The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the reported decision by the BBC to discontinue the BBC Food website, and other services that digitally repurpose content that the BBC has already paid for, is in accordance with its vision of the future of the BBC.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Decisions in relation to the BBC’s online content are a matter for the BBC which is editorially independent of the Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department are paid a private secretary allowance.
Ben Gummer
There are currently 39 members of staff who are in receipt of a private secretary allowance. Staff at Band B2 or above who currently work in the Private Office of a Director General, Permanent Secretary or Minister are entitled to receive the Private Office allowance. There is no further guidance on the allowance. The authorisation process is robustly enforced within the department, with accountability resting with the Head of Private Office Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens are known to have been (a) detained and (b) delayed when entering Israel in the past 12 months.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
According to Israeli figures 129 000 British nationals have visited Israel since 1 January 2016, and 50 British nationals have been refused entry into Israel through Ben-Gurion Airport. Of these, 25 sought assistance from the British Embassy. A further 65 British nationals have been refused entry at the Allenby Bridge.
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 Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people removed without notification from GP practice patient registers in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last three years.
Alistair Burt
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how, and through what channels, they plan to ensure that asylum seekers from Sudan attend English language classes and counselling sessions, so that they can be fully prepared for their asylum application hearing.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
All asylum seekers have access to publicly-funded legal advice and an interpreter to assist in presenting an accurate account of the reasons for their claim if English is not their first language.
Asylum seekers are provided with information on how to access legal advice and signposts specialist organisations where they can find additional help, support, counselling and language provision.
The Home Office funds Migrant Help to provide confidential and impartial advice and guidance to adult asylum seekers and their dependants in a language they understand. Their services include face-to-face advice for newly arrived asylum seekers in initial accommodation and a helpline and website providing information in 15 languages.