Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the relative merits of changing the (a) subsidy structure and (b) tariff rate with reference to the administration of the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive for biomass combined heat and power generators.

    Jesse Norman

    The Government has made changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme Regulations 2011, and these amendments came into force on 1 August 2016.

    The changes were made to ensure appropriate value for money for the taxpayer. The decision to make the changes was informed by market intelligence, scheme data and consultation responses.

  • Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS GPs were working in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

    Ben Gummer

    The number of general practitioners employed in the National Health Service for South Tyneside and the North East region since 2005 is in the attached table. The figures are taken from the NHS annual workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

    Figures are only available for recognised NHS geography and therefore no information has been provided for Jarrow constituency.

    The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter so total figures are for England only.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the economic development of the north of England under Candu Energy’s plans for the reuse of the United Kingdom’s plutonium stockpile and closure of nuclear sites.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the process of submitting advice to DECC, which together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the disposition of plutonium. There are a number of options for dispositioning of plutonium that will be considered, including the potential option presented by Candu. A decision will be made by ministers in due course. The Government is confident that its preferred option for plutonium disposition will be implemented safely and securely, and in a way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the science budget in the period from 2010 to 2014 was spent on neurological research.

    Joseph Johnson

    The information is not available in the form requested, however the UK Health Research Analysis 2014 (published by UK Clinical Research Collaboration, 2015) shows that in 2014 combined UK government expenditure on neurological research, including spend from the Research Councils and Devolved Administrations, was £131 million. This accounted for around 11 per cent of the total £1.2 billion government spend reported across all areas of health research in the period. The report is available at www.hrcsonline.net/pages/uk-health-research-analysis-2014.

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  • Patricia Gibson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Patricia Gibson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patricia Gibson on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much accrued to the public purse from sales of arms to Saudi Arabia in 2015.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Official UK defence export statistics are compiled each year by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the figures for 2015 are not yet available.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of cervical cancer in 25 to 29 year olds.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England closely monitors the coverage rates for cervical screening in all age groups and is committed to improving coverage and reducing variation between all groups including black and minority ethnic women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Local NHS England commissioners analyse coverage rates within their area and work with general practices to improve coverage by sharing best practice. For example, commissioners in London have developed a screening coverage strategy and delivery plan, including:

    ― Increased public awareness and engagement with screening programmes across all communities;

    ― increased engagement with primary care and improved reliability of data; and

    ― working with screening providers to optimise coverage.

    In addition to this:

    ― A primary care cancer screening best practice guide has been developed jointly with the transforming cancer services team, clinical commissioning groups and local authority public health representatives;

    ― linking with Cancer Research UK facilitators and Macmillan Cancer Support general practitioners to support best practice for screening in general practice; and

    ― imperial College is conducting a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of texting non-responders on improving coverage.

    NHS England is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support on the ACE (Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate) Programme aiming to generate knowledge about effective approaches to achieve earlier diagnosis. A number of ACE test sites are evaluating approaches to increase screening rates in a range of groups, including black and ethnic minority women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    To explore the potential to increase rates of cervical screening in young women, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women aged 25 who are receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The study began in November 2011 and reports can be expected later in 2016.

    In addition, the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team has undertaken a trial to investigate the use of behavioural insights to optimise the content of the invitation letter for cervical screening. Results are due in summer 2016.

    A routine human papillomavirus vaccination programme has been available in England since 2008, and offers immunisation to girls aged 12-14 years. It is expected that the vaccine will reduce the already low rates of cervical cancer in these young women and allow them to be protected for years to come.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Dunlop on 23 February (HL5589 and HL5590) concerning the Belfast Agreement 1998, why they have not answered the question, and whether the Agreement applies to all residents of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    My previous replies to the Noble Lord on questions about the application of the Belfast Agreement to specific groups explain that the Agreement, with its three-stranded approach, paved the way for power sharing in Northern Ireland and provides the basis for devolved government there. The three-stranded approach is:

    • Strand 1 concerns the status and system of government of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. This provides for the creation of a democratically elected Northern Ireland Assembly.
    • Strand 2 concerns the relationship between Northern Ireland and Ireland. This provides for the creation of a North /South Ministerial Council.
    • Strand 3 concerns the relationship between the Ireland and the United Kingdom. This provides for the creation of a British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans there are for the future of the RMS St Helena when it ceases to provide a shipping service between St Helena and Cape Town; and what alternative arrangements are being made to supply St Helena with goods not suitable for air transport.

    Baroness Verma

    St Helena Line has appointed a ship broker to handle the sale of the RMS St Helena when she is withdrawn from service in July 2016.

    The St Helena Government has signed a contract with AW Ship Management Ltd to commence an unsubsidised freight service between Cape Town and St Helena in June 2016.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment of need for (a) additional school places, (b) a new academy or (c) a new free school she plans to carry out in connection with applications to dispose for development of the former Two Trees High School site in Denton.

    Edward Timpson

    The Education Act 2011 requires that the Secretary of State must give consent prior to the disposal of land which has been used for any school or academy in the last eight years. A key consideration for the government is whether the land proposed for disposal could be suitable for use by a new academy or free school.

    School playing fields are also protected by Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields are first considered by the school playing fields advisory panel, who make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, before she then makes her final decision.

    At this time I am not aware of an application by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to seek approval to dispose of the former Two Trees Sports College, including the playing fields.

    Should an application be submitted, the Secretary of State would take into account any groups or organisations with permission to use the playing fields and what suitable alternative provision they may have been offered. Local schools, which are deficient in playing field land, should also be offered the opportunity to use the playing field before any application is presented. She will also take into account local school place needs and any academy requirement.

  • Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in his talks with the German government on compensation for British citizens affected by Thalidomide.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The UK Government has not been involved in talks with the German Government on compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide. We have been assisting the Thalidomide Trust in making their own representations directly to the German Government.

    At the request of representatives of the Thalidomide Trust the then Minister for Europe (Rt Hon David Lidington MP) wrote on 4 February to the German Ambassador to London, setting out the Trust’s desire for further discussions with the German Government and requesting his support in raising the matter within Germany. The Ambassador passed this request to the German Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The FCO received a response from the Families Ministry on 1 June. In this response the German Government sets out that UK survivors of Thalidomide are able to apply for compensation from the Contergan Foundation For Disabled People.

    The Contergan Foundation was established by the German Government to help disabled people whose deformities can be linked to their mothers taking medicinal products during pregnancy which contained thalidomide. While funded in part by the German Government, the Contergan Foundation is independent of the German Government who do not control or influence the awards made. As such the Families Ministry declined to meet the Thalidomide Trust for further discussions and reiterated their belief that British survivors should contact the Contergan Foundation.

    The UK Government remains in contact with the Thalidomide Trust to discuss all aspects of this case.