The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he and Network Rail have to remove level crossings on the mainline between Plymouth and Reading.
Claire Perry
Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department for Transport and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as its proposals for the removal or upgrading of level crossings on a particular route.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is take to ensure that the £22 billion NHS efficiency savings proposed in the NHS Five-Year Forward View, published in October 2014, do not affect the quality of services which people with Parkinson’s Disease require to assist them with their condition.
Alistair Burt
Efficiency and high quality care go hand-in-hand; cutting waste and safer care are integral to ensuring better outcomes at a lower cost. The efficiencies the National Health Service needs to find are linked to the challenge of continued improvements in care across all services, including for people with Parkinson’s disease. We are introducing a number of measures to help the NHS spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently by making sure that the health and care system is supported to invest in areas where they can make the most positive impact on the health of their local population.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 November 2015 (HL3303), whether Monitor has decided on (1) the terms of reference of the independent review into the actions of the South East Coast Ambulance Trust in delaying responses to patients with life-threatening conditions who contacted the 111 service, and (2) whether that review will be made public.
Lord Prior of Brampton
We are advised by Monitor that it is currently agreeing the terms of reference of the review with South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. The review will look at the impact of the 111 project on patients, covering both benefit and harm.
We are also informed by Monitor that the exact format of the review and what information will be made public are still to be determined. Monitor has made clear that the review should identify lessons and best practice which can be shared across the ambulance sector.
We are advised that it is expected that the findings of the review will be available before the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to developing countries to improve their tax revenue gathering capabilities.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK is one of the leading donors on tax and development and we have committed to double our support on tax by 2020 as part of the Addis Tax Initiative. DFID is currently engaged in, or developing, tax reform in 26 of our 28 priority countries. This includes support from the Tax Capacity Building Unit in HMRC we established in 2013 and from international organisations such as OECD, the Global Forum and the World Bank which DFID funds to provide technical assistance to tackle tax evasion and multinational tax avoidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what domestic programmes the Government has developed to help deliver the Global Goals for Sustainable Development which were adopted in September 2015.
Justine Greening
The UK Government as a whole is committed to implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government’s manifesto sets out the plan of action for which it will be held accountable by the British people. This includes commitments relevant to each of the Goals, and it will guide our efforts to achieve them.
The Global Goals are the starting point for, and will be embedded across, DFID’s work. Other Government Departments will lead on their respective policy areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to repeal any existing statutory animal welfare codes.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government intends to retain all existing statutory animal welfare codes and is working with interested parties to ensure our guidance continues to help farmers comply with our high welfare standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects that the Government’s proposed improvements to subject access request IT infrastructure will be completed.
Mr John Hayes
The Home Office ran a Call for Information on the operation of the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) regime between 25 February and 25 March 2015. We received more than 60 responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, the financial sector, and the legal and accountancy sectors. Subsequently, further discussions were held with private and public sector bodies through a series of workshops.
The Government published the Action Plan for Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist finance on 21 April 2016. The Action Plan sets out the Government’s programme to deliver a significantly improved anti-money laundering regime for the UK. This includes the replacement of the SARs IT infrastructure. A summary of the submissions received following the Call for Information is set out in the Action Plan at Annex B.
In the Action Plan, we announced our commitment to develop a stronger public private partnership to tackle money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and as part of that we will engage with public and private stakeholders to develop the replacement.
The stakeholders will include law enforcement agencies, government departments, and businesses in the ‘regulated sector’ including banks, the legal and accountancy sectors, and estate agents. We will also include regulatory and supervisory bodies, and public bodies for whom SARs are of value.
This engagement will enable us to ensure that the replacement of the SARs IT architecture will deliver significant benefits for all of the sectors involved in the SARs regime. As we set out in the Action Plan, we will reform the SARs regime, making the necessary legislative, operational and technical changes, by October 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2016-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of traffic lights on the A2500 on (a) traffic flows and (b) the economy and quality of life on the Isle of Sheppey; and if he will take steps to expedite the building of a new roundabout at the junction with Barton Hill Drive.
Andrew Jones
The design, installation and maintenance of traffic management measures including traffic lights and roundabouts are the responsibility of the local traffic authority, in this case Kent County Council. It is for them to determine which solution is appropriate for a particular road or junction, taking into account local circumstances. I am grateful to my Honourable Friend for raising this issue and have written to Kent County Council to ask them to respond to him directly on it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have undertaken any follow-up work as a result of the MoD study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region published on 15 May 2006; and if so, what was the nature and status of such work, and what units were involved.
Earl Howe
No.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers who have registered disabilities in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow have been sanctioned in each of the last five years.
Priti Patel
The available information on JSA sanctions, including those with a disability (which refers to the disability status of the claimant undergoing a sanction and is self-recorded by the claimant) is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html
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