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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to ensure that pension schemes are obliged to (a) identify and (b) publish details of costs to a pension fund for scheme members.

    Richard Harrington

    The Government remains committed to increasing transparency and ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear.

    Governance bodies of defined contribution workplace pension schemes are obliged, under existing requirements, to assess costs and charges. We and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are actively considering how to achieve greater transparency and standardisation of transaction costs, and the FCA plans to publish a consultation later this year.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate how many jobs will be created in Wales as a result of the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

    Alun Cairns

    The UK Government does not hold the specific figures requested. The decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation will provide a huge boost to the regional economy including South Wales. Construction at the Hinkley site will provide 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships, and 64% of the project’s costs will be spent in the UK.

    Welsh companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities this project presents, for example, Express Reinforcements in South Wales was given preferred bidder status for a £100m contract to supply 200,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel for the project.

    I would encourage businesses in Wales to register with EDF in order to take advantage of upcoming supply chain opportunities.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are placed on her Department’s funding for the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition; and whether such funding is (a) regularly reviewed and (b) preceded by local consultation in those countries that receive such funding.

    Grant Shapps

    In 2012, the UK made a £600m pledge to the New Alliance, consisting of projects in 6 founding member countries, which aim at improving incomes from agricultural production, and the food security and nutrition of smallholder farmers and the extreme poor. The objective of the pledge was to be more transparent about aid to agriculture and food security, in alignment with principles of aid effectiveness and the overall goal of the New Alliance. The £600m also included funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP, managed by the World Bank) and other international agriculture research and policy initiatives.

    Like every programme funded by DFID, projects pledged under the New Alliance are subject to annual reviews that are posted on the DFID Development Tracker website. At national level, governments lead an annual review of the progress of commitments, in consultation with development and private sector actors, which findings are made public on the New Alliance website.

  • Patricia Gibson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Patricia Gibson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patricia Gibson on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the BBC Charter renewal consultation.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s BBC Charter Review Public Consultation closed in October. Over 190,000 people responded to the consultation – the second largest response to any Government consultation. We are in the process of reading and analysing all the responses, and will publish the results once this exercise is completed.

  • Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how much money would be needed to eradicate Lyme disease from the UK.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It is not practical to eradicate Lyme disease in the United Kingdom through treatment of human cases, therefore no cost estimate has been made. The disease is endemic in much of the small mammal and bird population in the UK, and is spread to humans by the bite of infected ticks which have fed on these animals. The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbour ticks.

    The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded. Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category.

    The Health Protection Research Unit of the University of Liverpool in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) has funding from the National Institute of Health Research for research into Lyme disease, covering diagnostics and biomarkers and public awareness. PHE is working on clinically linked studies for diagnostics with the Czech Republic, as no single centre in the UK has sufficient patients for a suitable study; funding for this work is not yet in place. PHE undertakes limited studies on ticks and Lyme disease in the UK. The Research Councils fund some additional work on ticks and the environment.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to provide funding to the Welsh Government until the end of the Parliament for payments under the Independent Living Fund.

    Greg Hands

    Following the closure of the Independent Living Fund, £30 million was transferred to Welsh Government budgets to reflect the ILF’s previously-forecast expenditure in Wales. The Welsh Government is responsible for the allocation of this funding, in line with its devolved responsibilities. This funding was subsequently included in the Welsh Government’s Spending Review 2015 allocation.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support NHS England’s decision to penalise providers for treating patients when numbers breach levels designated for Operational Delivery Networks, even if that treatment is in accordance with NICE guidance.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England is operationally independent, and it is for them to determine how best to deliver the objectives in the mandate to NHS England, as well as ensuring the best use of resources available to it.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) specifically requires Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to prioritise hepatitis C patients on the basis of clinical need, as part of a progressive rollout of treatments over the next five years.

    NHS England is funding providers to treat patients at the rate outlined in NICE’s guidance, apportioned to local ODNs based on local health needs. NHS England has invested in a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to incentivise ODNs to meet their agreed rate of roll-out. If their treatment rates deviate from this agreed rate of treatment, they are no longer eligible for these incentives.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking in preparation for the International Civil Aviation Organisation meeting in autumn 2016 to ensure an agreement for controlling international aviation emissions; and who he plans will represent the UK at that conference.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is working hard to reach agreement in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on a global market-based measure to tackle aviation emissions. The UK has a seat on the ICAO High-Level Group responsible for developing a proposal on the design of the global market-based measure. We also contribute to the working groups undertaking the technical and analytical work to support the future implementation of the measure.

    We want this year’s 39th ICAO Assembly to take a positive decision towards the implementation of a global market-based measure from 2020 that is environmentally effective, minimises competitive distortions and is as administratively simple as possible.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers who have participated in The Future Leaders Trust programmes in the last three years are now in senior leadership posts.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department currently funds two training programmes delivered by the Future Leaders Trust (FLT): the High Potential Senior Leaders programme and the Talented Leaders Programme.

    94% of teachers who have participated in the High Potential Senior Leaders programme in the last three years are now in headship or senior leadership posts. This figure includes participants in their first, second or final year of the programme.

    In August 2014, FLT was awarded the contract to deliver the Talented Leaders Programme. The first cohort in 2015 was made up of 16 participants. As of May 2016, 100% of these are still in post as head teachers.

    FLT also delivered a pilot programme of the Multi-Academy Trusts (MAT) CEO course for 23 participants. Recent analysis shows that all participants were still in leadership posts in MATs or similar educational organisations.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the economic benefits of maintaining freedom of movement between the UK and the EU.

    Mr David Davis

    Our economy is fundamentally strong, and the UK is open to business and investment. We will need to consider all factors carefully in implementing the decision of the British people.