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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to work with local authorities to ensure that the education provided to home educated children is effectively regulated and safeguarded.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education has frequent contact with local authority officers and elected members on the subject of elective home education. Published guidance for local authorities is available on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education

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

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which commercial organisations are permitted to promote or distribute their products or the products of other organisations in NHS maternity wards; what revenues accrue to the Government or the NHS from that activity; and what evidence there is that patients welcome such activity.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    National Health Service trusts may negotiate locally with commercial organisations to distribute advice, information and ‘try before you buy’ samples that they think would be useful for pregnant women.

    Neither the Department nor NHS England centrally have any contracts with Bounty or influence over the contents of the packs nor does the Department benefit financially from such arrangements. We do not have any information about what contracts might exist between Bounty and individual NHS trusts.

    Although we are aware of Bounty distributing their packs on maternity wards, we have no evidence of whether or not this is welcomed by parents.

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use the services of Bounty to help distribute Child Benefit claim packs to new mothers in NHS hospitals. The contract for this service is held by HMRC’s Print Vendor Provider, Williams Lea. Using the Bounty pack as one channel for distributing Child Benefit forms has proved efficient and cost effective. The Child Benefit form can also be obtained through other channels, notably the HMRC website.

    In 2012-13, HMRC paid £85,990.27 (excluding VAT) for Bounty to distribute a total of 857,939 English and Welsh language claim forms.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what resources his Department allocates to promoting and upholding freedom of religion or belief within the countries with which it works.

    Mr David Lidington

    Human Rights are part of the everyday work of all British diplomats. We work intensively on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through the UN, the EU and the OSCE; and in individual countries, prioritising what works in local circumstances. In many parts of the world, we have supported projects through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. In the current financial year, we have allocated almost £900,000 to projects in this area.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) benefit sanctions, (b) work capability assessments and (c) other government welfare reforms on child poverty in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Scotland.

    Damian Hinds

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question 905768 which was provided by Justin Tomlinson MP, the Minister for Disabled People at that time, which can be found at:

    https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-11/debates/1607114000024/WelfareReformEffectsOnPeopleWithDisabilitiesInScotland#contribution-1607114000168

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  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 September (HL1532) stating that HMS Ocean had an expected in service life of 20 years and would be paid off at the end of 20 years’ service, what was the expected in service life of HMS Vanguard and HMS St Albans when designed, and at what age they are expected to be paid off.

    Earl Howe

    The Type 23 frigates entered service with an anticipated service life of 18 years for each ship. A Type 23 sustainment programme, comprising a series of long-term planned upgrades, aligned with routine maintenance, has permitted the service life of the class to be extended so that HMS St Albans, which entered service in 2001 has a current Out of Service Date of 2035.

    For HMS Vanguard, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to him on 7 December 2015 (Question HL4046). HMS Vanguard entered service in 1993 and is planned to remain in-service until the Successor submarines are introduced into service in the 2030s. I am withholding their respective planned Out of Service and In Service Dates as their disclosure would be prejudicial to national security.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government response to the Report from the Education Select Committee, Life lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools, HC 145 of Session 2014-15, which was published in July 2015, cm 9121, which organisations and stakeholders referred to on page 9 of that response are being consulted in order to develop further measures to improve the quality of PHSE; whether such organisations and stakeholders include representatives of parent advocacy groups, faith groups and those involved in running faith schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education is committed to considering the views of all stakeholders. As part of the inquiry into PSHE and SRE, the Education Select Committee sought evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including parent advocacy groups and faith groups. We are aware of the range of views about these subjects. We are currently working with a group of leading headteachers to improve the provision of PSHE in schools. We will consult directly with a wider group of stakeholders when appropriate.

    As stated in the government response to the Select Committee report, we will provide a progress update later this year.

  • Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees on what basis the last Deputy Head of Catering and Retail Services left the employment of the administration.

    Lord Laming

    It is not appropriate for me to answer questions on individual employment matters.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health patients underwent electric shock therapy treatment in each of the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is not available in the format requested.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to new Ingeus advisers in advising clients with mental health issues; and what plans are in place to ensure all Ingeus advisers are given such training.

    Priti Patel

    The Department does not prescribe how providers delivering welfare to work provision train their staff.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to HS2 Ltd’s Information Paper, G3: Construction Commissioner, published on 16 December 2015, what annual salary he expects to pay to the HS2 Construction Commissioner; to what body the Construction Commissioner will report; what steps he will take to safeguard the Commissioner’s independence from his Department and HS2 Ltd; for what reasons the Commissioner will not be able to consider claims for losses of over £10,000; and what the exemption from the role of matters considered by Parliament in approving the project is planned cover.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The HS2 Construction Commissioner will report to a steering group that will be entirely independent of HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport. The independent steering group will be responsible for agreeing the Commissioner’s terms of reference. It is envisaged that the steering group will include members who represent community interests and the construction industry. The Construction Commissioner and independent steering group will be appointed in time for when HS2 construction begins.

    The salary of the HS2 Construction Commissioner is expected to be £575 per day, based on working eight days per month, and is in line with other comparable roles. This will be subject to review by the independent steering group.

    The Commissioner will be responsible for investigating complaints relating to the construction of HS2 Phase One that cannot be resolved through HS2 Ltd’s corporate complaints procedure. In addition, it is anticipated that one of the roles of the HS2 Construction Commissioner will be to act as an arbitrator for the HS2 Small Claims Scheme in the event that a dispute cannot be resolved through the normal process. The Small Claims Scheme is expected to have an initial maximum claim value of £10,000. This figure is provisional, based on other infrastructure projects, and will be subject to review by the steering group.

    Further information regarding the HS2 Small Claims Scheme is available in HS2 Information Paper C10, which can be accessed via the following weblink:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/high-speed-rail-london-west-midlands-bill

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