Every parliamentary written question tabled by Esther McVey this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 296 · this parliament
How many public contracts awarded by her Department since 5 July 2024 have been awarded to companies with offshore tax arrangements.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Where it makes business sense to do so, HM Treasury procures goods and services via Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework agreements. Suppliers on those agreements must comply with the requirements of Procurement Policy Note 03/2014.
How many procurement contracts awarded by her Department since 5 July 2024 have been terminated due to non-performance.
No contracts awarded by HM Treasury since 5 July 2024 have been terminated for that reason.
How many and what proportion of public contracts awarded by his Department since 5 July 2024 have been awarded to (a) British SMEs and (b) companies based abroad.
The Department of Business and Trade has awarded and published 167 contracts over £10,000 ex VAT since 5 July 2024; 44 of which were to UK based SMEs, and 22 to companies based abroad.
How many procurement contracts awarded by her Department since 5 July 2024 have been awarded without competitive tendering.
No contracts covered by the Public Contracts Regulations have been awarded by HM Treasury since 5 July 2024 without competitive tendering.
What information his Department holds on the number of public sector projects contracted by his Department that have had cost overruns due to mandatory net zero requirements since 5 July 2024.
This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Whether she plans to increase the powers of the Child Maintenance Service to obtain accurate data on self-employed parents.
For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid.Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the CMS is given. The FIU uses its extensive investigative powers to ensure that families receive child maintenance appropriately and in accordance with the paying parent’s whole income.If necessary, criminal charges relating to information offences linked to the calculation, will be brought against those who persistently and deliberately evade their responsibility to provide financially for their children.The department is conducting a programme of work to review the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review is wide-ranging and includes consideration of a range of issues including bringing the treatment of unearned income and assets within the calculation automatically. Proposed changes which emerge from the review will be subject to consultation.
With reference to the information on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) claim process, published by the NHS Business Services Authority, if he will publish the past tribunal decisions and case law used to assess applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) appeals are heard by the First-tier Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. The tribunal does not publish these decisions as they are non-binding and contain personal information.First-tier tribunal decisions do not set a precedent for other cases. All claims to the VDPS are assessed on a case-by-case basis, using the latest available medical evidence. Medical assessors will consider: the claim form; medical records from the vaccinated person’s healthcare providers; clinical research; epidemiological evidence; and the current consensus of expert medical opinion.
What assessment she has made of (a) how often family court proceedings are delayed on the day of the hearing and (b) the reason for those delays.
His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service does not currently hold this data but a pilot of digital reforms in the family court is due to be rolled out later this year for private law proceedings and data on delays to court hearings will then be available.
With reference to the Prime Minister's Office press release entitled Over two million extra NHS appointments delivered early as trusts handed £40 million to go further and faster, published on 16 February 2025, if he will publish the evidence base for the announcement.
Information related to the baseline and methodology for the additional appointments delivered is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/recovery-of-elective_activity-mi/
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23741 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, if he will publish (a) the questions posed to Pfizer/BioNTech and (b) the answers received that do not relate to commercially confidential issues.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not intend to publish these questions, or any subsequent responses received from the manufacturers. It is routine practice for regulatory authorities to ask developers of new medicines and vaccines a series of technical questions based on their data submissions. These technical discussions can cover a range of issues, including commercially confidential issues such as manufacturing methods, and as such they are not published. However, the final outcome of the assessment, including a comprehensive summary of evidence for quality, safety, and efficacy, is published in the form of a Public Assessment Report, which has been published on the GOV.UK website, and which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/summary-public-assessment-report-for-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine We recognise that there is a public interest in the disclosure of commercial informationrelating to the authorisations of the COVID-19 vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.Due to the technical context of the 36 questions posed to Pfizer and BioNTech and any response that they may have issued, disclosure of such correspondence would risk compromising an existing competitive market environment, which would harm the reputation of the MHRA amongst pharmaceutical manufacturers and potentially disincentivise them from seeking an authorisation for the United Kingdom for highly beneficial new medicines or medical devices.
How many residential properties have been purchased in preparation for HS2 Phase 2b; and what proportion of these have been vacant for longer than six months in Tatton Constituency.
720 residential properties in total have been acquired on the former HS2 Phase 2b route. Of these, 59 are in the Tatton constituency, of which 19 have been vacant for more than six months.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department provides guidance to chief executives of local authorities on attending meetings with Rt hon. and hon. Members.
The department does not issue such guidance. Councils are independent, democratic bodies accountable to the communities they serve.
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23741 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, for what reason the MHRA has temporarily withdrawn the collection of minutes from the Commission on Human Medicines' Vaccine Benefit Risk Expert Working Group (meetings between 25 August 2020 and 5 May 2023).
To ensure the accuracy of redactions within the minutes in question the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has temporarily withdrawn the meeting minutes of the Vaccine Benefit Risk Expert Working Group to ensure accurate and transparent records.The MHRA anticipates republishing all minutes as soon as possible.For further transparency, when the minutes are republished, an alert will be sent to all subscribers who have registered for updates to the GOV.UK website for content of this type. I have also asked the rt hon member is alerted.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 22602 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, for what reason the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not intend to publish this information.
It is routine practice for regulatory authorities to ask developers of new medicines and vaccines technical questions based on their data submissions. These technical questions can cover a range of issues, including commercially confidential issues such as manufacturing methods, and they are not published.The final outcome of the assessment, including the comprehensive summary of the evidence for quality, safety and efficacy, is published in the form of a Public Assessment Report, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/summary-public-assessment-report-for-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure biodiversity net gain is not used to override protections afforded to Local Wildlife Sites and other designated nature sites.
Development is restricted on sites which are designated for environmental or amenity value, and the National Planning Policy Framework requires local plans to identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife-rich habitats and wider ecological networks, including the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity.Biodiversity Net Gain is additional to these protections for nature and only required on new development that needs planning permission, therefore only applying on designated nature sites in the very limited circumstances where such development is permitted.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of planning protections afforded to Local Wildlife Sites in the in the update to the National Planning Policy Framework.
The powers secured through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 would allow Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment to be replaced with a new framework of Environmental Outcomes Reports.The government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need and will consider how best to reform environmental assessment with this objective in mind. Alongside, reforming building regulations, we will carefully consider how Environmental Outcomes Reports can be used to support our wider carbon reduction targets. In the meantime, the current legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.
With reference to paragraph 3.6 of the minutes of the Covid-19 Vaccine Benefit Risk Expert Working Group held on 18 November 2020, if he will publish (a) the 36 questions posed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to Pfizer/BioNTech and (b) any response received from that company.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not intend to publish these questions, or any subsequent responses received from the manufacturers.
What steps he is taking to increase the efficiency of supplying medication at hospital discharge to ensure faster discharge.
The Department and NHS England recognise the need for patients who are ready to go home to be discharged as quick as possible, both for their benefit and to improve the efficiency of hospitals. Information on the average wait time for hospital patients to be provided with medication at the point of discharge is not held centrally by NHS England, and it is the responsibility of individual trusts to monitor discharge and medication efficiency. To support hospitals on improving processes, guidance has been published, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/improving-hospital-discharge/
What the average wait time is for hospital patients to be provided with medications at discharge.
The Department and NHS England recognise the need for patients who are ready to go home to be discharged as quick as possible, both for their benefit and to improve the efficiency of hospitals. Information on the average wait time for hospital patients to be provided with medication at the point of discharge is not held centrally by NHS England, and it is the responsibility of individual trusts to monitor discharge and medication efficiency. To support hospitals on improving processes, guidance has been published, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/improving-hospital-discharge/
What steps he plans to take to make the hospital discharge process more efficient.
The Government will improve hospital discharge processes, to tackle delayed discharges, and to make sure people do not spend longer than necessary in hospital, freeing up hospital beds.We will do so by developing local partnerships, working between the National Health Service and social care, making sure people get the right support from health and social care services to return home as soon as possible. Currently, every acute hospital has access to a care transfer hub, which brings together professionals from the NHS and local authorities to manage discharges for people with more complex needs, and collaboration between integrated care boards and local authorities will continue to be supported by the Better Care Fund framework through 2025/26.