that they undertook around 627,000 Home Fire Safety checks during 2013-14.

    Data are also collected on fire safety campaigns and initiatives. These include, but do not separate out, schools visits.