The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the radioactive forcing from the increase in carbon dioxide concentration will be over the lifetime of Navitus Bay (a) if the project goes ahead and (b) if the project does not go ahead.
Gregory Barker
The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 394W, on forests, for what reasons the Government did not announce in the Queen’s Speech legislative proposals to protect the public forest estate.
Dan Rogerson
There were many proposals competing for the limited space within the Fourth Session programme and the proposed forestry measures could not be accommodated.
The Government stands by its commitment to establish a new public body to hold the Public Forest Estate in trust for the nation, as set out in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013, as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the new Indian government in favour of increased action to tackle caste discrimination, sexual violence and other forms of discrimination and inequality.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are committed to working with the Government of India and international partners to address the problem of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation in India. Through the Department for International Development (DFID) programme, the UK supports measures in India’s 120 poorest districts to promote the empowerment and access to benefits and services of excluded groups. DFID India also provides support to national and state governments in India which includes helping girls to complete basic education and further tackling violence against women and girls.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), invited the Government of India to attend the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit and has already discussed the initiative with the new Indian Foreign Minister. The Indian High Commissioner to the UK attended the Summit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much a GP practice is paid for each patient visit to a GP.
Dr Daniel Poulter
General practitioner (GP) practices are not paid for each patient visit to a GP. GP practices hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for their registered list and receive capitated payments for doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many financial bonuses of what amount have been paid to employees of Public Health England since April 2013; and on what criteria such bonuses were awarded.
Jane Ellison
Financial bonuses have been paid to 20 employees of Public Health England since its establishment on 1 April 2013, all of which relate to their performance in predecessor organisations in the 2012-13 reporting year. The criteria used for the performance assessment and subsequent payments for which they were eligible were those of their former employer.
Of these, 18 were to former employees of the Department of Health, all of which were non-consolidated. The number of payments and amounts were as follows:
|
Number of payments |
Amount (£) |
|
1 |
210 |
|
1 |
250 |
|
1 |
380 |
|
1 |
480 |
|
1 |
630 |
|
1 |
750 |
|
1 |
825 |
|
4 |
900 |
|
1 |
1,000 |
|
4 |
1,200 |
|
1 |
10,000 |
|
1 |
12,500 |
The remaining two were to former employees of the Health Protection Agency, which were also non-consolidated, and amounted to £10,000 each.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of fast-track passport applications made in the last six months have been processed within seven days.
James Brokenshire
The table below gives the proportion of fast-track passport applications that
were processed within seven days.
December 2013: 99.97%
January 2014 99.99%
February 2014 99.97%
March 2014 99.95%
April 2014 99.99%
May 2014 99.96%
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were employed by HM Passport Office on 1 January (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.
James Brokenshire
The formal record for workforce data is made on the last day of each calendar
month.
The data as of 31 December in each year were as follows.
31 December 2010: 3,700 full-time equivalents
31 December 2011: 3,286 full-time equivalents
31 December 2012: 3,164 full-time equivalents
31 December 2013: 3,333 full-time equivalents
These figures are for permanent civil servants employed by HMPO, including part
year appointments and permanent members of staff employed on contracts for nine
months of the year. This excludes staff on secondment or loan, and agency and
temporary staff – with these staff included, the March 2014 figure is 3,444.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Jeremy Wright
The Department is not able to provide this information without incurring disproportionate cost because this would require extensive searches of all current and former Ministers’ diaries over this period and further research to confirm the purpose of each visit.
I can confirm that Ministers from this Department go on regular visits which are relevant to their portfolios, including to courts and tribunals, prisons, probation services and a wide range of organisations connected to the Department’s work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Network Rail to inform officially the hon. Member for Walsall North when the work on the bridge at Broad Lane, Bloxwich, Walsall arising from electrification of the railway line will be finally completed.
Stephen Hammond
Network Rail is currently a private sector company limited by guarantee and the duration of the Broad Lane bridge replacement works is an operational matter for the company.
Network Rail advises that the replacement works are due to be completed and the bridge is due to be re-opened to road traffic on Friday 20 June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department taks to investigate allegations from a whistleblower of impropriety in a Work Choice contract.
Esther McVey
The Department treats any allegation of fraud by contractors very seriously, regardless of where these emanate from. Any fraud is completely unacceptable. Where we identify, or are notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by the Department’s professionally trained and experienced investigators to a standard required to support reference to the Police whenever evidence of criminal offences is discovered.
All contracted employment providers are required to have whistleblowing procedures that support their employees in reporting suspected wrongdoing at work and ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’. If they consider that they cannot raise suspicions of abuse of government funds with their employer, they should contact the Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO). This route is used to escalate whistleblower concerns and DWP Internal Investigations work with the NAO to investigate these matters and take appropriate action where issues are identified. This is an important channel in ensuring that employees can raise concerns and that they can be protected legally when doing so.