Tag: Parliamentary Question

The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current state of relations between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK and Saudi Arabia have a strong and broad relationship. We work closely on mutual security interests and also in areas as diverse as education, energy, defence, trade, culture and the challenges facing the Middle East. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said during a press conference in Riyadh on 28 October, “the UK and Saudi Arabia have a long and deeply established relationship. We have worked together over many many years including difficult times as well as easier times”.

01/01/2023
Rachel Reeves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Priti Patel

At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.

UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.

Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

01/01/2023
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Health Education England to ensure that the number of physiotherapy student commissions for 2016–17 supports the goal of increasing the number of student places outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review, in the light of the current annual shortfall of 500 physiotherapists required to meet demand reported by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Lord Prior of Brampton

As set out in the Spending Review, from 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied health students will no longer receive National Health Service 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 publish a consultation at the end of February 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.

This will build on the success of wider higher education funding reform, enabling universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing, midwifery and allied health training places over this parliament, so more applicants will have the chance to become a health professional.

As set out in the Health Education England (HEE) commissioning and investment plan for 2016-17, HEE plans to commission 1,439 physiotherapy training places.

01/01/2023

Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was between a fatal accident occurring in construction and the start of a prosecution on the latest date for which data is available.

Justin Tomlinson

For fatalities in construction (Standard Industrial Classification, section F) reported to HSE between 2005/06 and 2014/15, the average time between the date of incident and the date prosecution action was approved is 751 days. This number does not include some more recent or complex incidents, which remain under investigation. The time between the incident and prosecution approved to date by yearly time bands is as follows:

Time between incident and approval	Number	Percentage
0 – 1 year	43	23
1-2 years	51	27
2-3 years	56	30
3-4 years	28	15
4-5 years	9	5
5 years +	2	1
	189

01/01/2023

Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason the report commissioned by his Department from Ecofys on international electricity prices has not yet been published; when the Government plans to publish that report; and whether that report found that electricity price increases for energy intensive industries as a result of climate policies will be larger in the UK than any other country.

Anna Soubry

The Department is currently reviewing the findings of the Ecofys international energy price comparisons report. We are considering publication options but the report found that the increase in electricity prices for energy intensive industries varies considerably by country depending on their climate change policy landscape.

01/01/2023
Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30801, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to introduce a requirement on local authorities to ensure that home-schooled children are being educated to the same standard as schooled children.

Edward Timpson

The standard to which home schooled children have to be educated is already the same as for those attending school. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires parents to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitudes, either by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. ‘Education otherwise than at school’ includes elective home education, and therefore, although methods may differ, the overall requirement is the same.

Section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 deals with the inspection of local authorities by Ofsted and would not be an appropriate method for imposing a new duty on them.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to healthcare systems in countries affected by the Zika virus.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Department for International Development is working with the Department for Heath, who are leading the UK government’s response to Zika, and Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation in galvanising an effective international response.

DFID is adapting ongoing health programmes to focus on preparing for Zika. DFID has active health system strengthening programmes in many of our partner countries. DFID provides support to the health sector in a number of countries in South East Asia and the Commonwealth Caribbean.

These programmes aim to build the capacity of health systems to prevent, detect, and treat communicable disease outbreaks. These countries already respond to dengue, which is transmitted through the same vector as the Zika virus.

01/01/2023
Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on (a) ending the role of GPs in (i) assessing eligibility for bus passes, parking badges, housing and gym membership and (ii) other non-NHS work and (b) ensuring that such work is commissioned from other sources by the requesting organisation.

Alistair Burt

General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms, such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients.

Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. Whether or not to provide these services is a matter for individual GPs. They may decline to provide them or charge a fee for doing so. Where GPs intend to charge for services to patients, the British Medical Association advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.

01/01/2023
Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role Ofsted has in its (a) reports and (b) other work in monitoring the level of integration of asylum seekers and refugees in schools.

Nick Gibb

Ofsted’s role is to inspect and report on the education provided by a school for all pupils, including all groups of pupils. Where asylum seekers make up part of the cohort, this will be included in the contextual information about the school.

01/01/2023
Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Madeleine Moon on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) technical support her Department has offered and (b) political engagement with the Afghan government her Department plans in order to ensure that the Afghan government fulfils the commitment it made at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, held on 4-5 October 2016, on amendments to the mining law; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

The UK aims to reduce Afghanistan’s dependence on aid and help make it a more prosperous safe and stable country.

The UK supports the extractives sector to accelerate economic development and revenue generation. Through the £10.3m Extractive Sector Support Programme, the UK has recommended revisions to the Minerals Law and provided support for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to incorporate amendments.

The Mining Advisory Council is currently reviewing the amendments. Following this review, the amendments will go to the Ministry of Justice, the Council of Ministers, Parliament and finally the President for enactment. The UK remains committed to working closely with the Government and other stakeholders in support of this process.

01/01/2023