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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis officials in the Department of Health have said that the claims made by Dr Dan Poulter, formerly the minister in charge of negotiations, that they had set aside an agreement in principle with the British Medical Association on junior doctor working and instead acted to impose a new contract, were incorrect.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No agreement ever existed – in principle or otherwise – beyond the Heads of Terms that were the basis for negotiations. No agreement has been set aside by the Government or the Department.

    NHS Employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed Heads of Terms for negotiations in July 2013 and commenced negotiations in October 2013, the intention being to conclude negotiations by the end of October 2014. The BMA walked away from those negotiations on 16 October 2014.

    As part of negotiations, proposals for a new contract had been made by the management side (employers from each of the four United Kingdom countries). The BMA said it could not agree to these. The Government therefore asked the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to make recommendations.

    The DDRB took evidence from the BMA, NHS Employers, the Department of Health and other parties. NHS Employers’ evidence, on behalf of the four UK countries, set out the proposals made by employers in negotiations, illustrating how these related to the jointly agreed Heads of Terms. The BMA’s evidence set out alternative proposals, which had not been made during negotiations.

    The DDRB’s report broadly endorsed the proposals made by NHS Employers and made recommendations, identifying some areas where further discussion was needed. The Government invited both parties to return to the table with the DDRB recommendations forming the basis for further negotiations.

    The Government, in England, has made clear its desire for the BMA to be involved in work to introduce a new contract. The Government has asked NHS Employers to work on the detailed design of a new contract for introduction in August 2016 and has continued to encourage the BMA to return to negotiations and take part in that work.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) Forth, Medway and Trent, will operate in addition to the current four OPVs.

    Earl Howe

    The operation of the three new Offshore Patrol Vessels will be subject to the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the implementation of the UK’s domestic and international legal obligations on human rights.

    Jeremy Wright

    By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that I may or may not have advised or have been requested to advise on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many financial penalties have been imposed on respondent employers under section 16 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to date; and how many such penalties (a) have been paid and (b) remain unpaid.

    Nick Boles

    Eight financial penalties have been imposed on employers for aggravated breach of employment law, under section 16 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, since its introduction on 6 April 2014.

    To date, two penalties have been paid and six remain unpaid although all penalties were imposed this year and further action is being considered.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what projects were funded by the revenue support grants; and what the total capital cost was of each of those projects.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Local authorities are free to use Revenue Support Grant as they see fit in support of their statutory functions. Whilst the Department collects information on revenue and capital spending by local authorities, it does not ask authorities for information on the particular use to which they put Revenue Support Grant, or any of the other revenue sources available to them.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of problem debt in the UK.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Office for National Statistics does not publish data on problem debt in the UK. According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics, unsecured debt as a proportion of income currently stands at 37 per cent in Q2 2015, down from its pre-crisis peak of 46 per cent in Q1 2007.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the FA about the affordability of tickets to Premier League matches for people on the national average wage.

    Tracey Crouch

    The pricing of tickets is a matter for the clubs to decide on, however we would encourage all clubs, whether in the Premier League or not, to think carefully about affordability for all fans when setting their ticket prices.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of armed forces personnel originate from Commonwealth nations; and whether his Department plans to increase such numbers in future.

    Mark Lancaster

    As at 1 October 2014, 4% of our trained UK Regular Forces had a Commonwealth nationality. The Ministry of Defence is considering its approach to foreign and Commonwealth recruitment.

  • Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the October 2015 census data for primary school reception class places for each school in the London Borough of Lambeth.

    Edward Timpson

    The department does not publish information from the October school census, and instead publishes information from the January census which is the only one of the termly censuses that covers all school types and collects information on class sizes. We collect data on pupils but not on places in schools. Data from the January 2016 school census will be published in June 2016.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental effects of underground coal gasification.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In recognition of the need for a better understanding of the potential impacts of underground coal gasification, the Department has commissioned an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions related to underground coal gasification, which we expect to publish in due course.