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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing the contribution of creative subjects to children’s learning; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    My Department works closely with the Department for Education. Government believes all pupils should have access to a broad and balanced education, and the arts are an essential part of the National Curriculum.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has (a) spent on its contract with Concentrix and (b) received in revenue as a result of reviews of (i) tax credit and (ii) child tax credit claims carried out by Concentrix since that contract was signed.

    Mr David Gauke

    The estimate of commission paid for the HM Revenue and Customs contract with SYNNEX-Concentrix relating to error and fraud is 15.8m since the start of the contract.

    The total savings to date in annually managed expenditure is £284.1m. We have no way to break down this figure any further and can only provide a combined CTC and WTC figure.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what waiting time targets are in place for access to (a) mental health treatment and (b) talking therapies for children experiencing mental health problems; and how many times any such targets have been missed in each of the last 12 months.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Access and waiting times standards for people aged from 14 to 65 years old experiencing a first episode of psychosis came into effect in April 2016. The target is that more than 50% of all people experiencing a first episode of psychosis should receive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-concordant treatment within two weeks of referral.

    There is also a waiting time standards for improving access to psychological therapies for all ages (six weeks for 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks).

    There is no waiting time target for access to mental health treatment or talking therapies specifically for children experiencing mental health problems.

    Experimental data to monitor the waiting time target for people experiencing a first episode of psychosis has been collected by NHS England since December 2015 and is available at:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/eip-waiting-times/

    Some experimental data from the Mental Health Services Data Set relevant to waiting times standards is also published by NHS Digital.

    The most recent figures are at:

    http://content.digital.nhs.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=23263&returnid=1741

    Information about Improving Access to Psychological Therapies is available at:

    http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21575

    “

  • Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of doctors left foundation training and entered training posts in core or specialty training in each year between 2008 and 2015.

    Ben Gummer

    The UK Foundation Programme Office collects data and produces reports annually on behalf of Health Education England and the devolved nations which show next career destinations of second year foundation doctors who have successfully completed their foundation training across the United Kingdom.

    Data prior to 2011 was not routinely collected by the UK Foundation Programme Office. Data from the 2015 destination survey is not yet available.

    The numbers provided in the attached table are from responses to a survey of outgoing F2 doctors and not all doctors provide a response. The appointments to specialty /general practice (ST/GP) are self-declared by the doctors in response to the survey and are not verified against recruitment data.

    Whilst the survey is a fairly accurate predictor of the destination of doctors who have completed foundation training the figures are not intended to be an accurate employment record.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have conducted into the bacterial infection spread by the Agrilus biguttatus beetle.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Over the past five years Forest Research, in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, has conducted a systematic survey to model the distribution of acute oak decline (AOD) in England and Wales. The results show that the condition currently affects several thousand oak trees, mostly across East Anglia, the Midlands and southern England.

    The complex nature of the condition means it is often associated with other pathogens, as well as insect defoliators and the research has not yet concluded whether AOD kills trees or not. A large proportion of the infected trees monitored have entered remission suggesting some level of host resistance. We do not have information at the landscape level on the number of oak with AOD symptoms that die every year.

    Since 2013, Defra has invested £1.1 million in research to understand the causes, distribution and scale of AOD in the UK. This includes work to investigate the bacterial species associated with the condition and to understand whether the Agrilus biguttatus beetle plays a role in the dispersal of these bacterial species. Early findings from this research are still inconclusive. There is currently no firm evidence of transmission by the beetle.

    Earlier this year, Defra in collaboration with the Research Councils, Scottish Government and the Forestry Commission launched a further £2 million call for research proposals on ‘oak health’ and Phytophthora. The successful bids from this call are due to be announced shortly.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on purchasing bearskins and other associated headgear containing real fur in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts; it buys ceremonial caps direct from suppliers who source pelts from animals culled as part of a programme to manage the wild population licensed by the Canadian government. Animal welfare standards relating to the bear cull are a matter for the Canadian government.

    The MOD also purchases coney skin (rabbit fur) for the Royal Engineers’ and Royal Signals’ busby and fox fur for the Royal Horse Artillery, Kings Troop Officers’ busby. The current contract requires a commitment to sustainable procurement.

    Depending on usage and maintenance, bearskin busbys can last for up to 50 years. The coney skin and fox fur busbys have indefinite lifespans if properly maintained.

    Calendar Year

    Cost of Bearskin Busby Headgear (£)

    Financial Year

    Cost of Coney Skin Busby Headgear (£)

    Cost of Fox Fur Busby Headgear(£)

    2005

    Not held

    2005-06

    1,532

    0

    2006

    Not held

    2006-07

    0

    1,472

    2007

    Not held

    2007-08

    0

    0

    2008

    31,319

    2008-09

    9,173

    406

    2009

    148,891

    2009-10

    0

    0

    2010

    131,886

    2010-11

    0

    0

    2011

    90,822

    2011-12

    0

    861

    2012

    126,087

    2012-13

    1,779

    861

    2013

    65,108

    2013-14

    0

    0

    2014

    136,671

    2014-15

    10,257

    1,899

    2015

    149,379

    2015-16

    2,558

    0

    All figures are rounded to the nearest pound.

    Calendar Year

    Number of Bearskin Busby Headgear

    Financial Year

    Number of Coney Skin Busby Headgear

    Number of Busby Headgear made of Fox Fur

    2005

    Not held

    2005-06

    4

    0

    2006

    Not held

    2006-07

    0

    2

    2007

    Not held

    2007-08

    0

    0

    2008

    35

    2008-09

    22

    1

    2009

    195

    2009-10

    0

    0

    2010

    158

    2010-11

    0

    0

    2011

    99

    2011-12

    0

    1

    2012

    126

    2012-13

    4

    1

    2013

    63

    2013-14

    0

    0

    2014

    127

    2014-15

    20

    2

    2015

    122

    2015-16

    5

    0

    Historically the MOD has undertaken a number of trials on synthetic alternatives to bear skin but none of these matched the properties of the natural material. No trialling has taken place since 2007. Information about costs of these trials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2012 the Ministry of Defence loaned a sample bearskin to the animal rights organisation, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to aid its research and development programme on a synthetic alternative.

    There has been no research and development carried out to find a synthetic alternative to coney skin or fox fur.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the implications for its policies of the statement made by the financial service messaging platform Symphony that they offer Guaranteed Data Deletion; and whether this statement complies with financial regulations on record keeping.

    Harriett Baldwin

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

    The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the Rt Hon Joan Ryan MP by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26406, how much is included in the Business Rate Retention Scheme funding stream to reflect the changes to the payment of Bus Service Operators Grant that were introduced in 2013.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Following the 2013 changes to the Bus Service Operator’s Grant (BSOG) system, the Department no longer pays BSOG in respect of bus services in London. Instead, the amount that had previously been paid out under the BSOG scheme (some £90m in 2011/2012) was taken into account in determining the amount of funding received by the Greater London Authority under the Business Rate Retention Scheme introduced in 2013. This money is not ring-fenced and it is a matter for the Mayor to determine how it is spent.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a visitor to the UK from another European Economic area state who is not in possession of an EHIC card can register as a temporary patient with a GP practice and receive treatment free of charge.

    Alistair Burt

    Possession of a European Health Insurance Card is not required to register with a practice. Anyone can seek to register as a National Health Service patient with a general practitioner (GP) practice by approaching one directly and submitting a written and signed application. A practice cannot legally refuse to register someone because they do not possess identification or documents.

    Individual GP practices can have a policy where they ask prospective patients to provide identification, however they must ensure that this is applied to all patients and not done in a discriminatory manner.

  • 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 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has plans to regulate the sale of black spot carbon monoxide detectors.

    Anna Soubry

    We have no plans to further regulate the sale of black spot carbon monoxide detectors.

    Carbon monoxide detectors fall under the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) 2005 which states any product placed on the market must be safe. Trading Standards will remove products that do not meet the requirements of the GPSR.

    These types of carbon monoxide detectors are obsolete and no longer generally available.