Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jack Lopresti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jack Lopresti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Lopresti on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that mortgage lenders are aware of the Armed Forces Help to Buy scheme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2013, the Forces Help to Buy scheme was launched on 1 April 2014. The Department has worked closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders throughout the development and roll-out of the scheme. There have also been consultations with a range of other bodies, such as the Building Societies Association, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as with individual mortgage lenders.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the rate of return of Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service satisfaction surveys by children between the ages of five and eight.

    Simon Hughes

    Cafcass does not carry out satisfaction surveys with the children it works with. They have other child-friendly ways of gaining feedback from children, which does include a feedback form. They have different versions of the form for children and young people. One encourages young people to write out their feedback to Cafcass in response to various questions, while the feedback form for younger children asks them to circle the feelings and emotions they have about Cafcass. These are therefore qualitative rather than quantitative. This feedback is collected and acted on at a local level rather than a national one. Complaints are monitored at a national level but addressed at the local level.

    Cafcass does not provide a return to the UK Statistics Authority; however they have published anonymised comments from feedback forms as part of their Annual Reports to draw out their direct work with children.

    Cafcass commissioned the Family Justice Young People’s Board to review the means by which Cafcass encourages feedback from the children and young people it works with. This review resulted in four recommendations which Cafcass has taken forward including ‘feedback trees’ and changes to the feedback forms.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the comparative sustainability of sourced materials and manufacture of smart phones from (a) Apple, (b) Fairphone, (c) Huawei, (d) Lenovo, (e) LG Electornics, (f) Nokia and (g) Samsung in its role in promoting sustainable procurement policies across Government.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra has not undertaken a comparative assessment of mobile phones from these manufacturers, and does not provide procurement standards across Government or guidance specific to mobile phones.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether hydraulic fracturing will be permitted to take place under property where the owner’s consent has not been given.

    Michael Fallon

    Shale gas and oil operations involve hydraulic fracturing in wells drilled over a mile below the surface. At that depth it is highly unlikely that there will be any negative impact closer to the surface.

    Like most other industrial activities, oil and gas operations require permission from landowners to access their land in order to reach mineral deposits.

    Operators prefer where possible to agree this through negotiation with the landowner, but there is an existing legal route by which they can apply for access where this cannot be negotiated. In this respect, it is already possible for an operator to gain access to land for the extraction of oil or gas without a landowner’s permission through the courts.

    The Government is considering whether these existing procedures used to obtain access are fit for purpose in relation to underground land. We have not yet made a decision on what actions we may take.

  • David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Blunkett on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the teachers it aims to train by 2015 will be trained in providing inclusive education to children with disabilities.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK Government has committed to help train 190,000 teachers by 2015, to help improve the quality of education for all children, including those with disabilities. By 2012/13, DFID had trained 99,000 teachers. A major challenge in poor countries is developing the data systems which can capture the needs of children with disabilities. We are therefore supporting UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) to regularly publish education indicators which disaggregate people with disabilities, and to develop new standards for school censuses and surveys related to marginalised populations.

  • Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the total UK solar capacity is; and what proportion of that capacity is installed on rooftops in the 250kW to 5MW bands.

    Gregory Barker

    Total UK solar PV capacity at the end of March 2014 was 2,941 MW. It is not currently possible to break down the data to indicate the proportion of that capacity that is installed on rooftops.

    Source: Table ET 6.4, available at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-trends-section-6-renewables.

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people on Work Choice are in receipt of (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance.

    Esther McVey

    The requested information is already published and can be found within table 5 on page 16 of the latest publication at the link below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277235/work-choice-statistics-feb-2014.pdf

    “

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department provides for Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are funded by contributions from the local authority, Primary Care Trust, police and other agencies, with the largest contribution coming from the local authority. It is important that agencies work together to agree budgets locally and prioritise spending in response to local needs and issues.

    The Department for Education provided the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs with funding of £240,000 between September 2012 and March 2014 to support the leadership of LSCBs in ensuring the effectiveness of local safeguarding arrangements. We will provide them with a further £130,000 in this financial year as they move towards self-sustainability.

  • Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Uppal – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Uppal on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the applicability of the end-of-life criteria to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s appraisal of abiraterone acetate for the treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy.

    Norman Lamb

    Since January 2013, the Department has received four questions from hon. Members, including his own, regarding the applicability of end-of-life criteria in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s appraisal of abiraterone (Zytiga) for the treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy.

    In addition, we have received one letter from an hon. Member regarding this particular appraisal more generally.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-05-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance is provided to breast network site-specific groups on (a) the frequency with which they should meet each year, (b) the number of members each group should have and (c) the roles that should be represented in the group’s membership.

    Jane Ellison

    The requirement for the provision of site-specific groups (SSGs), such as those for breast cancer, is written into national cancer peer review requirements. In consultation with strategic clinical networks (SCNs), NHS England has developed an SCN framework. The framework reiterates the role and importance of clinical networking groups as support for the commissioning process, but allows for local agreement to how those groups are supported.

    There are 12 SCNs and we would expect all to have a breast network SSG. This will be evidenced by the annual report published for the SCN and relevant area team. The National Peer Review Programme “Manual for Cancer Services; Breast Cancer Measures” states that network groups should meet regularly.

    The Review Programme further states that the network group should produce an annual work programme in discussion with the SCN and agreed with the director of the relevant Area Team. It should include details of any planned service developments and should specify the personnel responsible and the timescales for implantation. The SSGs also develop protocols for the treatment of patients within the SCN and agree audits and research projects that will be supported.

    The Review Programme also states that network groups should meet regularly. It gives guidance on the roles that should be represented on the group but not numbers.

    We do not hold information on how many breast network SSGs existed and how many times each group met prior to April 2013.