Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will estimate the total (a) legal and (b) other costs to the public purse of conducting trade negotiations after the UK has provided notice under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty of its intention to leave the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has also established a Department for Exiting the European Union for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the proportion of each Sustainability and Transformation Plan area's total place-based target allocation was calculated.
Answered by George Freeman
The proportion was calculated by adding together the place-based target allocation in 2020/21 for each of the clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas within a Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprint, and expressing that total as a percentage of the total national place-based target allocation in 2020/21.
Figures by CCG area for place-based target allocations are available at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/total-place-allocations.pdf
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what accountability mechanics are in place related to decisions in Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints.
Answered by George Freeman
Each Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint is convened by a senior leader who has agreed to chair and lead the meetings on behalf of their peers. Each footprint has agreed its own governance and representation, depending on local circumstances and to ensure that all relevant National Health Service bodies and partners are included. An STP footprint supports organisations to come together to agree how best to improve and sustain services and health for their local populations.
The local, statutory architecture for health and care remains. The arm's length bodies Regional Directors will retain accountability for delivery in their regions. Existing accountabilities for Chief Executives of provider organisations and Accountable Officers of Clinical Commissioning Groups are unchanged.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the legal status is of the changes to health and social care proposed in Sustainability and Transformation Plans.
Answered by George Freeman
The Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) has no legal basis. Any plans submitted will be proposals that will form the basis for discussion. Depending on the level of local and national agreement, they may form the basis for further plans and actions that will be subject to the same legal and best practice requirements that govern the National Health Service.
The local, statutory architecture for health and care remains, as do the existing accountabilities for Chief Executives of provider organisations and Accountable Officers of clinical commissioning groups. Organisations are still accountable for their individual organisational plans, which should form part of the first year of their footprint’s STP.
The June STP submissions will be work-in-progress, and as such we do not anticipate the requirement for formal approval from boards and/or consultation at this early stage. Plans have no status until they are agreed. When plans are ready, normal rules around engagement and public consultation will apply.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the position of people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection who are significantly over tariff and assessed as low or medium risk.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
I refer the Rt. Hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave for PQ 38441, answered on 6 June 2016.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards in place for considering fee waiver applications.
Answered by James Brokenshire
There are no service standards for fee waiver applications.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to decide fee waiver applications in the last 12 months.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The average time taken between January 2015 and December 2015 to consider whether an application meets the fee waiver requirements is 95 calendar days. These results represent the time taken with both asylum and non asylum based fee waiver considerations.
January 2015 – December 2015 was taken as the 12 month time frame to fall in line with data that is published.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards for considering applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life.
Answered by James Brokenshire
There are no service standards for a change of conditions application.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to decide applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life during the last 12 months.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The average time taken between January 2015 and December 2015 to consider whether an application meets the requirements to change a condition code is 83 calendar days.
January 2015 – December 2015 was taken as the 12 month time frame to fall in line with data that is published.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of and access for horse riders on roads and bridlepaths.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department takes every opportunity to remind motorists of their responsibilities towards vulnerable road users - including horse riders - through publications such as the Highway Code and THINK! Road Safety campaigns. THINK! officials are currently working with the British Horse Society following their recently launched ‘Dead Slow’ campaign. Plans for the summer include publicity on TV, radio, online and social media advising motorists on how to pass horses safely.
We do not provide advice on access to bridleways, as this falls within the remit of Natural England (a non-departmental public body).