The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Listowel on 2016-07-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many care leavers under the age of 25 in each local authority area in England received Discretionary Housing Payments in 2015–16.
Lord Freud
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses recruited by the NHS.
Mr Philip Dunne
The responsibility for recruitment and staffing rests with National Health Service organisations as they are best placed to ensure they have the right staff, in the right place, at the right time to provide safe and effective care for their patients.
On 4 October 2016 the Secretary of State for Health announced that from September 2018, the Government will fund up to 1,500 additional undergraduate medical places through university medical schools each year.
In November 2015 reforms to nursing, midwifery and allied health pre-registration training was announced, the reforms aim to increase the number of training places by up to 10,000 by the end of the Parliament.
As outlined in its Workforce Plan for 2016-17, Health Education England has increased the overall volume of education and training with, in excess of, 38,000 new training places in 2016-17 for nurses, scientists, and therapists, and there are now over 50,000 doctors and dentists currently in training.
The latest workforce statistics published by NHS Digital for June 2016 show that since May 2010, there are now almost 22,700 more professionally qualified clinical staff working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups, including over 8,500 more doctors and 4,600 more nurses and midwives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will publish the Joint Hen Harrier Recovery Plan.
Rory Stewart
We have been working with Sub-Group members to finalise the Hen Harrier Action Plan with a view to publishing it shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the fitness-for-purpose of the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2007 and their applicability to technical developments for unmanned aerial vehicles since their coming into force in 2007.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The airspace over UK nuclear licensed sites is restricted by the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) regulations 2007. These impose restricted airspace of a radius between 0.5 and 2 miles to a height of between 1000 and 2400 feet around the centre of all nuclear sites. Airspace usage in the UK is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Therefore it is a criminal offence to fly in the vicinity of nuclear sites without the permission of the CAA. The CAA and nuclear sites work closely together on this.
All of Britain’s nuclear power stations are robust and designed with safety in mind and are stress-tested to withstand a vast range of potential incidents. The independent regulator continuously monitors and evaluates the safety of each plant alongside the operator to protect it from outside threats.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to issue statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims, as set out in section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Lord Bates
Statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims will be issued once the National Referral Mechanism pilots have concluded.
The guidance is being developed in consultation with representatives from NGOs, Government and frontline agencies. This is in line with section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 February (HL5437), when an announcement will be made about the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from April 2016 onwards.
Lord Bates
A decision on funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a partition plan in Iraq relating to independence for Kurdish people.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The question of independence, and its potential merits and drawbacks, is ultimately one for the Kurds and the rest of the people of Iraq, rather than for the UK.
We are committed to a stable, united, democratic and prosperous Iraq. We strongly believe that the Kurds have an important role to play in building that future and confronting the threat which Daesh pose to all of Iraq’s communities. The most effective way to combat Daesh will be moderate forces working together to defeat them, including close cooperation between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to EDM 1338, Selection of United Nations Secretary General.
James Duddridge
We welcome the work of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign. Last week’s informal hearings by the UN General Assembly with currently declared UN Secretary-General candidates were a key part of our campaign to reform the selection process. We want greater transparency, a structured process and a gender diverse field. The General Assembly and the Security Council have committed to providing opportunities for engagement and dialogue between candidates and member states and last week’s hearings were the first step. We will encourage further direct engagement throughout the process.
Our efforts on the process are designed to ensure we get the best person for the job. Any successful candidate needs integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the next set of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data is planned to be published.
Jane Ellison
The next report of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey is being prepared and will be published as an Official Statistic; the publication date will be announced in advance in accordance with the Official Statistics Code of Practice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester on 2016-07-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for revising the terms of reference for the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to ensure that they encompass disabled access requirements at licensed sports stadia.
Lord Ashton of Hyde
As set out in our Sports Strategy, we will enable the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to take on a more formal role in helping sports grounds reach the required standards for accessibility. We are currently in discussions with the SGSA on what role they will play in delivering accessible sports grounds.