The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the formal internal scrutiny process for the current calculations for optimism bias for the Successor submarine programme to be completed.
Mr Philip Dunne
Optimism Bias work will be completed as part of the evidence required to inform the next investment decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what powers she has to shorten the term of a Police and Crime Commissioner elected in May 2016 in order that the role is subsumed by a Metro-Mayor.
Mike Penning
If a local area were to make the case to transfer Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions to an elected mayor, secondary legislation would set out the details of the transfer of powers and the relevant timescales based on discussions between the local area and central government.
These powers are provided for in Section 107F of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016), which sets out the Secretary of State’s necessary order making powers to enable the transfer of PCC functions to an elected mayor.
Local areas can put forward a proposal to transfer PCC functions at any time and, as stated in response to the honourable member’s earlier question on this issue [32271], any proposal submitted by a local area for an elected mayor to take on PCC functions would be considered on its merits, on a case-by-case basis. The timing of any transfer of powers would also form part of this consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average annual spend on cycling per head is in each of the Cycle Ambition Cities on the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr Robert Goodwill
|
Cycling Cities Ambition Grants |
2015/16 through to 2017/18 |
|
Birmingham |
£10.00 |
|
Bristol |
£11.78 |
|
Cambridge |
£12.87 |
|
Leeds |
£10.09 |
|
Manchester |
£11.52 |
|
Newcastle |
£10.43 |
|
Norwich |
£13.46 |
|
Oxford |
£10.66 |
The above table reflects the Department’s Cycling Cities Ambition grants and local match funding.
There may be other funding programmes which would increase the Cycling Ambition Cities figures provided in the table above, but we do not hold information on details such as spend per head for these programmes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visa applicants to each visa application centre were fingerprinted before they travelled to the UK in each of the last seven years.
James Brokenshire
All visa applicants are required to provide biometric information, including fingerprints, as part of the visa application process.
Exceptions to this requirement are limited to individuals defined as exempt from immigration control; members of diplomatic missions based overseas travelling to the UK on an official visit; children under the age of five; and those who are physically unable to provide fingerprints (e.g. those who do not have fingers).
The Home Office is unable to provide the specific information in the format requested without incurring disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of non-medical prescribing nurses.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Department and NHS England have successfully extended prescribing responsibilities to a wider group of health professions, including nurses. This is helping the National Health Service to deliver more timely and effective patient care. These professionals are termed ‘non-medical prescribers’, in order to distinguish them from doctors and dentists.
There are two types of non-medical prescriber:
― Independent Prescribers are able to complete whole episodes of care for a patient, taking responsibility from consultation through to diagnosis and finally, if appropriate, prescription.
― Supplementary Prescribers work in conjunction with a doctor to provide patient care. Supplementary Prescribing is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber (in this case a doctor) and a supplementary prescriber, to implement a patient-specific clinical management plan, with the patient’s agreement.
To become a non-medical prescriber, nurses must undertake a recognised Nursing and Midwifery Council accredited prescribing course through a United Kingdom university, sponsored by their employer on the basis of service need.
Local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population are therefore responsible for investing in training for nurses’ prescribing roles to deliver the best patient care and meet the changing needs of patients and services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK leaving the EU does not have a deleterious effect on the operation of UK universities; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the EU has engaged with a number of higher education institutions and groups including Universities UK and Royal Academies. Over the next few months the department will continue to engage with key stakeholders in business and civil society, including universities, through a series of roundtables, bi-laterals and visits across the UK.
We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has already announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Equally, EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been screened by the NHS England Liaison and Diversion Service to see if they have mental health issues, learning disabilities, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities in the last three years for which figures are available.
Alistair Burt
NHS England made almost 40,000 liaison and diversion screenings and more than 10,600 referrals to treatment or support services for people of all ages between 1 April 2014 and 31 August 2015. Data is not available prior to 1 April 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the last year.
Jane Ellison
No assessment has been made of the number of people who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the last year.
In 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the clinical guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children, which estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.
There is no medication available to specifically treat CFS, however the NICE guidance recommends that pharmacological pain relief may be appropriate for the relief of chronic pain that the condition can cause. Other methods of treatment that may be of benefit are cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exercise therapy or activity management. The guidance can be found at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to offer any deadline extensions for tax due by businesses in all areas affected by flooding.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.
In cases of severe flooding, HMRC will also:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) other businesses have signed up to the Cyber Essentials Scheme.
Mr Edward Vaizey
At the end of January 2016, 1,674 Cyber essentials and Cyber essentials Plus certificates have been issued, of which 80% were awarded to micro, small and medium-sized businesses.