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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to implement the recommendations for Government of the report, entitled Old Problems, New Solutions: Improving acute psychiatric care for adults in England, published on 9 January 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    We are currently considering the report’s recommendations and work is already underway to address the issues it raises.

    The draft Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) improvement and assessment framework will require CCGs to monitor and reduce out of area treatments, with reductions from 2016/17.

    Additionally, NHS England is planning a significant programme on acute care in 2016/17 for both in-patient and home treatment.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department collects on applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not hold information on the applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the nature and extent of the relationship, including financial arrangements, between HMRC and Bounty, between NHS England and Bounty, and between NHS Foundation Trusts and NHS Trusts and Bounty.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    National Health Service trusts may negotiate locally with commercial organisations to distribute advice, information and ‘try before you buy’ samples that they think would be useful for pregnant women.

    Neither the Department nor NHS England centrally have any contracts with Bounty or influence over the contents of the packs nor does the Department benefit financially from such arrangements. We do not have any information about what contracts might exist between Bounty and individual NHS trusts.

    Although we are aware of Bounty distributing their packs on maternity wards, we have no evidence of whether or not this is welcomed by parents.

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use the services of Bounty to help distribute Child Benefit claim packs to new mothers in NHS hospitals. The contract for this service is held by HMRC’s Print Vendor Provider, Williams Lea. Using the Bounty pack as one channel for distributing Child Benefit forms has proved efficient and cost effective. The Child Benefit form can also be obtained through other channels, notably the HMRC website.

    In 2012-13, HMRC paid £85,990.27 (excluding VAT) for Bounty to distribute a total of 857,939 English and Welsh language claim forms.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Ethiopia on the (a) imprisonment of the journalist Eskinder Nega and (b) protection of freedom of speech in that country.

    James Duddridge

    We continue to have concerns about those who are detained under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, including members of the opposition groups, journalists, peaceful protesters, and others seeking to express their rights to freedom of assembly or expression. British Embassy officials in Addis Ababa have not directly raised the case of Eskinder Nega, but through our engagement with Ethiopia and in the FCO’s previous Human Rights Reports, we have highlighted the need for greater freedom of the press in Ethiopia. With our international partners, we will continue to monitor high-profile trials brought under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. We have also raised these concerns with the Ethiopian government through our Human Rights Dialogue, whilst welcoming the release of Zone 9 bloggers and Reeyot Alemu last summer.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the application for state aid clearance for the remote Scottish islands will be submitted to the European Commission.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government will publish plans for the next Contract for Difference Allocation Round for less established technologies – planned for the end of 2016 – as soon as possible.

    Following this we will work to deliver the round, including submission of any necessary notification to the European Commission.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total value of tax relief not paid to low-paid workers in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16, and (3) 2016–17 to date, as a result of those workers contributing to a net pay scheme from which they were unable to receive the tax relief to which they would be entitled in a relief-at-source scheme.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government does not collect data on the number of workers earning less than the personal allowance who are also members of pension schemes that operate a net pay system. The Government does not hold employee level data on employees enrolled in net pay pension schemes, as such schemes are not obliged to report pension contributions to HM Revenue and Customs. The Government does not therefore hold information on the value of tax reliefs paid out to employees in net pay schemes.

    However, the Pensions Regulator provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the OECD global trade outlook and its recommendation that governments should step up investment to support growth.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The latest OECD Economic Outlook forecasts the UK to be the joint fastest growing major advanced economy in 2015. The OECD have revised down the forecast for both world trade growth and global GDP growth in 2015 and 2016. This demonstrates the need to continue to fix the economy to ensure the UK can deal with risks from abroad.

    The government remains committed to encouraging long-term investment and promoting a dynamic economy, and recently set out comprehensive reforms to support productivity growth in “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation”.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on patient outcomes of the planned transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities to clinical commissioning groups from April 2016.

    George Freeman

    We do not expect obesity outcomes to be affected, as the change will primarily be in regard to commissioning responsibilities. However, we believe the transfer should support better integration between Tier 3 and Tier 4 services (which include obesity services) which in turn should improve patient pathways.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials in each government department have responsibility for progress towards the sustainable development goals.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK is committed to achieving the Global Goals; this is why we continue to maintain ourcommitmentto spending 0.7% of GNI onoverseas development aid, and why we focus this aid on helping the poorest and most vulnerable people globally. Policy officials across departments – and in particular in DFID – have responsibility for this.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement in the letter by the President of European Council on his proposal for a new settlement for the UK within the EU that the UK is not committed to further political integration, what mechanisms are included in that proposed agreement to prevent the UK being so committed without its consent.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, concerning a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union, section C, paragraph 1, recognises that the United Kingdom is “not committed to further political integration into the European Union”. This will be incorporated into the Treaties at the time of their next revision “so as to make it clear that the references to ever closer union do not apply to the United Kingdom”.

    In addition, the Decision states that “the references in the Treaties and their preambles to the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe do not offer a legal basis for extending the scope of any provision of the Treaties or of EU secondary legislation. They should not be used either to support an extensive interpretation of the competences of the Union or of the powers of its institutions as set out in the Treaties. . . The Treaties allow an evolution towards a deeper degree of integration among the Member States that share such a vision of their common future, without this applying to other Member States.”

    More widely, the European Union Act 2011 ensures that if a change to the EU Treaties is proposed that would transfer a power from the UK to the EU, the consent of the British people in a referendum would be required before such a transfer could be agreed.