The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost of the trade envoy programme has been since its launch in September 2012.
Anna Soubry
To fulfil their overseas and UK travel commitments, there is a dedicated budget for the Trade Envoys.
Total cost of the programme to date has been £424,529
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the UK is joining the EU Consortium to support the construction of small-scale infrastructure in Area C; and whether such construction has received planning permission from the Israeli government.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK is committed to Palestinian development in Area C. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes. The UK has allocated £900,000 for the development of basic social infrastructure in areas which have an outline plan in the approval process, through an EU consortium. The EU consults with the local communities themselves and the Israeli authorities where necessary.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Lopresti on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on supporting skills development to help deliver the Government’s transport infrastructure programmes.
Andrew Jones
The Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy published in January this year sets out our plans, among which our ambition to create thirty thousand apprenticeships in the roads and rail sectors by 2020. Earlier this month we launched the taskforce that will implement the strategy, chaired by Simon Kirby, CEO of HS2 Ltd. These steps have been carried out in consultation with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Her Majesty’s Treasury and other partners across Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Clinical Commissioning Groups’ midwifery workforce planning has taken into consideration the impact on the workload of midwives of the rise in non-communicable diseases.
Lord Prior of Brampton
At a national level, it is Health Education England’s (HEE) responsibility to ensure that there is sufficient future supply of staff, including midwives, to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system taking in to account issues such as demographic changes, for example, increases in older mothers.
The Workforce Plan is built upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of its Local Education Training Boards (LETBs), shape the 13 local plans.
The Workforce Plan is predominately an aggregate of the local LETB plans, but the final national plan is only agreed with the advice and input of its clinical advisory groups and Patients’ Advisory Forum, as well as the royal colleges and other stakeholders.
At a local level, it is ultimately the responsibility of National Health Service trusts, working with their clinical commissioning groups, to ensure they have sufficient staff on their wards with the right skills to treat patients in their care and this would include taking account of changes in patient condition profile, for example, any rise in non-communicable diseases, in their workforce planning.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-07-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 13 July (HL1006), whether they have any plans to monitor private access to (1) Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from clinics within England, and (2) generic versions of Truvada for PrEP online from overseas.
Lord Prior of Brampton
It would not be possible or practical to monitor how individuals choose to access medicines or services outside of the National Health Service or to assess the impact on that individual. Registered pharmacies that operate online and that may supply drugs for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are the responsibility of the General Pharmaceutical Council. We are aware that some local authority commissioned sexual health services are offering monitoring of the pharmacological efficacy of generic PrEP however this is a matter for local decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Victims’ Commissioner has the authority to investigate complaints about breaches of the Victims’ Code; and whether the Commissioner can make recommendations.
Dr Phillip Lee
The role of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses is defined in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. It is to promote the interests of victims and witnesses, encourage good practice in their treatment, and regularly review the operation of the Code of Practice for Victims.
The Commissioner can make proposals to the Secretary of State for amending the Code, may report to the Secretary of State in connection with her duties, may provide advice in relation to victims or witnesses as requested, and may make recommendations to authorities which fall within her remit.
The Commissioner has no power to investigate individual cases or make recommendations on specific complaints. In line with the process set out in the Code, a victim is entitled to make a complaint to the service provider. If they remain dissatisfied they can refer their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman via their member of Parliament.
We know there is more to do to further increase the rights of victims. We will announce our plans in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.
David Mundell
No items of stationery have been reported as lost or stolen in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many positions are being created within his Extended Ministerial Office in each pay grade.
Matthew Hancock
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave her on 26 November 2015 to UIN: 10865-10866 and on 30 November 2015 to UIN: 17505.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Autumn Statement and Summer Budget 2015, paragraph 2.172, what the (a) annual income and (b) running costs of the Government Property Unit is.
Matthew Hancock
The Government Property Unit was established in 2010 to work with central government departments to drive savings across the central civil mandated estate. Since May 2010, we have reduced our Estate by 2 million square metres, saving over £750 million in running costs and generating nearly £1.8 billion in capital receipts.
Funding was agreed at Spending Review for the work which the Government Property Unit is taking forward. This includes our Government Office Hubs Programme, which is driving a radical reshaping of the Civil Service office estate, the One Public Estate Programme which works with local authorities to deliver better services, achieve savings and deliver local growth including releasing land for new homes and jobs.
We are also taking a more commercial approach to property through the creation of a New Property Model which will help drive better strategic oversight and management of the estate, and provide greater incentives for departments to rationalise the space they occupy.
The Government Property Unit’s administrative running costs for the FY 2015/16 is forecast as £7.4m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government first received the Final Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen.
Mr Philip Hammond
Although this is a leaked document, we are aware of the report and are looking at the conclusions carefully. We recognise the importance of the work of the UN Panel of Experts and we are taking the allegations raised in the report seriously.