Daily Report Friday, 8 December 2017 CONTENTS
Transcript of Daily Report Friday, 8 December 2017 CONTENTS
Daily Report Friday, 8 December 2017
This report shows written answers and statements provided on 8 December 2017 and the
information is correct at the time of publication (03:39 P.M., 08 December 2017). For the latest
information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements,
please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/
CONTENTS
ANSWERS 3
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND
INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 3
Nuclear Power: Prices 3
Packaging: Recycling 3
TREASURY 3
Cryptocurrencies: Regulation 3
Employee Ownership 4
Employee Ownership and
Save As You Earn 4
Employee Ownership:
Taxation 5
Treasury: Brexit 5
DEFENCE 6
Army: Reserve Forces 6
Defence: Finance 7
Ministry of Defence: Brexit 8
Ministry of Defence: Cost
Effectiveness 9
National Security 9
Navy: Engineers 9
Ukraine: Military Aid 11
Yemen: Military Intervention 12
EDUCATION 12
Faith Schools: Admissions 12
Schools: Standards 13
Supply Teachers 13
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND
RURAL AFFAIRS 14
Agriculture 14
Animal Welfare: Codes of
Practice 15
Cats: Tagging 15
Circuses: Animal Welfare 15
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit 15
Dogs: Animal Breeding 16
Food: USA 16
Pigmeat: UK Trade with EU 16
Pigs: Antibiotics 17
Primates: Animal Welfare 17
Primates: Sales 17
EXITING THE EUROPEAN
UNION 18
Brexit: Impact Assessments 18
Trade Agreements 19
FOREIGN AND
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 19
Bahrain: Trials 19
Kurds: Foreign Relations 19
HEALTH 20
Ambulance Services 20
Department of Health: Brexit 20
Department of Health: ICT 21
Health Services: Dementia 21
Health Services: Pharmacy 22
Mental Health Services:
Nurses 22
NHS Trusts 22
NHS: Migrant Workers 23
Oxford University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust 24
HOME OFFICE 24
Animal Experiments: Primates 24
Knives: Crime 25
Organised Crime 25
INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT 26
Developing Countries: HIV
Infection 26
Fairtrade Initiative 26
International AIDS Conference 27
Robert Carr Civil Society
Networks Fund 27
JUSTICE 27
Prison Sentences: Wales 27
SCOTLAND 29
Scotland Office: Brexit 29
TRANSPORT 29
Aviation 29
Biofuels 30
Cycling: Safety 31
Department for Transport:
Brexit 31
Driving Tests 31
Public Transport: Disability 31
Railway Stations: Golborne 32
Railways: Greater Manchester 32
Shipping: Ownership 32
Tonnage Tax 33
WOMEN AND EQUALITIES 34
Disability: Bullying 34
Employment: HIV Infection 34
WORK AND PENSIONS 35
Personal Independence
Payment 35
Personal Independence
Payment: Complaints 36
MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 37
HEALTH 37
Thyroid Gland: Diseases 37
Notes:
Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared.
Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an
oral question and has since been unstarred.
ANSWERS
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Nuclear Power: Prices
Dr Alan Whitehead: [116834]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether
proposals for Contracts for Difference for new nuclear power stations other than Hinkley
Point C will count as new levies under the Control for New Carbon Levies.
Richard Harrington:
The Control’s current forecast period is set to 2025. Potential new nuclear projects,
after Hinkley Point C, are expected to become fully operational beyond 2025 and are
therefore not affected by the commitment to no new levies up until this date.
The Government will keep both the forecast period and Control under regular review.
This will include considering how the Control could work after 2025.
Packaging: Recycling
Emma Hardy: [116686]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what
discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs and (b) representatives of the retail sector on to encourage supermarkets to make
more of their packaging recyclable; and if he will make a statement.
Margot James:
My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry has met with
the Food and Drink Federation at a joint-Ministerial roundtable where the issue of
waste was discussed.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2017 Autumn
Budget that there will be a call for evidence on single-use plastics that will begin in
the New Year that will also take into account the findings of the consultation on drinks
containers. We fully expect the retail sector to respond to this.
TREASURY
Cryptocurrencies: Regulation
Sir Greg Knight: [116779]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of international
efforts to regulate crypto-currencies; and whether his Department has any plans to
regulate crypto-currencies in the UK.
Stephen Barclay:
The Government has not made a formal assessment of the regulation of
cryptocurrencies in other countries, though it is aware that industry has done so (for
example https://bravenewcoin.com/news/icos-and-cryptocurrencies-a-rough-guide-to-
global-regulation/) and, as with all policy, continues to monitor developments.
The Government is currently negotiating amendments to the 4th Anti-Money
Laundering Directive that we expect to bring virtual currency exchange platforms and
custodian wallet providers into the scope of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-
Terrorist Financing regulation. This will require such firms to conduct due diligence
upon their customers, with their activities being overseen by national competent
authorities for these areas. The government supports the intention behind these
amendments. We expect these negotiations to conclude at EU level in late 2017/early
2018.
Employee Ownership
James Duddridge: [116726]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the operation of employee share
ownership plans to identify measures to improve and simplify the administration of such
schemes.
Stephen Barclay:
An Employee Share Ownership Plan provides a company's workforce with an
ownership interest in the company. The Government has no immediate plans to
change the schemes but continues to keep employee share schemes policy under
review.
Employee Ownership and Save As You Earn
James Duddridge: [116725]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential
merits of increasing the contribution limits for (a) Share Incentive Plans and (b) Save As
You Earn in line with inflation.
Mr Kenneth Clarke: [117599]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of
the potential merits of annually indexing the contribution limits for Share Incentive Plans
and Save As You Earn plans; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Barclay:
In 2014 the government doubled the contribution limits for the Share Incentive Plans
and Save As You Earn schemes from £250 to £500 per month. There are no current
plans to change these limits. The government keeps all areas of the tax system under
review.
Employee Ownership: Taxation
Angus Brendan MacNeil: [116818]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a
de minimis tax exemption on residual cash balances held in the Share Incentive Plans of
employees who terminate participation in such schemes.
Stephen Barclay:
Share Incentive Plans provide companies with flexibility to meet their business needs
regarding employee ownership. The Government continues to keep employee share
schemes policy under review.
Treasury: Brexit
Tom Brake: [116699]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much time his Department spent in
compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to
the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were
dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its
work on that compilation.
Stephen Barclay:
As the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has said, the sectoral
analysis was produced in response to the humble Address, drawing on existing
analysis undertaken since the EU referendum.
With regards to how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to the compilation, the
Department does not hold this information in the form requested.
Matthew Pennycook: [116809]
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the
additional funding required by (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs)
over the next two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.
Elizabeth Truss:
As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HMT is making £3 billion of additional funding
available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 18/19 and 19/20 – so that
departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to prepare effectively for
Brexit. HMT is working to understand what each department needs to prepare
effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to
agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Departments’ funding requirements for 19/20
will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided
at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at
Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
DEFENCE
Army: Reserve Forces
Mr Kevan Jones: [116908]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army Reserve total (a) inflow, (b)
outflow and (c) netflow was for the (i) Infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Corps of
Signals, (iv) Army Medical Services, (v) Adjutant General's Corps, (vi) Royal Armoured
Corps, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Engineers, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (xi) Intelligence Corps in each month in the last
two years.
Mark Lancaster:
The Army Reserve total inflow, outflow and netflow for the requested Capbadges is
shown in the attached tables:
Attachments:
1. 116908 - Army Reserve Inflow and Outflow [Copy of 20171201-
PQ_Reserve_Inflow_Outflow_Net_Final (3).xlsx]
Mr Kevan Jones: [116910]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army Reserve total intake was for
each month in the last two years.
Mark Lancaster:
Intake into the Army reserve for each month over the last two years is show below:
MONTH ARMY FR20 INFLOW
October 2015 630
November 2015 550
December 2015 270
January 2016 550
February 2016 490
March 2016 360
April 2016 400
May 2016 440
June 2016 520
July 2016 500
August 2016 390
September 2016 470
MONTH ARMY FR20 INFLOW
October 2016 450
November 2016 420
December 2016 270
January 2017 400
February 2017 400
March 2017 430
April 2017 350
May 2017 420
June 2017 420
July 2017 360
August 2017 390
September 2017 480
Notes:
The Army FR20 population consists of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored
Reserves and those personnel serving on Full Time Reserve Service contracts who
were previously Army Reservists.
The figures include untrained & trained personnel.
Figures include soldier, officer and JPA officer cadets.
Inflow includes people joining from outside the UK Armed Forces and those
transferring from other parts of the UK Armed Forces.
Inflow includes people joining from outside the UK Armed Forces and those
transferring from other parts of the UK Armed Forces.
Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5"
have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
Defence: Finance
Mr Kevan Jones: [116427]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the budget within (a) Navy
Command, (b) Army Command, (c) Air Command, (d) Joint Forces Command, (e) DG
Nuclear, (f) Defence Infrastructure Organisation, (g) Head Office and (h) Corporate
Services have been subject to virement in the last financial year; and what the value was
of those transferred budgets.
Gavin Williamson:
[Holding answer 7 December 2017]: The entities referred in the hon. Member's
question are not sections or sub-heads in the Ministry of Defence's Estimates and are
not therefore subject to the virement process.
Ministry of Defence: Brexit
Tom Brake: [116701]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much time his Department spent in
compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to
the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were
dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its
work on that compilation.
Mark Lancaster:
The Government has provided over 800 pages of analysis to the committee. This
analysis has been contained in a range of documents, developed at different times.
Given how closely woven EU exit work and routine Departmental business are, it is
not possible to calculate how much time was spent in compiling this material.
Seema Malhotra: [116721]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the (a) number
of officials to be employed by his Department and (b) his Department's payroll in (i) 2018,
(ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021 and (v) 2022 as a result of the UK leaving EU.
Mr Tobias Ellwood:
The Ministry of Defence has a small team who have been appointed to deal with
Defence issues relating to the UK's decision to leave the EU. This team draws on a
wide range of colleagues from across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) who support EU
exit related work, in addition to their normal duties.
Given the interactions between EU exit work and the MOD's other priorities, it would
not be possible to give an accurate future estimate.
Matthew Pennycook: [116807]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the
additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare
effectively for the UK leaving the EU.
Mark Lancaster:
As announced at the Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury is making £3 billion of
additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 2018-19 and
2019-20 - so that Departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to
prepare effectively for Brexit.
We are currently working with HM Treasury and the Department for Exiting the EU to
establish what we need to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be
supplied - HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018-19 allocations in early 2018. Funding
requirements for 2019-20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and
will therefore be decided at a later date.
Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary
Estimates in the usual way.
Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness
Mr Kevan Jones: [116896]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of efficiency savings
identified to date by his Department.
Mark Lancaster:
We have delivered over £5 billion of efficiency savings between 2010-16, and remain
on track to deliver 90% of our £7.4 billion Spending Review 2015 efficiency target
between 2016 and 2021.
National Security
Johnny Mercer: [116869]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for his receipt of final
proposals from the three services on which to base his decision as to what is included
within the ambit of the National Security Capability Review.
Gavin Williamson:
The Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have provided inputs into the Ministry of
Defence throughout the National Security Capability Review, and will continue to do
so.
Navy: Engineers
Mr Kevan Jones: [116897]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully trained (a) Marine Engineers
and (b) Weapons Engineers served in the Royal Navy in each of the last five years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood:
The trained regular strength of Royal Navy Weapon Engineers and Marine
Engineers, as at 1 April each year from 2012 to 2017 is given below:
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Weapon Engineer
Officer 669 649 613 601 568 562
Rating 2,643 2,430 2,303 2,246 2,979 3,132
Marine Engineer
Officer 557 544 521 507 480 483
Rating 3,979 3,724 3,410 3,219 3,166 3,289
Notes:
1. Communication and Information Specialists (CIS) were not counted in Engineer
branches until August 2015. They are therefore included in the Weapon
Engineering figures for April 2016 and April 2017 but not for earlier years.
2. The Weapon Engineer figures for April 2016 and April 2017 include 1,005 and
1,227 CIS personnel respectively.
Mr Kevan Jones: [116899]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) outflow (b) inflow and (c) netflow
of fully trained Royal Navy (i) Marine Engineers and (ii) Weapons Engineers has been in
each of the last five years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood:
The intake and outflow for trained regular, Royal Navy Marine and Weapons
Engineer officers and ratings by Financial Year (FY) from 2012-13 to 2016-17 is
given in the attached table.
Attachments:
1. 116899 - Intake and outflow of RN Personnel [116899 - Kevan Jones.docx]
Mr Kevan Jones: [116900]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former fully trained Royal Navy (a)
Marine Engineers and (b) Weapons Engineers have rejoined the (i) regular naval service
(ii) reserve naval service in the last two years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood:
The intake to trained regulars and trained Royal Naval Reserve between 1 April 2015
and 31 March 2017 for personnel who were previously trained Weapon Engineers or
Marine Engineers is given below:
INTAKE TO TRAINED REGULARS
INTAKE TO TRAINED ROYAL NAVAL
RESERVE
Weapon Engineer 15 15
Marine Engineer 10 10
Notes:
1. Intake to the Royal Naval Reserve includes seamless transfers between the
Regulars and the Reserves.
1. Data only includes personnel who have outflowed from the Regular Trained
Strength since 1 September 2006.
1. Data have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Mr Kevan Jones: [116901]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average age of Royal Navy (a)
Marine Engineers and (b) Weapons Engineers has been in each of the last 10 years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood:
The average age of trained regular Royal Navy Weapon Engineers and Marine
Engineers, as at 1 April each year from 2008 to 2017 is given below:
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
201
7
Weapon
Engineer
Officer 39 39 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Rating 32 31 31 31 32 32 32 31 32 32
Marine
Engineer
Officer 39 39 40 40 40 39 39 39 39 39
Rating 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 32
1. AVERAGE AGE PROVIDED IS MEAN AGE AT LAST BIRTHDAY. 2. IN 2008 ONE RATING WITH AN
UNKNOWN SPECIALISATION HAS BEEN EXCLUDED.
3. Communication and Information Specialists were not counted in Engineering branches until
August 2015. They are therefore included in the Weapon Engineering figures for April 2016
and April 2017 but not for earlier years.
Ukraine: Military Aid
Martin Docherty-Hughes: [116179]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department has given
to supplying the Government of Ukraine with non-lethal military equipment, which is no
longer in operational use but good working order.
Gavin Williamson:
[Holding answer 6 December 2017]: In 2016 surplus equipment was supplied to the
Ukrainian Armed Forces in addition to other, purchased items.
More recently, when President Poroshenko visited the UK in April 2017, he presented
the Prime Minister with a list of Ukrainian equipment requirements, seeking UK
assistance where possible. In light of this request, the head of the Defence
Equipment Sales Authority, visited Ukraine to clarify Ukrainian requirements and
establish the most appropriate UK surplus assets.
A Ukrainian delegation visited the UK from 28 November to 1 December and
reviewed a range of land and maritime equipment. The Ukrainians are now
considering their options.
Mr Kevan Jones: [116422]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of
non-lethal equipment supplied by the Government to Ukrainian armed forces in the last
two years.
Gavin Williamson:
[Holding answer 7 December 2017]: Over the last two years, the total cost of
equipment supplied by Her Majesty's Government to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
(UAF) was £2.2 million.
This has been a mix of purchased items and surplus equipment; the intention to gift
the latter was laid before the House in 2015 and 2016. These items reflected the
urgent and life saving nature of our support at the time and were in direct response to
requests made by the Ukrainian authorities.
We remain committed to our support for Ukraine, including British Army training
aimed at improving defensive capabilities as the UAF continue to meet the
challenges of ongoing aggression from Russian-backed separatist forces.
Yemen: Military Intervention
Tom Brake: [116293]
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether has had discussions with the US
Defence Secretary on allegations of civilian deaths during US raids in the Yemeni villages
of Yakla and Al Jubah in January and May 2017.
Gavin Williamson:
[Holding answer 7 December 2017]: The UK is not involved in counter-terror
operations in Yemen. US counter-terror activities are a matter for US authorities.
EDUCATION
Faith Schools: Admissions
Sir Michael Fallon: [116926]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will remove the 50 per cent faith
admissions cap.
Anne Milton:
The proposal to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in faith free schools is set
out in the ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation document. The department
plans to respond on this in due course.
Schools: Standards
Alan Mak: [116902]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in England (a) are in
schools rated good or outstanding and (b) were in such schools in 2010.
Alan Mak: [116904]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in England (a)
are in schools rated good or outstanding and (b) were in such schools in 2010.
Nick Gibb:
On 30 November 2017, Ofsted released their latest inspection data as at 31 August
2017, reporting there were 6,768,836 children in England in Good or Outstanding
schools. The proportion of children in England in Good or Outstanding schools as at
31 August 2017, is 87%. The latest Ofsted First Release publication can be found
here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-
inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-august-2017.
Official statistics released by Ofsted showed there were 4,855,336 children in
England in Good or Outstanding schools as at 31 August, 2010. The proportion of
children in England in Good or Outstanding schools as at 31 August 2010, was 66%.
See Ofsted’s Dataview site for details.
https://public.tableau.com/profile/ofsted#!/vizhome/Dataview/Viewregionalperformanc
eovertime.
Alan Mak: [116905]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools in England (a) are
rated good or outstanding and (b) were so rated in 2010.
Nick Gibb:
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked
her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
Supply Teachers
Grahame Morris: [116837]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the
potential merits of reintroducing the Local Educational Authority supply pool for schools in
England.
Nick Gibb:
The Department is committed to ensuring schools are able to employ good quality
supply teachers at value for money when needed. Local Authority supply pools are
one of many approaches to providing supply teachers.
Grahame Morris: [116842]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislation to ban
finders fees being imposed by teaching supply agencies where a school seeks to appoint
on a permanent basis a supply teacher originally provided by those agencies.
Nick Gibb:
The Department is aware of concerns raised regarding the level of fees charged by
some agencies when offering a supply teacher permanent employment. Whilst there
are no immediate plans to legislate in this area, the Department is working with
Crown Commercial Service to develop a new commercial framework for schools
aimed at bringing consistency and transparency of cost to this area.
The new arrangement will address inconsistent practices of some agencies and the
levels of mark-up charged as well as the issue of finders’ fees. It is anticipated that
the new commercial deal will be available for use by schools from September 2018.
Grahame Morris: [116844]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward proposals regulate
teaching supply agencies and cap costs charged for the provision of supply teachers.
Nick Gibb:
The Department is aware of concerns raised regarding the behaviour of some
agencies when dealing with schools as well as the level of costs charged. Whilst
there are no immediate plans to legislate in this area, the Department is working with
Crown Commercial Service to develop a new commercial framework for schools
aimed at bringing consistency and transparency of cost to this area.
The new arrangement will address inconsistent practices of some agencies and the
levels of mark-up charged as well as the level of fees charged. It is anticipated that
the new commercial deal will be available for use by schools from September 2018.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Agriculture
Dr David Drew: [117129]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has
to protect the economic viability of smaller farms.
George Eustice:
Leaving the EU gives us an opportunity to set new policies which specifically benefit
British agriculture and the environment. The Government is committed to supporting
our farmers to produce high quality food and providing the best possible value for
money to the British taxpayer.
We will continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end
of the parliament, and we intend to continue supporting farms of all sizes for many
more years to come where the benefits of that spending are clear.
Animal Welfare: Codes of Practice
Kerry McCarthy: [117246]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the
Answer of 1 December 2017 to Question 115879, on what basis his Department decides
which of its statutory welfare codes should be prioritised for updating.
George Eustice:
The prioritisation of future updates to statutory welfare codes which are not currently
under consideration will be guided by their need for improvement. This will include
considering legislative changes and husbandry advances that have taken place since
those codes were last updated.
Cats: Tagging
Dr David Drew: [117425]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce
compulsory microchipping of domestic cats.
George Eustice:
Whilst we recommend that cat owners have their cats microchipped, there are no
plans to make this compulsory. Microchipping was made compulsory for dogs not just
to help reunite stray dogs with their owners, but also because stray dogs can
generate public safety and environmental issues.
Circuses: Animal Welfare
Dr David Drew: [117047]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans
to introduce legislative proposals to ban the use of animals in travelling circuses in the
current session of Parliament.
George Eustice:
The Government’s policy is to introduce a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling
circuses as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In the interim, the welfare of any wild
animals still being used by travelling circuses in England is protected by the Welfare
of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit
Matthew Pennycook: [116813]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent
estimate he has made of the additional funding required by his Department over the next
two years to prepare effectively for the UK leaving the EU.
George Eustice:
Like all departments, Defra is planning for a number of scenarios to make sure we
are ready to leave the EU. Over £250m of additional funding has already been
approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit. Defra has
received additional funding this year, and has reprioritised to meet new pressures
arising from Brexit preparations. The additional funding received from the Reserve for
2017/18 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates. The costs of preparing to leave
the EU in 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years will be affected by negotiations over
the coming months and will be agreed with HM Treasury in early 2018.
Dogs: Animal Breeding
Michelle Donelan: [117243]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is
taking to modernise the licensing scheme for dog breeding and selling to improve the
welfare of dogs.
George Eustice:
In February, Defra published its proposals to update the laws that regulate the
breeding and selling of dogs to improve their welfare. The proposals are currently
being finalised and a Statutory Instrument should be laid before Parliament next year.
Food: USA
Dr David Drew: [117049]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment
he has made of the potential effect on (a) food standards and (b) salmonella rates in eggs
of a free trade agreement with the United States.
George Eustice:
No specific assessment of these issues has been made. It is too early to say exactly
what would be covered in a future deal with the United States. Leaving the EU is a
golden opportunity for us to secure bold and ambitious trade agreements that work
for consumers, farmers, and businesses in the UK. We will not water down our
standards as part of any future trade deals.
Pigmeat: UK Trade with EU
Jim Shannon: [117024]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions
his Department has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on assessing
current EU non-tariff barriers on pig products.
George Eustice:
Ministers and officials meet their counterparts in the Department for International
Trade on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues in trade policy. Leaving the EU
is a golden opportunity to secure bold and ambitious trade agreements that work for
consumers, farmers and businesses in the UK. We will not water down our standards
as part of any future trade deals.
Pigs: Antibiotics
Jim Shannon: [117025]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions
his Department has had with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate on retaining the use of
antibiotics in medicated feed for the prevention of disease in the pig sector.
George Eustice:
Defra, through its Executive Agency, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), is
working with the livestock industry and the animal feed sector to ensure good
stewardship of antibiotics, regardless of the administration route, notably through the
Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA). In the pig sector, the
VMD is a member of the Pig Health and Welfare Council’s antimicrobial usage
subgroup and provides the secretariat.
In October, RUMA published sector specific antibiotic use reduction targets. The
targets for the pig sector noted that the need for targeted prophylaxis will remain to
protect the health and welfare of pigs but that habitual or routine prophylaxis (a “just
in case” approach) should be rapidly phased out. The Government endorses these
antibiotic use reduction targets.
Primates: Animal Welfare
Kerry McCarthy: [116734]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently the
Code of Practice for the welfare of privately kept non-human primates has been
reviewed; and if he will include that code in his Department’s review of other statutory
animal welfare codes.
George Eustice:
There is no date set for the review of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately
Kept Non-human Primates (the primate code) as the code is current and does not
need updating. The welfare codes for cats, dogs and horses are currently being
reviewed because they are in greater need of being updated. The primate code is
available for local authorities to use in any situations where they have concerns about
the welfare of such animals.
Primates: Sales
Kerry McCarthy: [116732]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his
Department provides to local authorities on licensing for business selling pets on the sale
of primates.
George Eustice:
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already against the law to keep primates in
the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. In addition,
the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-human Primates
provides keepers with advice on how to meet the welfare needs of their animals, as
required under the 2006 Act.
My department is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply
minimum standards to online pet advertising on five of the main websites. The
standards include a requirement to remove any adverts for primates. We are also
updating the licensing regime for certain activities involving animals including pet
shops and other pet sellers. Under the new plans businesses selling pets, including
those selling online, will be required to give buyers written information about the
animals they buy with details of how to meet the five welfare needs of their pets
under the 2006 Act.
In the meantime, if anyone has any concerns about the welfare of a particular primate
they should report it to the relevant local authority who have powers to investigate
such matters, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate.
EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION
Brexit: Impact Assessments
Tom Brake: [116332]
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what guidance his
Department provided to other Government departments on what information they should
retain or redact in the impact assessments they were providing on the UK leaving the EU;
and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker:
Our analysis is not, nor has it ever been, a series of sectoral impact assessments
examining the quantitative impact of Brexit.
In order to meet the motion of 1st November, we have taken time to bring together
the sectoral analyses in a way that is accessible and informative to the Committee.
We have provided a vast amount of factual information to help the Committees in
their scrutiny whilst respecting our overriding duty to the national interest.
Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed in a motion in
December 2016, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating
position. As such, the sectoral reports do not contain material that we judge would
undermine the UK’s hand in the negotiations, or material that is commercially or
market sensitive.
Tom Brake: [116337]
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, who made the
determination that it was not in the public interest to retain in the sectoral analyses the
information that has been redacted from them; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker:
In order to meet the motion of 1st November, we have taken time to bring together
the sectoral analyses in a way that is accessible and informative to the Committee.
We have provided a vast amount of factual information to help the Committees in
their scrutiny whilst respecting our overriding duty to the national interest.
Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to
release information that would undermine our negotiating position. As such, the
sectoral reports do not contain material that we judge would undermine the UK’s
hand in the negotiations, or material that is commercially or market sensitive.
Trade Agreements
Bill Esterson: [116309]
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of
20 November 2017 to Question 112323, on trade agreements, how many of the
organisations listed in that Answer have made representations to him on the priority given
by the Government to a trade deal with the EU.
Mr Robin Walker:
Negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, greater in scope
than any such agreement before, is a priority for the Government as we leave the EU.
Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our plan to build a national
consensus around our negotiating position.
We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the
economy, in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. The Government is
committed to the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for the
entirety of the UK economy.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
Bahrain: Trials
Tom Brake: [116688]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what
representations he has made to his counterparts in the Bahraini Government on fairness
of the first trial of civilians in secret military courts in Bahrain in October 2017 .
Alistair Burt:
We have raised this issue with the Bahraini authorities. We continue to encourage
Bahrain to live up to its international and domestic human rights obligations.
Kurds: Foreign Relations
Jack Lopresti: [116922]
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the reasons
are for changing the name of the British Consulate General in the Kurdistan region to the
British Consulate General Erbil on his Department's Facebook page; and what his policy
is on UK relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Alistair Burt:
The British Consulate General in Erbil has not changed its name. Its Facebook page
was recently changed from a monolingual (English) to a bilingual (English and
Kurdish) version. Subsequently, the Kurdish name on the site was shortened as the
previous title exceeded the maximum allowed characters in Kurdish. The British
Consulate General in Erbil has informed local media and officials of the change. The
British Government continues to support the security, stability and prosperity of the
Kurdistan Region within a unified Iraq.
HEALTH
Ambulance Services
Dr David Drew: [117046]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many fatalities have occurred when
patients were (a) waiting for an ambulance to arrive and (b) in transit to a health facility,
broken down by Ambulance Trust, for each of the last five years for which figures are
available.
Mr Philip Dunne:
The data is not held centrally.
Department of Health: Brexit
Matthew Pennycook: [116806]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the
additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare
effectively for the UK leaving the EU.
Mr Philip Dunne:
As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury is making £3 billion of
additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 2018/19 and
2019/20 – so that departments and the devolved administrations can continue to
prepare effectively for Brexit. We are currently working with HM Treasury and
Department for Exiting the European Union to establish what we need to prepare
effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to
agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Funding requirements for 2019/20 will be
affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a
later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at
Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
Department of Health: ICT
Justin Madders: [117357]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether electronic communications from hon.
Members to Ministers of his Department are passed through any third parties before they
reach their recipient.
Mr Philip Dunne:
Electronic communications from hon. Members to Ministers of the Department are
not passed through any external third parties. Emails from hon. Members are
managed by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit.
Health Services: Dementia
Dr Lisa Cameron: [R] [116707]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure there are
adequate numbers of NHS staff to care for people with dementia and what estimate he
has made of the number of staff that will be required in each of the next 5 years
Jackie Doyle-Price:
Given the range of professions which might support a person with dementia, which
includes therapists, general practitioners, consultants, psychiatrists, and social care
staff, we have not made any central estimates of the number of staff that will be
required to care for people with dementia in the next five years. At a national level,
we have published a Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework,
launched in October 2015, to help ensure staff have the right skills. The Framework
was commissioned and funded by the Department and developed by Skills for Health
and Health Education England (HEE) in partnership with Skills for Care. Development
of the framework was guided by an Expert Group including a wide range of health
and social care organisations, relevant Royal Colleges and education providers.
The Framework sets out the core skills and knowledge which would be transferable
and applicable across different types of service provision for people with dementia. It
includes expected learning outcomes for training delivery, key policy and legal
references and is aligned to related national occupational standards. The Framework
is intended to ensure the quality and consistency of dementia training, and to help
prevent unnecessary duplication of training.
Under the Government’s mandate to HEE, HEE will ensure that Tier 1 (awareness
raising) dementia training opportunities and tools are available to all National Health
Service staff by the end of 2018. Within the Government’s Dementia 2020 Challenge
we are considering how to extend tier 2 training to all staff across health and care
settings who are involved in care for people with dementia.
Health Services: Pharmacy
Michael Tomlinson: [116804]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of (a)
GP appointments and (b) A&E admissions that could have been treated by a pharmacy in
2016.
Steve Brine:
The Department does not hold an estimate of this for this timeframe.
Mental Health Services: Nurses
Dr Lisa Cameron: [R] [117114]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to increase take-up
of mental health specialty nursing training.
Mr Philip Dunne:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2017 to Question
112851.
NHS Trusts
Royston Smith: [117038]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps is he taking to ensure that NHS
Trusts provide value for money.
Mr Philip Dunne:
One of the seven key principles in the NHS Constitution is the commitment to
providing the most effective, fair and sustainable use of finite resources. NHS
Improvement’s Single Oversight Framework (SOF) sets out how NHS Improvement
oversee National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts. The framework
helps determine where providers may benefit from, or require, improvement support if
they are to meet the standards expected of them in a safe and sustainable way.
Under the SOF, NHS Improvement oversee and support providers in improving
financial sustainability, efficiency and value for money. NHS Improvement also
consider how efficiently a provider uses its resources more broadly, and how
financially sustainable it is over the longer term.
Royston Smith: [117039]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS
Trusts are not over-charged by private sector contractors and suppliers.
Royston Smith: [117040]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS Trusts are required to review their
procurement contracts with independent providers at periodic intervals.
Mr Philip Dunne:
The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure National Health Service
trusts are not over-charged by private sector contractors and suppliers. The
Department maintains standard NHS Terms and Conditions for NHS trusts to use
when procuring goods and services. They are published on the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-standard-terms-and-conditions-of-
contract-for-the-purchase-of-goods-and-supply-of-services
In addition, the Department has developed a full suite of tools and templates,
including Invitation to Tender (ITT) documentation for NHS trusts to use when
entering into contracts with suppliers. The Commercial Schedule within the ITT
documentation includes a pricing model and connected questions, which enable NHS
trusts to understand supplier pricing.
The tools and templates are underpinned by an NHS Guide to Procurement. This
provides guidance on drafting an effective specification, setting evaluation criteria in
line with the principle of ‘most economical advantageous tender’, and devising a
robust pricing model (for use when the template provided is not appropriate for the
procurement).
By using the standard NHS Terms and Conditions, the NHS Guide to Procurement
and the suite of tools and templates, NHS trusts can ensure suppliers submit
competitive tenders. Additionally, NHS trusts are also encouraged to use frameworks,
such as those procured on behalf of Government by the Crown Commercial Service,
enabling them to benefit from consolidated buying arrangements.
The NHS Terms and Conditions guidance document accompanies the NHS Terms
and Conditions. Through this guidance document, the Department advises NHS
trusts to include in the specification, general requirements as well as key areas such
as key performance indicators and conducting periodic contract review meetings to
review contractor performance.
NHS: Migrant Workers
Gill Furniss: [116898]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential
effect of the recent fall in EU immigration on trends in NHS recruitment during Winter
2017.
Mr Philip Dunne:
The latest data available from NHS Digital shows as at June 2017 there was an
increase of over 5% in the number of EU27 nationals employed in NHS trusts and
clinical commissioning groups compared with June 2016.
Ensuring appropriate staffing over winter is essential. NHS England and NHS
Improvement have worked with the National Health Service to ensure that plans are
in place to meet the demands put on the service. This includes necessary staffing
levels.
As announced in the Autumn Budget, an extra £335 million, on top of the previously
announced £100 million will be provided to relieve pressure on accident and
emergency departments. An additional £1 billion of funding will be spent on meeting
adult social care needs, supporting the social care market and reducing pressure on
the NHS this year.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Anneliese Dodds: [116882]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Emergency Care Improvement
Programme team is taking to improve patient flow and urgent care services at Oxford
University Hospital's NHS Foundation in winter 2017.
Mr Philip Dunne:
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was included in the Emergency
Care Improvement Programme (ECIP) in October 2017. Since then, ECIP have
undertaken a range of actions with the Trust including:
- A gap analysis to improve patient flow with a written report including
recommendations;
- Identification of five key areas for improvement, supported by ECIP;
- A specific mental health review, as identified through the initial gap analysis; and
- The support of an ECIP improvement manager for two days each week.
Support in these areas is expected to be provided throughout winter 2017-18.
HOME OFFICE
Animal Experiments: Primates
Nic Dakin: [117107]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14
November 2017 to Question 112016 on Animal Experiments: Primates, what steps she
has taken to ensure that the harm benefit test in section 5B(3)(d) of the Animals
(Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the re-use provisions in section 14, can identify
effectively a non-human primate that has previously undergone procedures.
Mr Ben Wallace:
All non-human primates used under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (1986)
(ASPA), which have previously undergone procedures, can be effectively identified
through their individual history files. A file must be kept for each non-human primate
as required by Standard Condition 9 of establishment licences held under ASPA.
Such files will include a record of the programmes of work involving their use in
regulated procedures.
Section 14.1 of ASPA requires that a protected animal which has been subjected to
one or more regulated procedures under the Act, must not be used for a further
regulated procedure unless the Secretary of State has consented to such further use
and specified conditions are met.
Knives: Crime
Mr David Lammy: [116909]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to
reduce knife crime
Victoria Atkins:
Our work to tackle knife crime is centred on four key strands: working with the police
on operations and enforcement; work on the legislative framework; to work with
retailers on responsible sales of knives; and early intervention and prevention.
We are encouraging police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national
weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. It includes targeted
stop and searches, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from retailers, the use
of surrender bins, and educational activities. A record thirty-two police forces took
part in the week of action in July.
We have agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to prevent the underage
sales of knives in their stores and online. The agreement also covers staff training
and displays and packaging.
We are keeping the legislative framework under review and we have taken action to
ban zombie knives in August 2016. In addition on 14 October we launched a
consultation on new legislation on offensive weapons. The proposals include placing
restrictions on the online sale of knives, creating a new offence of possession of an
offensive or dangerous weapon in a private place, and updating existing legislation.
We have launched a community fund to support local communities to tackle knife
crime.
We are also supporting youth violence intervention and prevention work in hospital
emergency departments including supporting the voluntary sector organisation,
Redthread, undertake work in London hospitals and pilots its approach shortly in
Nottingham and Birmingham.
Organised Crime
Mr David Lammy: [116911]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to
tackle the (a) organised crime, (b) gang activity and (c) drug dealing across county
operating across county boundaries.
Victoria Atkins:
The Home Office is leading a cross-Government programme of work to tackle the
issue of county lines working with partners including the police and the National
Crime Agency.
We are taking a range of actions including: raising awareness in key sectors of the
threat of county lines; legislating to enable police to shut down the mobile phone lines
used to facilitate drug deals (the Drug Dealing Telecommunication Restriction
Orders); supporting local and strategic reviews to strengthen resilience in areas at
risk of county lines; and working with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to
take full advantage of powers in the Modern Slavery Act when making charging
decisions against county line gang members.
The Home Office provides support to tackle county lines in various ways; including
Publication of guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims
of county lines and appropriate referral routes; match funding reviews for local areas
facing new gang related threats including county lines; funding a pilot support service
for exploited young victims caught up in county lines drugs running between London
and Kent; funding through the EGVE Local Projects Fund delivering legislation to
provide police and the NCA with the power to go to court to seek closure of phone
numbers involved in county lines drug dealing.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Developing Countries: HIV Infection
Catherine West: [116745]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish her
Department's policy on HIV/Aids.
Alistair Burt:
The UK is a global leader in tackling HIV and proud to be the second largest
international investor in the response.
Through our investments we will continue to concentrate on reducing new infections
while addressing the barriers that limit access to prevention, treatment, care and
support. These include strengthening health systems and tackling the broader drivers
of the epidemic such as stigma, discrimination and gender inequality. DFID have no
immediate plans for publishing a stand-alone policy.
Fairtrade Initiative
Dr David Drew: [117056]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to
increase awareness of the Fairtrade Mark.
Rory Stewart:
The UK Government is a long-term partner of the Fairtrade movement, which plays a
crucial role in helping producers around the world improve their lives. DFID is
currently supporting the pilot of Fairtrace, a supply chain mapping programme run
with Fairtrade’s supply chain assurance partner. This work will help Fairtrade
continue to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their products, that workers
receive better wages, and that agricultural practices are more sustainable.
International AIDS Conference
Catherine West: [116824]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to attend
the International AIDS Conference in July 2018.
Alistair Burt:
The UK Government will be represented at the International AIDS Conference in
Amsterdam in July 2018. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.
Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund
Catherine West: [116744]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to
increase the UK contribution to the Robert Carr Network Fund for civil society.
Alistair Burt:
The UK is proud to be a founding supporter of the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks
Fund and has pledged up to £9million to support the grassroots response for
inadequately served groups affected by HIV. We will look at future funding once this
current commitment comes to an end.
JUSTICE
Prison Sentences: Wales
Carolyn Harris: [116829]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Welsh women have been sentenced
to prison in the last 12 months.
Carolyn Harris: [116832]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of Welsh women
sentenced to prison per month is.
Dr Phillip Lee:
The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on which country within the United
Kingdom British citizens identify with. However, the number of female offenders
sentenced to custody at all courts in Wales, in 2016, by month, can be viewed in the
table below. Due to this, we cannot separately identify which of these women identify
as Welsh.
FEMALE OFFENDERS SENTENCED TO IMMEDIATE CUSTODY AT ALL COURTS, WALES, 2016, BY
MONTH (1)(2)
Sentenced Of which immediate custody
January 2,167 47
February 2,344 47
March 2,522 52
April 2,344 53
May 2,295 48
June 2,574 50
July 1,983 63
August 2,577 53
September 2,377 65
October 1,996 53
November 2,289 51
December 1,753 41
Total 27,201 623
(1) The sentence shown is the most severe sentence given for the principal offence
(i.e. the principal sentence), secondary sentences given for the principal offence and
sentences for non-principal offences are not counted in the tables.
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and
complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from
large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a
consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their
inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending
so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. We also
are developing a strategy for female offenders, in England and Wales, to improve
outcomes for women in the community and custody.
SCOTLAND
Scotland Office: Brexit
Tom Brake: [116703]
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much time his Department spent in
compiling impact assessments and other material for the sectoral analyses it provided to
the Department for Exiting the European Union; how many FTE staff hours were
dedicated to that compilation; and on what date his Department started and concluded its
work on that compilation.
David Mundell:
The Government has collated over 800 pages of analysis for the committees.
As we have said before, the “58 impact assessments” requested in the motion do not
exist in the form Parliament requested. We have taken time to bring together
information in a way that meets Parliament’s specific ask.
With regards to how many FTE staff hours were dedicated to the compilation, the
Department does not hold this information in the form requested.
The Department for Exiting the European Union has satisfied the motion passed in
the House of Commons by bringing together information for these reports. The
Committee on Exiting the EU voted on Wednesday 6 December that the
Government’s response to the resolution of the House of 1 November has complied
with the terms of that resolution.
TRANSPORT
Aviation
Christine Jardine: [116917]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria control the number of night
flights arriving at and departing from airports, and, with reference to the Civil Aviation
Authority's recent assessment of Edinburgh Airport's proposed new flight path, whether
that Airport has reached capacity for night flights.
Mr John Hayes:
Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports are designated for the purpose of noise
regulation under the Civil Aviation Act 1982. The Government sets night flight
restrictions at these airports through a noise quota and a movement limit.
For all other UK airports, operating restrictions such as on night flights are agreed at
the local level, usually through the planning process.
With regard to the assessment of Edinburgh Airport’s proposed new flight paths by
the Civil Aviation Authority, this assessment related to airspace changes and not the
capacity of the airport at night.
Biofuels
Emma Hardy: [116691]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's
consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017, for
what reasons the cap on bio-fuels will be reduced from 4 per cent to 2 per cent.
Emma Hardy: [116692]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's
consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017,
what comparative assessment he has made of the competitiveness of 2 per cent crop
cap in the UK with a 7 per cent crop cap in EU countries.
Emma Hardy: [116693]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Renewable Transport
Fuels Obligation, what processes are in place to allow for the amending of the crop cap
after its planned promulgation.
Emma Hardy: [116694]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's
consultation on Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, published in September 2017, if he
will make an assessment of the efficacy of the crop cap two years after the changes to
that cap are implemented.
Jesse Norman:
The Government consulted on a range of options for limiting the contribution from
crop based biofuels towards the renewable fuel target for transport, from zero to the
maximum seven per cent allowed under EU Directive 2015/1513. The consultation
and the Government response are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-transport-fuel-obligations-
order-government-response and include analysis of the costs and benefits of the
proposals, including the impacts on the competitiveness of UK industry through an
estimate of the gross value added to the UK economy by the biofuels industry under
the proposed amendments.
We intend to cap the contribution from crop-based biofuels at four per cent in 2018,
reducing to three per cent in 2026 and two per cent in 2032. Reducing the
contribution from crop-based biofuels in this way will signal that we want to see future
investment focus on the most sustainable fuels made from wastes and residues,
while ensuring a continuing market for the UK’s existing bioethanol producers.
According to research published by the European Commission in 2015, titled “The
land use change impact of biofuels consumed in the EU, Quantification of area and
greenhouse gas impacts”, crop biofuel usage at 7% of transport energy could result
in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the legislation providing for these changes to the
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) will provide for a review to ensure the
policy aims are being met. If required after the review further amendments could then
be proposed.
Cycling: Safety
Heidi Alexander: [116932]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to commence the second
phase of the review of cycle safety announced on 21 September, into wider road safety
issues.
Jesse Norman:
The Department expects to publish a Call for Evidence early in 2018. Preliminary
discussions regarding Phase Two have already started.
Department for Transport: Brexit
Matthew Pennycook: [116811]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the
additional funding required by his Department over the next two years to prepare
effectively for the UK leaving the EU.
Mr John Hayes:
As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, HMT is making £3 billion of additional funding
available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 18/19 and 19/20 – so that
departments and the Devolved Administrations can continue to prepare effectively for
Brexit. We are currently working with HMT and DExEU to establish what we need to
prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury
will aim to agree 2018/19 allocations in early 2018. Funding requirements for 19/20
will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided
at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at
Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
Driving Tests
Grahame Morris: [116846]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the new Approved Driving Instructor
Part 3 Test will be introduced.
Jesse Norman:
The regulations were laid before Parliament on 1 December 2017. The Approved
Driving Instructor Part 3 test will be implemented from 23 December 2017.
Public Transport: Disability
Sir Edward Davey: [116723]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the response to his
Department’s consultation on the draft transport accessibility action plan.
Paul Maynard:
We plan to publish the Government response in early 2018, following careful analysis
of the responses received to the consultation which closed on Wednesday 22
November.
Railway Stations: Golborne
Jo Platt: [116989]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made
of the (a) feasibility, (b) cost and (c) social and economic benefit of reopening Golborne
railway station.
Paul Maynard:
The Department has made no such assessment at the current time regarding re-
opening Golborne railway station.
However, the Government is working with local authorities and other partners to
identify the best new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth,
ease overcrowding, meet future demand and offer good value for money.
Railways: Greater Manchester
Jo Platt: [116706]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November
2017 to Question 114759, on railways: Greater Manchester, how Leigh will benefit from
improved rail connectivity in the Greater Manchester area.
Paul Maynard:
Leigh will benefit from the improvements to be delivered to services at its nearest rail
stations including Atherton, which will see an increase in the level of weekday train
service to four trains per hour using newly refurbished trains.
Shipping: Ownership
Grahame Morris: [116940]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November
2017 to Question 113639, on shipping: ownership, how many of the vessels on each of
the three routes in the table are registered on (a) the UK Ship Register, (b) a Red Ensign
Group register, (c) EEA register or (d) non-EEA register.
Mr John Hayes:
Figures for the number of vessels operating on each route in 2016 by registration are
shown in the table.
REGISTER
UK Ship Register Another Red
Ensign Group
(REG) register
Another EEA
country register
A non-EEA
country and non-
REG register
Vessels which
carried cargo
between a UK
port and a UK
offshore oil and
gas terminal or
platform in 2016
60 30 110 100
Vessels which
carried cargo on
domestic routes to
or from UK ports
in 2016 (excluding
between UK ports
and UK offshore
oil and gas
terminals covered
in 1. above)
80 60 390 360
Vessels operating
on domestic or
international short
sea passenger
services to or from
UK ports in 2016
20 10 80 10
Source: Based on DfT port freight and sea passenger statistics, and IHS Global fleet
data.
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 vessels. A single vessel may operate on
any combination of the routes shown. Registration was unavailable for a small
number of vessels. Figures shown here for the Red Ensign Group do not include the
UK Ship Register, which is shown separately in the table.
Tonnage Tax
Grahame Morris: [116933]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November
2017 to Question 113639, on shipping: ownership, how many of the vessels on each of
the three routes in the table are in company groups which qualify for the Tonnage Tax
scheme.
Mr John Hayes:
It is not possible to identify which companies qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme
from the information held by the department.
For example, information on whether a company operates ships which are
strategically and commercially managed in the UK, which is a requirement to be a
qualifying company for the Tonnage Tax scheme, is not held for companies not
currently part of the scheme.
WOMEN AND EQUALITIES
Disability: Bullying
Chris Elmore: [116314]
To ask the Women & Equalities Minister, what discussions she has had with Cabinet
colleagues about the scale of bullying of disabled people.
Nick Gibb:
Government responsibility for disability matters resides with the Office of Disability
Issues within the Department for Work and Pensions. My Rt hon. Friend, the Minister
for Women and Equalities, has not had specific discussions with cabinet colleagues
on the scale of bullying of disabled people.
The Government does not tolerate bullying in any form and any sector of our society.
Under the Equality Act 2010, ‘unwanted or prohibited conduct’ related to a protected
characteristic (including disability) that violates an individual’s dignity or creates an
intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, is
unlawful. Bullying behaviour may also, in some circumstances, be proscribed by the
victimisation provisions of the Act.
The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) record the number of calls they
receive about harassment and victimisation of disabled people. They reported that
between 1 October 2016, when the current EASS contract started, and 31 October
2017 there were 590 contacts from disabled people about harassment or
victimisation, out of a total of 11,817 disability-related calls.
Employment: HIV Infection
Rosie Duffield: [117352]
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many cases of HIV-related workplace
discrimination have been reported, in each of the last three years.
Nick Gibb:
The Employment Tribunal Service case management system does not collect or hold
the level of detail of information requested, which could only be obtained from the
paper records of each tribunal office.
People with HIV are automatically considered disabled for the purposes of the
Equality Act 2010 and afforded all the relevant protections under its provisions, which
make it unlawful to discriminate against people because of a disability in matters of
employment, education and the provision of goods and services.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Personal Independence Payment
Toby Perkins: [116936]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who previously
qualified for disability living allowance have not been awarded personal independence
payments following assessments by Capita.
Toby Perkins: [116939]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of
any difference between the proportion of personal independence payment claims that are
unsuccessful following assessment by Atos and Capita.
Sarah Newton:
DWP case managers make decisions on all claims based on the PIP2 questionnaire
completed by the claimant, any additional evidence they have submitted, the report
from the assessment provider and any additional information the assessment
provider has requested, for example information from the claimant’s GP.
The table below shows the number of claimants who have undergone a Disability
Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment with
our assessment providers, IAS and Capita. We previously answered this question for
IAS under PQ 109416.
Table 1: Outcomes of DLA to PIP reassessments after assessment by Assessment
Provider to 31st July 2017
DISALLOWED AFTER ASSESSMENT AWARDED TOTAL DISALLOWANCE RATE
IAS (Atos) 125,680 523,800 649,480 19%
Capita 64,280 198,220 262,500 24%
Total 189,960 722,020 911,980 21%
The figures are the outcome of the first DWP decision on each DLA to PIP
reassessment claim assessed under Normal Rules only, prior to any reconsideration,
appeal action and award review, after the claimant underwent an assessment by IAS
or Capita. Figures include decisions made between 8th April 2013 and 31st July 2017
as recorded on Department systems. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10
and are for Great Britain only.
The Department is committed to ensuring PIP claimants receive a high quality
functional assessment. We continue to work closely to ensure a consistent approach
is being taken across the country.
We closely monitor assessment providers to make sure that the quality of the service,
that the nurses, physiotherapists and other health professionals who carry out the
assessments provide, is as high as it should be. We are continually working with the
assessment providers to further improve the quality of assessments, including clinical
coaching, feedback and support available to each assessor. The Department has put
in place an independent audit of assessments to ensure that the advice provided to
the Department's decision makers is of suitable quality, fully explained and justified.
In addition, there are other safeguards in place to ensure correct decisions are made,
such as DWP decision makers being able to ask the provider for clarification or
advice or returning the report to the provider if they believe that it does not provide
sufficient information for them to make a decision.
Personal Independence Payment: Complaints
Toby Perkins: [116935]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been
made to his Department about Capita assessments for personal independence payments
in each of the last five years.
Sarah Newton:
When the Department receives a complaint regarding a Personal Independence
Payment (PIP) assessment these are passed directly to Capita to provide a
response. DWP do not collect data on these cases. Capita advise that they have
received the following complaints regarding PIP: 2013 - 16.5% of caseload; 2014 -
3.8% caseload; 2015 – 1.1% caseload; 2016 – 1.5% caseload and 2017 (to October)
- 1.6% caseload. These are inclusive of those cases received by DWP and forwarded
on to Capita.
MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS
HEALTH
Thyroid Gland: Diseases
Royston Smith: [116477]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what medicines NHS England has approved for
patients with thyroid conditions
An error has been identified in the written answer given on 7 December 2017. The
correct answer should have been:
Steve Brine:
For unbranded generics the Government relies on completion to keep prices down
which generally works well and has led to low prices of these medicines. We alert the
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) when we believe that competition does not
work. In the case of liothyronine, the CMA is currently investigating Concordia’s
potential abuse of its dominant position to overcharge the National Health Service for
liothyronine.
In primary care community pharmacies are incentivised to source products at the
lowest possible cost by allowing them to retain the medicines margin (the difference
between what the NHS reimburses a pharmacy for a product and how much the
pharmacy purchases it for) up to £800 million in England. In secondary care,
competitive tenders ensure value-for-money to the NHS.
NHS England is not responsible for approving medicines. The Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring
that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe. The National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence makes recommendations for the
National Health Service on whether medicines and other treatments represent a
clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources.A list of medicines licensed
by the MHRA for the treatment of thyroid conditions is attached. The list is split
into two sections because thyroid conditions can be split into either those
associated with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), or an underactive
thyroid (hypothyroidism). The list contains only those medicines licensed for
overactive and underactive thyroid. It should be noted that not all of the
medicines listed will be available on the market at any one time.
Attachments:
1. 2017 12 06 Thyroid medicines formatted.xls