Category: Speeches

Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 April (HL7189), and further to the findings of the United Nations Panel of Experts and paragraph 13 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270, what assessment they have made of the role of personnel from the North Korean Embassy in London in nuclear proliferation activity and sanctions evasion; and whether any representations on this matter have been made to the North Korean Ambassador to the UK.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are concerned by the evidence in the Panel of Experts’ report that officials of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to play key roles in facilitating trade of prohibited items. We regularly raise our concerns about the DPRK’s nuclear weapons programme and nuclear proliferation with the North Korean Embassy in London. We remind all foreign diplomatic missions in the UK to operate in accordance with their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

01/01/2023
Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s (a) procedures and (b) protocols are for the placing of mental health patients in care homes.

Nicola Blackwood

A person who requires mental health treatment should have their needs assessed by a mental health professional who will then refer them for treatment in the least restrictive environment to meet their clinical needs and risk. For the majority of patients care and treatment will be provided while they are living in their own home.

If a person needs treatment which can only be provided in hospital or their level of risk is such that it can only be managed in a hospital then that treatment would be provided in a hospital, which is registered to provide that type of care. It is unlikely that a care home could provide care and treatment for a person who has been assessed as needing hospital treatment.

01/01/2023
Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2016, to Question 44003, whether the battle damage assessment regarding airstrikes in Libya carried out by US forces operating from RAF Lakenheath on 19 February 2016 was shared with the UK.

Mike Penning

The US has, in confidence, shared the results of that strike with the UK. Clearly it would be inappropriate for us to release that detail or to comment on another State’s operations.

01/01/2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what position the UK’s representatives at the (a) Trade Policy Committee and (b) Foreign Affairs Council have taken on the replacement of the Investor State Dispute Settlements mechanism with an Investment Court System in the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry

On 16 September, the European Commission published a draft of its proposed text for the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement, also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

In discussions on these proposals with the European Commission and Member States, UK representatives have expressed support for the European Commission’s ongoing initiative to reform the investment provisions used in its trade and investment agreements. UK representatives have also raised questions of detail on how the proposed text will continue to safeguard governments’ right to regulate lawfully and in the public interest, while ensuring that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments.

The final content of the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement will be subject to the outcome of negotiations between the EU and the US. The inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not threaten the right of the UK or Devolved Administrations to regulate or determine public policy. The Commission has published a proposal for reforms to investment protections in this agreement, which includes a clause setting out governments’ right to regulate.

The UK will work with the Commission on this proposal to ensure that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments while allowing governments to regulate lawfully and in the public interest.

01/01/2023
Lord Naseby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2015-11-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the job titles of those officials within the Department of Health who sit on internal or external working or steering groups with representatives from Action on Smoking and Health.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Acting Deputy Director and Team Leader for Tobacco Control (EU) attended a dinner, hosted by the American Cancer Society, to celebrate the Luther. L. Terry award for Exemplary Leadership by a Government Ministry which was presented to the UK on 19 March at the World Conference on Tobacco and Health (WCTOH). Representatives of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), as past recipients of an award in 2012, were also present.

The Acting Deputy Director presented at the WCTOH in March 2015 and the Team Leader for Tobacco Control (EU) presented at the E-cigarette Summit in November. Representatives of ASH also presented at these independent events.

The Deputy Director for Tobacco Control is a member of Public Health England’s Tobacco Control Implementation Board, which also includes a representative from ASH in its membership.

01/01/2023
Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers were granted, continued on, or reinstated back onto, support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 after lodging an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum Support) in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire

This information is not recorded centrally and is not readily available. It could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department is providing to universities to increase collaboration with research institutions in developing economies.

Joseph Johnson

The Government is supporting collaboration with research institutions in developing countries through a number of programmes, including the Newton fund, which now operates in 15 countries. We recently announced the extension of the Newton fund to 2021, with total investment rising to three quarters of a billion pounds between 2014/15 – 2020/21. In addition, at the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced a new Global Challenges Research fund worth £1.5 billion over the next five years (2016/17 – 2020/21).

01/01/2023
Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many publicly-funded jobs relating directly to the Northern Powerhouse there are in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber, (d) London and (e) other regions of England.

Greg Hands

The latest regional public sector employment survey figures are available online at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/public-sector-employment/q3-2015/index.html, the figures for Barnsley and Barnsley East can be found in the Annual Population Survey (Oct 2014-Sep 2015): https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp.

01/01/2023

Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016, to Question 31254, on road: accidents, which 31 local authorities have not yet received an agreement proposal.

Andrew Jones

The 31 local authorities that have not yet received an agreement proposal are:

Local Highway Authority

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Berkshire District Council

Blackburn

Blackpool

Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Brighton & Hove Council

Bristol

Buckinghamshire County Council

Cumbria

Dorset

Isle of Wight Council

Knowsley

Liverpool

Medway Council

Newcastle

North Somerset

Northumberland

Plymouth

Poole

Portsmouth City Council

Solihull

South Gloucestershire

Southampton City Council

St. Helens

Stoke on Trent

Swindon

Torbay

Transport for London

Wiltshire

Wokingham Borough Council

01/01/2023

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many patients have lost their vision as a result of not receiving timely follow-up appointments to see an ophthalmic specialist.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Given the size of England, and the diversity of the health needs of different communities, we believe commissioning needs to be owned and managed locally.

Therefore, there are no plans to develop a national strategy for eye care.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning hospital eye services and for holding their providers to account in terms of contract performance. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services from community optometrists where they judge them to be needed in their areas over and above the sight tests commissioned by NHS England. Such services could include post cataract surgery reviews, glaucoma monitoring and low vision services which may reduce pressure on hospital eye departments, reduce waiting times and make patient care pathways more accessible in the community.

There is scope for further work to be done by community optometrists and the Clinical Council for eye health commissioning is working with commissioners to develop commissioning guidelines in this area.

CCGs have the ability to develop alternatives to hospital care. We would expect patients who require further planned stages of treatment in line with their agreed care plan, to receive this treatment without undue delay and in line with when it is clinically appropriate.

01/01/2023