Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage academies to join high-performing rather than under-performing multi-academy trusts; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) are supporting the development of high-performing multi-academy trusts (MAT). MATs enable academies to realise a wide range of benefits and provide the formal structure in which high-performing schools can support under-performing schools to improve.

    Where there are concerns about the performance of an academy, the RSC may decide that the support of a new academy trust is needed to bring about the necessary improvements. In selecting a new trust, the RSC will evaluate its capacity, including the performance of the trust’s existing academies and its ability to provide the support required.

    In order to move an underperforming academy to a new trust, the RSC may be able to use the termination powers set out in the academy’s funding agreement to require the academy to move without the agreement of the academy or the existing trust. The Education and Adoption Bill will give RSCs stronger, more consistent powers to do this with all failing and coasting academies.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any talks with the owners, managers or advisers to BHS; and whether they will take any action to protect employees, creditors and pensioners.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    This is a worrying time for the BHS workforce and their families.

    I understand that there are no plans for immediate store closures and that the administrators are looking to sell BHS as a going concern.

    Clearly if this proves not to be possible, then we stand ready to help those affected, including through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service, to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.

    The Insolvency Service continues to liaise with the administrators, and stands ready to provide statutory assistance to employees in the event that the commercial situation changes.

    I understand that the BHS schemes are in the early stages of a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assessment period, during which the PPF will determine the final funding position of the scheme and whether it should assume responsibility for a scheme. We cannot comment on this, or any other individual case directly.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the British Embassy in North Korea has presented a copy of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to North Korean officials; and whether the UK Ambassador to North Korea has held discussions on that report with his North Korean counterparts.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Embassy in Pyongyang continues to raise the Commission of Inquiry report in bilateral discussions with the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urges them to engage with the international community on the human rights situation in the DPRK. Our Embassy has not specifically presented a copy of the report to North Korean officials, but we have presented North Korean officials with a supporting Written Statement by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire).

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) minister and (b) Government officials attended the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 4 and 5 July 2016; and what the outcomes of that meeting were.

    Jesse Norman

    The UK was represented by Peter Betts, Director, International Climate Change at what was formerly DECC, now BEIS, and another government official.

    The full conclusions of the meeting are published by the German government at:

    http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/petersberg7_conclusions_bf.pdf and included as an annex here to be published in the House Libraries.

    “

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group on the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service.

    There have been no meetings between Ministers at the Department of Health and Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about the award of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC regarding the Sustainability and Transformation Plans for elective orthopaedic surgery in Greenwich.

    Neither have there been meetings between Ministers at the Department and Greenwich CCG regarding the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many delayed discharges in West Sussex related to people with brain injuries in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Alistair Burt

    The information requested is not collected centrally.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England is responsible for implementation of (a) the option in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance, Immunisation against infectious disease, that allows clinicians to use their clinical judgement where patient circumstances strongly suggest that prophylaxis with palivizumab would prevent serious respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants who are at a particular risk of complications and (b) other options in that guidance.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has responsibility under the Section 7A Agreement to commission specific NHS Public Health programmes on behalf of Secretary of State. This responsibility includes implementation of the service specification for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which includes both options described in the question.

    RSV is a common cause of respiratory tract infections. It usually causes a mild self-limiting respiratory infection in adults and children, but it can be severe in infants who are at increased risk of acute lower respiratory tract infection.

    There is no licensed vaccine available for RSV. Preventative treatment for RSV is available by passive immunisation with protective antibodies to protect at risk infants.

  • Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the proposed economic rent charges will be applied to historic government buildings in Whitehall; and if so, on what basis the economic rent for buildings of historic significance will be calculated.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government Property Unit is working with departments to agree a detailed timeline for the transfer of assets and on the detail of implementation, including the finance and charging regime.

  • Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many deployments are family postings.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

    Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

    The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

    Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

    Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26284, what steps NHS England has taken to deal with potential conflicts of interests in the support offered by Deloitte to the development of its clinical commissioning policies; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Deloitte is contracted to provide consultancy and advice to NHS England in support of its policy development programme for commissioned specialised services.

    Deloitte is acting in an advisory capacity only and all decisions and governance processes associated with the policy development and adoption process have been retained by NHS England.

    Where there has been potential for commercial in confidence information, this data and any associated analysis has been handled by NHS England alone.