The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on advertisements with Google in each of the last three years.
Matthew Hancock
Cabinet Office spent £107,896.25 on Google advertising in 2013/14. Cabinet Office did not spend anything on Google advertising in 2014/15. Fully auditable figures are not yet available for 2015/16. All figures include VAT.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical commissioning groups on the provision of support to people with mild to moderate dementia to allow them to remain in their own homes as long as possible.
Jane Ellison
Whilst we are not aware of such specific discussions, dementia is a key priority for the Government. On 6 March 2016, we launched the Implementation Plan to support the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020. The Implementation Plan sets out the actions partners, including clinical commissioning groups, will take to ensure commitments in the PM Challenge 2020 are delivered. A key commitment in the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 is to support people with dementia to be able to live longer in their own homes.
The publication ‘Dementia & Homecare: Driving Quality & Innovation’ published as part of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia provides clear, practical ideas and suggestions to further dementia care in the community. Driving improvements in homecare will not only help ensure people stay independent for longer but will also support our ambition for people to receive meaningful care following a diagnosis of dementia.
As part of the Implementation Plan, the Department will work with the Life Story Network to focus on older people and people with dementia who live in social housing to ensure they are supported to live in their homes for longer with a greater focus on independent living.
NHS England is fully supportive of enabling people with dementia to live at home independently for as long as they want to do so. NHS England’s well-pathway for dementia includes streams on both living well and supporting well.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2016-05-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which transport emissions are factored into the assessment of fuels within the Alternative Fuels Framework.
Damian Hinds
The Alternative Fuels Framework (AFF) was set out at Pre-Budget Report 2003, and focused on carbon emissions. Based on the evidence available at the time on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), the AFF found LPG to result in greater natural environmental damage compared to other road fuel gases. It was determined that the environmental case for LPG was poorer than diesel and so its duty differential should be reduce over time.
The government continues to review evidence concerning the environmental impact of LPG and will announce any changes to the tax treatment at fiscal events.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research or analysis they undertook prior to consulting on proposals to cut train services to intermediate stations on the InterCity West Coast service.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Rail services between London and the Midlands are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast in May. The outcomes of those consultations will be used to inform what we ask the operator of the new franchise to provide. This information, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.
Neither consultation proposed cutting train services. We expect potential bidders to plan their train services to meet the needs of passengers at the stations they serve considering how best to serve and link markets and improve service reliability. To make sure their plans best reflect the needs of the franchise we are seeking views from the public and stakeholders on the ICWC franchise on:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-09-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether new guidance has been issued to the police on female genital mutilation following the Serious Crime Act 2015, and if so, when.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.
On 1 April we published multi-agency guidance on FGM for all professionals which we have put on a statutory footing for the first time. The guidance outlines the new measures to tackle FGM introduced by the Serious Crime Act 2015, and includes information specific to the police.
The College of Policing published Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for the police on investigating FGM in March 2015. The APP includes guidance on how officers can spot the signs of FGM, the reasons why it is practised, how it is carried out and the role of the police in tackling it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the level of financial reserves of local authorities.
Mr Marcus Jones
Local authorities are responsible for managing their own finances. They are required by statute to have regard to the level of reserves needed for meeting estimated future expenditure when calculating their annual budget requirement.
In making their assessment, they must have regard to the good practice guidance produced by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
Where authorities have maintained significant revenue reserves, this will give them room to manoeuvre on their finances in future years.
Authorities should consider dipping into their revenue reserves where it can be sensible to provide and protect front line services for local tax payers.
My Department publishes statistics on the level of reserves held by each authority, based on reports from them, which are available at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of finance options available to student nurses; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
From 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied health students will no longer receive NHS bursaries. Instead, they will have access to the same student loans system as other students.
We intend that students studying nursing, midwifery and the allied health subjects as a second degree will also be able to get student loans.
The change will only affect new students commencing their courses from 1 August 2017.
We plan to run a consultation in early 2016 to ask how we can successfully deliver the reforms.
Under the loans system, students on nursing, midwifery and allied health courses will receive around a 25% increase in the financial support available to them for living costs. The precise change for individuals will be dependent on their circumstances – for example, where they study, the length of the course, income and residency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pauline Latham on 2016-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the potential merits of reducing the rate of VAT on sunscreen, sun block and other sun safety products.
Mr David Gauke
EU VAT law does not specifically provide for a reduced rate for sunscreen, although there is a provision for a reduced rate of VAT for “pharmaceutical products of a kind normally used for health care, prevention of diseases and treatment for medical and veterinary purposes”.
Not all sunscreen products are recognised as having a health benefit and the factor level necessary for adequate protection is a matter of contention.
However, high-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and provided VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist to patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they made of the costs of closing NHS Direct at the time of the decision, and what was the actual cost of closing NHS Direct.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS Direct NHS Trust’s Final Report and Accounts, published in June 2014, set out decommissioning costs of £69.2 million for 2012/13. The Trust’s business case, submitted for approval of the transaction for its dissolution which took effect on 1 April 2014, included an estimated cost of closure of £36.3 million in 2014/15. The Final Report and Accounts showed the decommissioning costs for this year to be £17.6 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority-owned museums have closed down in each of the last three years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Neither DCMS nor Arts Council England holds information on museums closures. However, there are just under 1800 accredited museums.
Thanks to an excellent Spending Review settlement in November 2015, the Government is honouring its manifesto commitment to keep entry to the permanent collections of our national museums free.
Through the Arts Council England, DCMS is increasing funding for 21 Major Partner Museums from £20.3m to £22.6 million. In addition to this, regional museums can bid for funds from ACE’s £10 million per year Resilience Fund. They can also bid for lottery funding from the HLF. We are also investing millions of pounds to boost local and regional museums, for example, £5 million towards a new South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum and £2.5 million to the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.