The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department exceeded its expenditure limit in 2015-16.
Alistair Burt
Confirmation of the spending outturn against all expenditure limits will be provided in the Department of Health’s Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16, due to be published in July 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions the Law Officers referred a criminal sentence to the Court for Appeal for review on the grounds that it was unduly harsh in the last 12 months.
Robert Buckland
Whilst the Attorney General’s Office can ask the Court of Appeal to review a sentence which is considered to be unduly lenient, the Law Officers have no power to intervene when a sentence is too harsh. Therefore there have been no referrals to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that a sentence was unduly harsh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will assess the balance of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme surplus-sharing arrangements.
Jesse Norman
The existing surplus-sharing arrangements have worked well to date. The presence of the Guarantee has given the Trustees, who are responsible for managing the Scheme and are independent of Government, the freedom to invest in a way that has generated surpluses and, as a consequence, bonuses to members.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve understanding of palliative and end-of-life care in nursing and care homes.
Ben Gummer
We are committed to ensuring everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This applies to all settings in which palliative and end of life care is delivered, including nursing and care homes.
To achieve this, we introduced a new approach to end of life care in 2014 based on five priorities for care of the dying person. It is for individuals and organisations delivering end of life care, including care homes, to ensure that the care they provide is based on the priorities. The Implementation Guidance for Service Providers and Commissioners and the Duties and Responsibilities of Health and Care Staff, which accompanied the priorities, set out clear expectations for organisations to ensure their staff receive the right training in palliative and end of life care.
In addition, Skills for Care, which works to support staff working in adult social care to develop their skills and knowledge has developed end of life care qualifications, guidance and resources to equip workers to recognise and manage end of life situations effectively.
In April 2015, Skills for Care launched the new Care Certificate, an identified set of standards that health and social care workers should adhere to in their daily lives. The Certificate includes end of life care and provides confidence that all health and care workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.
I intend to announce further policy on end of life care in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many complaints were heard by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline regarding employment issues; and how many of these complaints were from (a) interns and (b) apprentices in each of the last five years.
Nick Boles
Table 1 shows the total number of complaints made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) and then referred to the relevant enforcement agency. It also includes a breakdown of the number of complaints from interns and apprentices for 2013/14 and 2014/15; the only years for which this data is available. Data for 2014/15 is the latest year for which full year data are available
Table 1: Complaints made to the PWRH by caller type, 2009/10 to 2014/15
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
|
Total Complaints |
4,420 |
2,820 |
3,110 |
3,300 |
4,290 |
4,160 |
|
Of which |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apprentices |
– |
– |
– |
– |
170 |
140 |
|
Interns |
– |
– |
– |
– |
70 |
20 |
Source: Pay and Works Rights Helpline
Notes
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an inquiry into the value for money of the PFI deal which funded the building of Calderdale Royal Hospital.
Alistair Burt
We have no plans to undertake such an inquiry. This Government launched an initiative in 2011 to extract savings and optimise value for money in operational private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. This included a pilot exercise at a major NHS PFI scheme which resulted in guidance with appropriate methodology and lessons learned being issued to all relevant NHS trusts in 2012. The Department has specialist officials to assist trusts in implementing the guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what she expects the pass mark to be for each one to nine grade in the new GCSE grading system in (a) English, (b) science, (c) mathematics and (d) a modern foreign language in 2017.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce inflammatory arthritis clinics across the UK.
Jane Ellison
The configuration of services, including decisions to establish inflammatory arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers Rail North has in relation to the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises.
Andrew Jones
Whilst the franchise agreements are between the franchisees and the Secretary of State who also retains statutory powers under the Railways Act 1993 in relation to the franchises, the management of the Franchise Agreements is undertaken by a devolved team based in Leeds which reports to a Joint Rail North/DfT Strategic Board.
In addition, Rail North Ltd has been given certain specific powers, including the ability to vary the level of regulated fares for the Northern and TPE franchises, which would otherwise be determined by the Secretary of State as part of a national fares policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents in the Cumbria Constabulary area were responded to by a single officer in each year since 2012.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not collect this information. The manner in which police officers are deployed is an operational decision for chief officers, in line with local priorities and held to account by police and crime commissioners.