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  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to cross-reference data on visual impairment with the electoral register for the purpose of improving election communications with the visually impaired.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it ensures that its public information campaigns are accessible to those with visual impairments, and that the voter registration and information materials it produces are available in a variety of formats including Braille and Easy Read. The Commission has written to the RNIB, following the evidence they gave to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee on 1 May, to offer to meet to discuss what else could be done to help ensure that those with visual impairments can register and vote.

    The Commission also informs me that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for compiling and managing electoral registers and Returning Officers (ROs) are responsible for issuing election-related communications to those on the register. This includes poll cards and postal voting statements which must, by law, contain information telling the recipient what to do if they need the information provided in a different format. It is for EROs and ROs, in discharging their duties, to identify how best to meet the needs of individuals in their area who are visually impaired.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the percentage annual canvass return rate was for each local government area in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    A copy of the information requested by the hon. Gentleman has been placed in the Library.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the number and proportion of visually impaired voters who receive election communication in a format they can understand.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that Returning Officers (ROs) are responsible for issuing election-related communications such as poll cards and postal voting statements which must, by law, contain information telling the recipient what to do if they need the information provided in a different format. It is for ROs, in discharging their duties, to identify how best to meet the needs of individuals in their area who are visually impaired. The Commission has made no assessment of the numbers of voters who receive information from ROs in their preferred format.

    The Commission also informs me that it ensures that its public information campaigns are accessible to those with visual impairments, and that the voter registration and information materials it produces are available in a variety of formats including Braille and Easy Read. The Commission has written to the RNIB, following the evidence they gave to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee on 1 May, to offer to meet to discuss what else could be done to help ensure that those with visual impairments can register and vote.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress the Global Fund has made in reducing instances of AIDS, malaria and TB in the last two years.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The Global Fund to fights AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria (GFATM) is critical to the delivery of DFID’s ambition on HIV, TB and Malaria and is a very significant channel for our funding. Results from GFATM supported programmes have increased significantly:

    1) 6.1 million people are currently receiving antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to treat HIV, an increase from 2 million 5 years ago (2008); an additional 900,000 people received ARV therapy in 2012 and 1.9 million people in 2013;

    2) 11 million new TB cases have been detected and treated, an increase from 4.1 million 5 years ago (2008) ; about 1.1 million TB cases were detected and treated in 2012 and 1.5 million cases in 2013;

    3) 360 million insecticide treated nets have been distributed to protect families from malaria, an increase from 70 million 5 years ago (2008); 80 million insecticide treated nets were distributed in 2012; an additional 50 million in 2013.

    Since 2002 the Fund has supported over 1,000 programmes in 151 countries, and approved grants totalling $12.4 billion for HIV, $3.6 billion for TB, and $6.5 billion for Malaria. It accounts for 21% of all international funding for HIV/AIDS, 82% of international TB funding, and 50% of global malaria spend.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in England and Wales per 10,000 of the population were prosecuted for non-payment of the television licence fee in each of the last three calendar years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences relating to installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence, per 10,000 of the population in England and Wales for the years 2010 to 2012 is shown in Table 1 below. The Government has indicated that, in line with the amendment to the Deregulation Bill, it will consider whether evasion of a television licence should continue to be a criminal offence.

    It should be noted that court proceedings statistics for the year 2013 are planned to be published by the Ministry of Justice on 15th May 2014.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will discuss with the devolved legislatures how to ensure best practice is adopted in implementing single farm payments across the UK.

    George Eustice

    The Secretary of State negotiated successfully in the European Council of Agriculture Ministers to secure powers to implement CAP reform in the UK at a territorial level. The responsibility for delivery of direct payments under CAP reform therefore rests with each territorial administration. However, Defra Ministers regularly discuss the implementation of CAP reform with their devolved administration counterparts and officials from all four territorial administrations meet frequently to discuss implementation, share best practice and address UK-level and cross-border issues.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart about the mass trial of and death sentences on members of the Muslim brotherhood.

    Hugh Robertson

    In a meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 2 April, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised his concern over the death sentences imposed on 529 people. He asked the Egyptian Government to review these issues as a matter of urgency and to ensure that individuals’ human and legal rights were properly upheld.

    The Foreign Secretary also made a statement on 28 April expressing deep concerns that a further 683 people had been sentenced to death by the same court and that 37 of the original death sentences handed down on 24 March had been upheld. He expressed concern at the potential negative impact of such sentences on the Egyptian Government’s ability to take forward an inclusive political process, and urged that the sentences be reviewed. We will continue to raise this issue in our conversations with the Egyptian Government.

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the savings to the NHS arising from arts-based interventions.

    Norman Lamb

    No current assessment has been made of savings to the NHS arising from arts-based interventions.

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve cross-departmental working on promotion of the UK’s arts and health sector in order to improve mental health care and wellbeing.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I recently chaired a roundtable meeting on arts and health, which was attended by the co-chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, representatives from academia and health and Government officials, including from the Department of Health. DCMS will continue to work closely with the Department of Health on the promotion of the UK’s arts and health sector in order to improve mental health care and wellbeing.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what cross-departmental government scrutiny will take place of the forthcoming Implementing and Delegated Acts of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    During the negotiations on the revised Tobacco Products Directive, the Government sought to ensure that any delegation of powers to the European Commission, to propose further rules, was limited, appropriate and well defined. The Government’s proposed negotiating position on any Implementing and Delegated Acts put forward by the Commission will be subject to the normal cross government clearance and scrutiny procedures.