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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Steel of Aikwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Steel of Aikwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in luxury construction projects is consistent with the Department for International Development’s overall objectives in developing countries.

    Baroness Northover

    In 2013, CDC’s 1,300 investee companies directly employed over a million people, and created more than 68,000 net new jobs.

    Individual investments are fully decided by CDC and the Government has put in place strict rules which require commitments to deliver jobs, economic development and poverty alleviation in developing countries.

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

    Lord Laming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laming on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure there are sufficient beds in acute mental health services.

    Earl Howe

    The Government has made it clear that beds must always be available for those who need them. The 2014-15 Mandate to NHS England states that every community must develop plans to ensure no one in mental health crisis will be turned away. In February 2014 we published the mental health Crisis Care Concordat, which describes the roles and responsibilities for improving outcomes for people experiencing a crisis. This makes it clear that local commissioners should commission a range of mental health services that allows beds to be readily available for people in urgent need. Local areas are expected to commit to and agree to deliver their own ‘Mental Health Crisis Declaration’.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to follow the Northern Ireland initiative of test and vaccinate or remove” in relation to badgers carrying bovine tuberculosis as opposed to any replication of the cull.”

    Lord De Mauley

    The Northern Ireland Executive has begun a five-year ‘test and vaccinate or remove’ tuberculosis research project on badgers in a 100km2 area of County Down. We currently have no plans to adopt this approach in England although we will of course be interested in the outcome of the research in Northern Ireland.

  • Baroness Gale – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gale – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gale on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that recommendations by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group on theprescription of Duodopa for people with Parkinson’s have been developed with public and patient engagement.

    Earl Howe

    The operation of the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) is a matter for NHS England. NHS England has advised that the CPAG is chaired by a lay member and has four public members as part of its core membership.

    The draft policy on Duodopa was developed by the Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group, which has four patient/carer members. Registered patient and public stakeholders had an opportunity to share their views and comment on this draft policy before it was considered by CPAG.

    CPAG has made recommendations to NHS England. NHS England’s decision on whether Duodopa should be routinely commissioned will be subject to 12 weeks public consultation.

  • Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding from the public purse was provided to support high streets (a) in total and (b) by local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

    Brandon Lewis

    Since 2010 we have spent or committed £18.53 million funding from the public purse to support high streets. This support has included: direct funding, support and advice for 23 Portas Pilots and 333 Town Team Partners; the High Streets Innovation Fund, supporting 100 towns with the highest empty property rates and those affected by the riots; the High Street Renewal Awards; the Business Improvement Districts Loan Fund and support for the Love Your Local Market campaign.

    In addition, the Chancellor announced a £1 billion Business Rates support package in the Autumn Statement, which includes a 2 per cent cap in Retail Price Index increase in business rates for 2014-15, a discount of £1,000 for smaller retail premises, which will benefit around 300,000 shops, pubs and restaurants, and a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops, bringing them back into use.

    The doubling of small business rate relief has been extended for another year. This measure was worth £900 million to small businesses in 2012-13, trebled from 2010.

    It is not possible to provide a breakdown of funding by local authority area for each of the last ten years due to disproportionate cost.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the daily average (a) number and (b) proportion is of prisoners serving custodial sentences who are out of prison on temporary licence from category (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C and (iv) D prisons.

    Jeremy Wright

    Temporary release can be a valuable tool in the resettlement of prisoners in the community but it must never take place at the expense of public safety. We conducted a fundamental review of the policy and practice of rerelease on temporary licence (ROTL) after serious failures last year. We are introducing a system that enhances the assessment of serious offenders and restricts access to ROTL to cases where there is a clear, legitimate reason for the release. We have already introduced some of these changes and have additionally introduced a restriction on prisoners transferring to open conditions and having ROTL if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or reoffended whilst released on temporary licence.

    It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time specified, I will write to you with an answer as soon as possible.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the average profit made by energy companies on the energy bills of households in each constituency in the UK.

    Michael Fallon

    Data on the average profit made by energy companies at the level of households in each constituency is not available.

    The average pre-tax profit made per household consumer in 2012 was £53 or 4.3%. (Source: “Making the Profits of the six largest energy suppliers clear” factsheet, Ofgem). Ofgem also estimates pre-tax margins over the next 12 months using current data in their Supply Market Indicator. Their latest estimate of pre-tax margins for May 2014-April 2015 was £96 or 7% (Source: Understanding energy bills, Ofgem).

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received on the effectiveness of the role of the Independent Person under the Localism Act 2011.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Thursday 12 June 2014]

    As stated in the impact assessment on the abolition of the Standards Board regime (published in January 2011), a post implementation review will be carried out three to five years after implementation of the policy which was in July 2012.

    My Department routinely receives representations about standards arrangements in local government, and indeed, on a whole range of local government issues. We will have regard to representations and comments when we undertake our post implementation review.

    However, Ministers are clear that the new provisions are a significant improvement on the old, discredited regime. The Localism Act has clarified predetermination rules allowing elected councillors to campaign and speak up on local issues. We have reversed the petty culture of malicious and unfounded complaints that wasted time and energy and undermined the good reputation of local government. We have increased transparency on councillors’ interests, and put in place criminal sanctions for the very rare instances of corruption. This is complemented by the role of political parties in ensuring good conduct, the law of libel, and the ultimate sanction: the ballot box.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he consulted his Northern Ireland counterpart on his Department’s publication Guidance to the Civil Aviation Authority on Environmental Objectives Relating to the Exercise of its Air Navigation Functions.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    There was no specific consultation with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on this publication.

  • 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 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional costs and savings he expects from the introduction of the Single Fraud Investigation Service in each of the years from 2012 to 2018.

    Esther McVey

    The SFIS Business Case covers the period 2011/12 to 2021/22, and the current figures indicate that the cost of implementing SFIS is £73 million with a saving expected around £507million. As the project progresses the business case will be reviewed and where necessary updated.