The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd.
Mike Penning
Ministry of Defence officials have met Ms Meredith and other solicitors from her company from time to time to discuss a variety of legal and other issues of mutual concern, most recently on 13 October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the investigation General practice commissioning: in whose interests? by The Times and the British Medical Journal, what assessment they have made of whether the conflict of interest guidelines are fulfilled by asking board members with a conflict of interest in an item under discussion during a board meeting to remain silent or leave the room.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England is responsible for providing guidance to clinical commissioning groups on how to manage conflicts of interest.
The current guidance states that:
“Where certain members of a decision-making body have a material interest, they should either be excluded from relevant parts of meetings, or join in the discussion but not participate in the decision-making itself (i.e., not have a vote)….The chair of the meeting has responsibility for deciding whether there is a conflict of interest and the appropriate course of corresponding action.”
NHS England has commenced a review of the Conflicts of Interest Guidance, as part of a wider governance project to strengthen conflicts of interest management across the National Health Service, and this is expected to be published next year. NHS England will formally consult with a number of regulators and national partners in the development of this guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) investment, (b) infrastructure and (c) measurement of implantation will be put in place to enforce (i) the recent NHS England Commissioning Guidance entitled Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration and (ii) the existing NICE quality standards on nutrition.
Jane Ellison
The work being undertaken by NHS England to support the Excellent Nutrition and Hydration guidance is done from within existing patient experience and safety teams.
NHS England staff have met with Care Quality Commission hospital inspectors to discuss how the guidance can be used to incorporate assessment of nutrition and hydration through the inspection process. NHS England is also working with the Malnutrition Task Force, other National Health Service organisations, professional groups, charities and industry to support implementation.
An evaluation is being undertaken through Kings College London with three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to gain a baseline of CCG activity and how the guidance has been implemented. We are not currently undertaking work to specifically enforce these National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards, although CCGs should commission services in line with NICE guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of current morale in the teaching profession.
Lord Nash
According to the OECD’s ‘Teaching and Learning International Survey’ (2013), 82 per cent of teachers surveyed in England either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that ‘all in all, I am satisfied with my job.’ This information is published in the attached research report ‘Teachers in England’s Secondary Schools: Evidence from TALIS 2013’.
In addition, the latest statistics (School Workforce Census, November 2014) show that teacher retention rates one year after qualifying have remained stable for the past two decades, at around 90 per cent. Furthermore, 72 per cent of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later, and the long-term retention rate is also stable, with over 60 per cent of teachers remaining in the classroom 10 years after qualifying.
The Government is committed to raising the status of the teaching profession. We are supporting the establishment of a new, independent College of Teaching, and are offering postgraduate bursaries of up to £30,000 for trainee teachers starting initial teacher training in 2016/17, depending on their degree classification and the subject they plan to teach.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many charities in receipt of government grant funding were found to be in breach of provisions preventing use of taxpayers’ money for political activity in each of the past three years.
Lord Bridges of Headley
This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of crop fed anaerobic digestion on food production and land rents.
George Eustice
Defra has procured research to assess the impact of crops grown for anaerobic digestion on land rental prices in England. Although concerns have been expressed by stakeholders over potential impacts on land rental prices, statistical analysis of available data did not detect significant price impacts. The development of the anaerobic digestion industry in the UK is still at a relatively early stage, so it may be that it is too early to detect impacts at present.
The relevant report can be found at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many major surface warships were ordered between the 2010 general election and the 2015 general election.
Earl Howe
Her Majesty’s Government did not order any major surface warships between the 2010 and 2015 general elections. However, the work to deliver the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers continued during this period and in August 2014 we placed an order for three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), which will provide valuable capability to the Royal Navy and sustain the skills needed to build the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.
Since the 2015 general election, the White Paper ‘National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015’ (Cmd 9161) has set the Government’s commitment to build eight anti-submarine Type 26 Global Combat Ships, preceded by two additional OPVs, and to launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate. Additionally, the White Paper confirmed we will buy three new logistic ships to support the fleet, in addition to the four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers ordered in 2012.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the rule under the new community amateur sports club scheme that requires a minimum of 50 per cent of club members to participate at least 12 times a year, how that threshold was decided and what evidence and consultation that decision was based on.
Damian Hinds
The new regulations for CASCs were introduced on 1 April 2015. All the changes made were necessary to reinforce the original spirit of the scheme requiring clubs to be open to the whole community, with the promotion of participation in sport as their main purpose.
The Government consulted widely with the sector on all the changes to the scheme. It was aware that there was confusion about the meaning of participation prior to the consultation period for the new regulations. Responses to the consultation were mostly supportive of the 12 times a year rule for participation.
The scheme does not permit clubs to impose fees which are a significant obstacle to membership. The vast majority of CASCs charge less than £520 for annual membership. To make membership more accessible, clubs with higher costs associated with membership are required to make provisions for those who can’t afford to pay more than £520 a year. If no suitable arrangements are made this club is not able to be a CASC because it is not considered to be open to the whole community.
During the development of the new CASC regulations the Government was aware of State aid complaint SA.38208 (2014/NN). At the time, the Government was only asked to provide a response to the complaint. The Government provided this response, explaining why the CASC scheme was not State aid. The Commission’s subsequent ruling confirmed this view.
Since the introduction of the new regulations all CASCs were given a 12-month period of grace to make any necessary changes to remain in the scheme. The Government wrote to all registered CASCs explaining the new regulations and asked clubs to complete a self-assessment checklist on income, membership and participation levels. They were also asked to contact HMRC if they did not meet the new requirements.
From 1 April 2016, 500 clubs have been deregistered as CASCs, affecting some 35 different types of sport.
Since 2010 there has been a steady increase in the numbers of CASCs registered in the scheme. Although the Government does not yet have figures for clubs registered as at 5 April 2016, the breakdown of figures since 2010 is:
5630 – 5 April 2010
5976 – 5 April 2011
6165 – 5 April 2012
6334 – 5 April 2013
6571 – 5 April 2014
6715 – 5 April 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Civil Contingencies Unit has made an assessment of the implications for its CBRNE defense policies of the findings of the PRACTICE EU project on the different public reactions to industrial or transport accidents and terrorist incidents, referred to in oral evidence to the Science and Technology Committee on 7 June 2016.
Mr John Hayes
The Home Office is answering this question as the lead department for CBRN(e) Response. The Home Office and its partners use a range of evidence to develop the UK’s response to CBRN(e) incidents. This information has informed the development of the Initial Operational Response which has been rolled out nationally across the emergency services. The booklet produced under the auspices of the PRACTICE EU project and referred to in the oral evidence is based on the same body of evidence as the UK response and consequently its content is consistent with our approach.”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the effect of changes to the timetable in the procurement of Type 26 Frigates on (a) jobs, (b) apprenticeships and (c) skills in the affected shipyards in the next six months.
Harriett Baldwin
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor (Philip Dunne) gave on 27 June 2016 to Question 905474 to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Margaret Ferrier).