Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2014-05-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment Public Health England has made of whether the current number of consultants in dental public health is sufficient; and when they expect to make a decision on whether the current 12-month fixed-term contracts will be extended.

    Earl Howe

    Public Health England (PHE) has commenced a review of the number of dental public health consultants required to meet its statutory and non–statutory functions and this will report in the autumn 2014. A decision will be made on the fixed term contracts as part of the review.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations to the BBC Trust in support of publishing the salaries of all BBC staff earning more than £100,000 per annum.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    There are no current plans to make representations to the BBC Trust on ensuring the publication of the salaries of BBC staff. The BBC annually publishes the salaries and total remuneration for those earning £150,000 and over, and discloses the pay of all of its senior managers. Information about BBC staff, including salaries and expenses, can be found on the BBC’s websitehere.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/seniormanagement/

    “

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any (a) internal and (b) external reports were commissioned by Serco in relation to any steps taken by HM Prison Thameside to eliminate race discrimination in the workplace.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Government is committed to ensuring equality throughout the criminal justice system. Internal complaints procedures and the employment tribunal system enable any allegations of racial discrimination in the workplace to be thoroughly investigated.

    The Ministry of Justice conducted a routine assurance audit of HMP Thameside in 2013.

    Any internal document prepared by the contractor in relation to potential litigation is legally privileged and therefore exempt from disclosure.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the pay of community staff nurses rises in line with inflation.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    In 2012 the Chancellor announced that public sector pay awards would be capped at an average of 1% in 2013-14 and at an average of up to 1% in 2014-15.

    The National Health Service’s greatest asset is its staff who deserve to be properly rewarded for the hard work they do in looking after patients. In the NHS, incremental pay costs almost £1 billion. In our evidence to the Pay Review Bodies we were clear that the NHS is facing the most significant financial challenge in its history and that trusts could not afford to pay all staff 1% which would cost £450 million (about £350 million for non-medical staff) and increments which for most staff is over 3.5% on average. The NHS cannot afford to employ more staff, pay them more and pay for increments.

    This year, all NHS staff should receive an additional payment of 1% either through their incremental pay or via a pay award if they are no longer eligible to receive incremental pay.

    In the wake of the Francis Inquiry, our first priority must be to protect and properly staff the front line so staff are confident that they will have the right number of colleagues working alongside them in hospitals or in patient’s homes. We have to make difficult decisions in order to protect frontline patient care. Giving all NHS staff a 1% pay award is equivalent to employing around 14,000 new nurses and could result in unsafe care.

    We know that NHS staff are disappointed that they did not receive the pay award they were expecting. Our door remains open to discussions with trade unions on how consolidated pay awards for all NHS staff can be made affordable in each of the next two years.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the performance of the School Food Plan in increasing healthy breakfast provision in more deprived areas; and how much had been spent on this programme by April 2014.

    Mr David Laws

    As part of the school food plan, Magic Breakfast started work in March 2014 to set up breakfast clubs in schools where over 35% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and where there is currently no breakfast provision.

    We are currently tendering for a contract to evaluate the effectiveness of the breakfast clubs. The successful bidder will be announced shortly.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from heat-related causes in the summer of (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who owns data on police information notices issued by police services in England and Wales.

    Damian Green

    Data on police information notices issued by Police services in England and
    Wales is not collected centrally and is owned by the individual police force
    that issued the notice.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Vietnamese counterpart on preventing child trafficking from that country to the UK.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK has a highly cooperative relationship with the Vietnamese authorities to tackle human trafficking, including of minors, from Vietnam to the UK.

    Our Embassy staff in Hanoi engage regularly with the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, to facilitate visits to the UK to showcase the mechanisms we have in place. Later this month high level officials from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will be visiting the UK Human Trafficking Centre of the National Crime Agency, the Home Office’s Modern Slavery Unit and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (NSPCC’s) Child Trafficking Advice Centre and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to improve their understanding of the UK’s approach when working with victims of trafficking.

    Equally the Embassy has worked together with local authorities to open Compassion House in June 2013, a UK funded shelter in Lao Cai on the Chinese border for girls who have been trafficked.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide details of the projects supported by the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund since its inception; and how much funding has been given to each of those projects.

    Anna Soubry

    The £35 million LIBOR fund has now closed with the majority of the money being allocated in support of a total of 97 projects. A copy of the document detailing those projects and the funding they have received is attached. A small sum is being held back for contingencey purposes.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter of 30 April 2014 from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to the chairmen of fire and rescue authorities and the Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Fire Service Management Committee, if he will put forward the revised proposals for consideration by firefighters and the Fire Brigades Union.

    Brandon Lewis

    It is common knowledge that we agreed to ask the Government Actuary’s Department to cost proposals put forward by the Fire Brigades Union. These were Fire Brigades Union proposals which the Government had not taken a view on.

    My letter to the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union of 23 April said “we are now considering this proposal across Government. While we are not yet in a position to respond positively to your suggested changes, I will inform you of the outcome of those deliberations as soon as possible”. I had also been clear with the Fire Brigades Union leadership that it was only possible to consider such proposals during a period when strike action was in abeyance. Rather than continue and finalise that constructive process the Fire Brigades Union leadership chose to call a halt to discussions prematurely by announcing strike action.