The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.
George Eustice
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, to PQ UIN 27946 on 29 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 March (HL6801), what plans they have to introduce locally managed and self-financing schemes to deal with air pollution and the provision of urban bus services.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not have specific schemes focused on self-financing urban bus services and air quality. However the Government is investing significant funding to help local authorities improve air quality and reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. This includes provision to bus fleets.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published an air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide in December 2015 setting out a comprehensive approach to meeting our ambition for the UK to have some of the cleanest air in the world, including by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones. Under the Plan, by 2020 the most polluting vehicles, including older polluting buses, will be discouraged from entering the centres of Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby. DEFRA has allocated funding to help these five cities implement Clean Air Zones. Additionally cities including Oxford, Norwich and Brighton have already taken steps to introduce zones to ensure the operation of cleaner buses in their areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department took when devising the new model of community pharmacy to take into account both (a) rural and (b) urban deprivation.
Alistair Burt
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review, the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.
We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and others, including patient and public representatives, on our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. We announced on 16 March 2016 that the consultation period was to be extended to allow more time to develop the proposed changes with the PSNC and others. It will now close on 24 May 2016.
The proposals were considered against the Public Sector Equality Duty and other duties. The consultation responses will inform the final impact assessment, which will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has seen the latest draft of the EU Commission’s proposals for the (a) EU Budget and (b) any re-assessment and adjustments relating to previous years budgets; and if he will publish those proposals and their effect on the public purse before 23 June 2016.
Mr David Gauke
We have not received any unpublished EU budget proposals or any re-assessments and adjustments relating to EU budgets of previous years. Any budget proposals must conform to the legally binding annual expenditure ceilings agreed in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for fee remission in employment tribunal claims between receipt of such claims and final processing in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of fee remission applications were successful in that period.
Sir Oliver Heald
This information is available on gov.uk within the published Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proposal to remove a panel member with direct experience of disability from appeals for Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Government is investing close to £1 billion to reform and digitise our courts and tribunals to deliver swifter and more certain justice.
Technology will be at the forefront of our reforms but specific support will be provided to ensure tribunals remain accessible to all and physical hearings will continue to be used to resolve many cases.
An impact assessment was published alongside the Transforming our Justice System consultation paper.
The panel composition reforms will ensure that the most appropriate panel is always selected to hear a case. As now, relevant expertise will always be available where needed, regardless of how a case is resolved. The Senior President of Tribunals will continue to determine when panel members are used.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the number of people registered as parliamentary electors in more than one constituency in the United Kingdom; and what proportion of those are so registered (1) because they are students, (2) because they occupy more than one home, (3) because they work away from their main residence, and (4) for other reasons.
Lord Bridges of Headley
It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of people registered as parliamentary electors in more than one constituency as this information is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what tests are used in UK microbiology laboratories that are deemed equivalent to the UK SMI B58.
Jane Ellison
UK microbiology laboratories that do not use Standards for Microbiological Investigations (SMIs) should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body. Public Health England is not an accrediting body in these circumstances therefore we do not hold information as to what tests are deemed to be equivalent to UK SMI B58.
UK SMIs are not mandatory and Public Health England does not have data as to how many laboratories, National Health Service or otherwise use UK SMI B58 or equivalent testing for detecting Group B Strep.
SMIs are intended as a general resource for practising professionals operating in the field of laboratory medicine and infection specialties in the United Kingdom.
SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of working tax credit (WTC) had an in-year change of circumstances to their income which required a change to their WTC entitlement in each year since 2009-10; how many such claimants’ entitlements (a) reduced and (b) increased; and what the net change in receipts to the Exchequer was as a result of these adjustments in that period.
Damian Hinds
The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor and evaluate levels of cycling and attitudes to cycling in (a) London, (b) the Cycle Cities and (c) the rest of the UK.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Transport is largely a devolved matter in the UK, and the delivery of scheme-level monitoring and evaluation is the responsibility of the transport authority implementing the intervention. In London, transport is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has no direct involvement and therefore does not undertake monitoring and evaluation of cycling levels or attitudes in London; this work is the responsibility of Transport for London.
Outside of London, there are a number of work-streams that the Department is involved in which directly or indirectly monitor uptake of and / or attitudes to cycling. These are listed below. Much of this monitoring and evaluation work applies to England only; where the work expands geographically, this is clarified below.