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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Annette Brooke on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance on the safe use of bicycle trailers to provide a minimum level of safety for children being towed by bicycles on the roads.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department has no current plans to issue guidance on the safe use of trailers on bicycles. However children should be transported safely and securely and trailers should be in a roadworthy condition before being used on the highway.

  • Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much in public subsidy he expects to allocate to the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay.

    Gregory Barker

    The Government set out the Allocation Framework for Contracts for Difference (CfDs) on 13 May 2014, which has the potential to improve value for money, encourage new entry and drive innovation.

    Indicative CfD budgets will be published in July. CfD allocation rounds will then determine which projects are successful and receive CfD contracts and at what level of support. It is not possible to say in advance which projects will receive support and at what level.

    Offshore wind projects, classified as ‘less established’ technologies, are able to receive support in this Delivery Plan period (2014/15-2018/19) at the administrative strike prices published on 4 December 2013, unless there is insufficient budget in a CfD allocation round to satisfy all bids then an auction (competitive allocation) will apply. Those technologies would then have to compete against each other on price whereby each project is paid the clearing price for its delivery year within the auction, capped at its administrative strike price.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the effective implementation of regulations (a) relating to storage of slurry and (b) in general for safety in farm yards.

    George Eustice

    Implementing safety regulations in farm yards is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE recognises agriculture as a priority industry and has a programme for measurable and sustainable changes to the industry’s health and safety performance.

    The regulation of slurry storage is a devolved matter. In England it is controlled by the Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations 2010 (the SSAFO regulations), with the Environment Agency as the main regulator. From this year the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is including slurry storage in its cross compliance inspections. Both the RPA and Environment Agency work closely with the HSE on farm safety.

    Slurry storage and management in England has been reviewed recently by a Joint Industry and Government Working Group and this included a review of the SSAFO regulations. The Group’s report was published on 21 November 2013 and is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/slurry-management-and-storage-joint-government-and-industry-report.The report recognised the risks involved in managing slurry and included a recommendation about developing regular assessment of the condition of slurry stores to provide assurance that stores both prevent environmental pollution and meet health and safety requirements.The Government and industry continue to work in partnership to implement the recommendations.

    “

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings he has had with world leaders to discuss the situation in Yemen since 1 January 2013.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), as well as other FCO Ministers, have regular discussions on Yemen with their counterparts, particularly with those from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Friends of Yemen Ministerial Group, which the UK hosted in London most recently on 29 April.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the out-of-hospital survival rates are for patients who suffer a heart attack in each year since 1984 for which information is available.

    Jane Ellison

    Information onsurvival rates for patients who suffer an out of hospital heart attack or an out of hospital cardiac arrest are not collected centrally.

    The British Heart Foundation suggests that between 2-12% of people treated by the emergency services after suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest survive to be discharged from hospital.

    The Department has made no assessment of the effect of stress on heart failure, nor has it made any estimate of heart attacks among workers who work 40 or 60 hours per week.

    However, researchers analysing data from the Whitehall II study observed that people who believed stress was significantly affecting their health had double the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease, compared to people who did not believe stress was having an impact.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 896W, on hospitals, what progress his Department has made at Medway NHS Trust since it was placed in special measures in 2013.

    Jane Ellison

    Medway was recently re-inspected by the Chief Inspector, who will be publishing the results of the re-inspection shortly alongside his recommendation as to whether the foundation trust has made sufficient improvement to exit the regime.

    The Trust is making good progress in the majority of areas reviewed in 2013 by the Keogh team. However, since the Keogh review the Trust has received warning notices from the Care Quality Commission in relation to its Maternity services (October 2013) and Emergency services (March 2014) indicating continuing quality concerns in other areas.

    Since the Keogh review the Trust has created 29 additional medical posts and 115 additional nurse and nurse support staff posts. It has struggled to recruit sufficient numbers to these posts with the result that it remains highly reliant on locum and agency staff.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence and effect of the sale of so-called legal highs (a) online and (b) in shops.

    Norman Baker

    The Government monitors the prevalence of use of particular new psychoactive substances through the Crime Survey for England and Wales. The latest results of the crime
    survey can be found here:
    http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-decembe
    r-2013/stb-crime-stats-dec-2013.html

    New questions have been included in the 2014/15 Crime Survey, to capture the use of a wider range of new psychoactive substances than was previously the case.

    The Home Office is currently undertaking a six month review led by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s legislative, educational and health response to new psychoactive substances can be enhanced. It is anticipated that the panel will report their recommendations to Home Office Ministers before summer recess.

  • Meg Hillier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Meg Hillier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of (a) new passport applications and (b) passport renewal applications were received by HM Passport Office in each week since 6 January 2014; and what proportion of those applications (i) were completed in three weeks, (ii) were completed in four weeks and (iii) remain outstanding for each of these weeks.

    James Brokenshire

    Table 1 sets out the volume of new and renewal passports on a weekly basis since 5 January 2014.

    Table 2 provides the proportion of straightforward cases dealt with within three weeks , four weeks and over four weeks. The information is not available by breakdown of application type.

  • Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she plans to increase the UK’s humanitarian contribution to Iraq.

    Justine Greening

    As I announced on Saturday, the UK is providing an initial £3 million of emergency humanitarian assistance to help civilians fleeing the ISIL advance in Northern Iraq. Following an assessment of needs on the ground by DFID humanitarian experts who deployed to Erbil last Thursday, this includes:

    (i) – Activation of the UK’s Rapid Response Facility (RRF), which provides emergency support via pre-approved organisations in the event of a humanitarian crisis overseas. This initial package of UK support comprises clean water and sanitation, essential medicine, women-friendly hygiene kits and basic household items, which will be provided from £2 million of RRF funding to NGOs in the region.

    (ii) – Protection for vulnerable girls and women through the deployment of dedicated UN safety and welfare teams in key internally displaced person and refugee camp sites and areas, secured through £1 million of funding to the UNHCR.

    The UK will continue to monitor the situation closely and we are considering urgently what other assistance we could provide.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the terms and conditions of the agreement reached between the Welsh and UK Governments in 2012 on the funding of the electrification of (a) the Great Western mainline from Cardiff to Swansea and (b) the Valleys lines.

    Stephen Hammond

    The agreement is set out in the letters exchanged between the Secretary of State and the Welsh Minister for Local Government and Communities on 13th and 24th July 2012. These letters have already been made public.