The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a deposit return system for single-use drinks containers on the level of litter.
Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green on 11 April this year, PQ UIN 32607.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-05-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria are used by HS2 Ltd to challenge the locus standi of petitioners to the Lords Select Committee.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The rules relating to locus standi are set out in the Lords Standing Orders for Private Business 114-118 and the basis for our decisions was included in a note that accompanied the challenge notices sent to petitioners last week. The note explained that individuals or businesses whose property or interests are directly and specially affected by the scheme have locus. Therefore, petitioners who are listed in the Book of Reference, and whose property and interests may well be affected, have not been challenged. Local authorities on the route, who may have locus at the discretion of the Select Committee, have not been challenged, as they will represent issues pertaining to the inhabitants of their area. Individual petitioners have been challenged when their property or interests are not affected by the scheme or where this affect is not sufficiently different from that of the general public.
Standing Orders also allow discretionary locus for groups representing amenity or recreational interests. Groups have only been challenged on the basis that they do not sufficiently represent amenity or recreational interests or other petitioners have a much stronger claim to represent such interests.
The Government has also chosen not to challenge members of this House, where they are not directly and specially affected, in keeping with the approach taken in the Other Place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 39039, whether she will place the results of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary May 2015 Wellbeing Survey in the Library.
Andrea Leadsom
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary May 2015 Wellbeing Survey is a document owned by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. It’s a matter for the CNC whether to publish the survey.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to structured education for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Nicola Blackwood
This Government is working hard to improve outcomes and quality of life for those already living with diabetes and those who will develop it in the coming years. One of our key goals in the mandate to the National Health Service is a measurable reduction in variation in the management and care of people with the condition within the lifetime of this Parliament. Funding has been secured through the spending review to help achieve this and NHS England is developing a programme to ensure that those clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which need extra investment in this area, accompanied by sound plans for delivery, receive it.
In addition, the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework will play a key role in delivering this as it contains two recognised evidence based measures of whether patients with diabetes are being supported to successfully manage their condition (achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets and participation in structured education programmes).
Using data from the NHS Atlas of Variation, NHS Right Care is also working with CCGs and other local partners to make improvements in diabetes care and reduce variation by providing hands on practical support.
Since 2009/10, there has been an almost 70% increase in the proportion of people newly diagnosed with diabetes recorded as being referred to structured education courses, designed to help them manage their condition in the long term. However, whilst we know that the data on take up needs improving, there is still much further to go in enabling people with diabetes to access these programmes.
The Department, NHS England and Diabetes UK are working on ways to improve the take up of structured education including exploring how more diversity of provision might be delivered through digital and web based approaches. The Department recently held a seminar with key stakeholders to identify actions that would facilitate improved access.
CCGs are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence, taking into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what powers are available to local authorities to restrict the use of fireworks.
Anna Soubry
Restrictions on the use of fireworks already exist under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 and are enforced by the police. Beyond this, excessive noise from fireworks can be considered a statutory nuisance under Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Act gives local authorities powers to prevent or abate noise nuisance coming from premises and land.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for the change in the publication date of the Mental Health Taskforce report to January 2016.
Alistair Burt
The independent Mental Health Taskforce has committed to delivering a costed five year mental health strategy for the NHS. Following the important announcement in the Spending Review that the Government is investing an additional £600m in mental health during this period, in line with the priorities identified in the strategy, the Taskforce is now finalising its recommendations and supporting analysis to ensure these are robust. Their report is due to be ready for publication by NHS England in the New Year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people under 18 have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm in each year since 2010.
Alistair Burt
While information on the number of children and young people admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm is not available, the table below shows the total number of admissions in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.
The table provides a count of finished admission episodes with an external cause of self-harm and a patient age between 0-17 years for 2009-10 to 2014-15. This is a count of admissions, not people as the same person may have been discharged on more than one occasion during the same year.
|
Year |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
|
Admissions |
12,944 |
13,995 |
13,231 |
14,780 |
19,577 |
19,647 |
Source Hospital Episode Statistics data
In 2013, specific guidance around the recording of self-harm codes on patients admitted via accident and emergency was issued to all providers. This may explain the increase between 2012-13 and 2013-14; which means that figures between these two years cannot be fairly compared.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what additional housing support his Department plans to provide to people aged between 18 and 21 after changes to housing benefit planned for April 2017.
Mr Marcus Jones
Ensuring that young people have accommodation and support that is suitable for their needs is a priority for this Government and we will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. The Department for Work and Pensions are liaising with a range of stakeholders as they develop the detail of the policy on changes to housing support for 18-21 year olds.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has given to the Jordanian government to assist with the refugee situation in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK has contributed £330 million to support stability in Jordan since the start of the Syria crisis, £193 million of which has gone towards support for refugees and host communities. We are committed to continuing our support. On 4 February the UK co-hosted the ‘Supporting Syria and the Region 2016’ conference which secured over $11billion in pledges from the international community for Syria’s neighbours. Jordan agreed a Compact at the conference which will see them receiving new funding, concessional finance, and support to increase investment in return for providing refugees with access to work and education. The UK will be at the forefront of work to deliver this plan.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UN responds effectively to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic.
James Duddridge
These are terrible allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The UN and Member States must investigate these claims urgently and thoroughly and hold the perpetrators to account. The UK supports the efforts by the UN Secretary-General to eliminate all instances of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers.
The Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, The Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE, has made tackling sexual abuse and exploitation in peacekeeping missions one of her top priorities. The UK supported UN Security Council resolution 2272 which endorses the UN Secretary General’s decision to repatriate troops when there is credible evidence of sexual exploitation and abuse, and for troop contributing countries to keep the UN Secretary General informed of the progress of investigations.
The UK Government will provide £1 million to support the UN’s work to improve the suitability of deployed peacekeepers, design a reporting system that communities will trust, and ensure a stronger UN response to proven allegations. The UK will be hosting an international conference on UN peacekeeping in the autumn which will push for further progress on UN peacekeeping reform.