The below Parliamentary question was asked by Byron Davies on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many EU member states have adopted guidance recommending the same level of weekly alcohol consumption for men and women.
Jane Ellison
No other European country has carried out a full scientific review of their alcohol guidelines at least in the last ten years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Richards of Herstmonceux on 2016-07-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by Sir John Chilcot on the Iraq War, whether they have any plans to reform the decision-making process within the Ministry of Defence and place the Armed Forces under the command of the Chief of Defence Staff.
Earl Howe
We are studying the report of the Iraq Inquiry in detail to identify how further to improve our structures, policies, procurement and training. Since 2010, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has implemented wide-ranging reforms to how it is structured and managed. This has clarified responsibilities, strengthened accountability and empowered the single Services. The Defence Secretary confirmed to the Defence Select Committee on 19 July that he has established a team to go through the report and make sure that the proper lessons are learned. This team will identify all of the areas where MOD needs to take action to improve its performance in the light of Sir John Chilcot’s findings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad basin.
James Wharton
We are deeply concerned about the scale of the humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin. This will require a sustained, multi-year response to support communities devastated by the conflict. The UK is scaling up our support.
In addition to the £90 million of humanitarian assistance we are already delivering in the region, the UK has now pledged a further £80 million of humanitarian funding. £50 million will go towards meeting the needs of the worst affected communities in Nigeria with food assistance and access to essential household items and services, and £30 million to support those who have been affected by the spread of Boko Haram into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
HMG is using a range of opportunities to push our partners and governments across the region on scaling up and improving the quality of the response. This includes calling for a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation which took place in July 2016; a joint demarche to the UN with the French and USA on the need to improve humanitarian capacity and performance in mid-August; chairing a Lake Chad Basin meeting in the margins of UN General assembly in September 2016, and ongoing high level bilateral meetings with UN officials.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many small businesses have been started in (a) Bristol, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Anna Soubry
There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK.
However, ONS publishes statistics showing the number of businesses newly registered for VAT or PAYE.
These figures are available from the ONS Business Demography releases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the removal from the UK of a jobseeker who is a citizen of another EU country who has been in the UK for more than six months and can provide evidence that they (a) are looking for employment and (b) have a genuine chance of being engaged.
James Brokenshire
We have been clear that in future EU jobseekers will not be supported by UK taxpayers and can be removed if they are not in a job within six months.
There is limited discretion to keep the status of jobseeker for longer than six months but an individual must provide compelling evidence to show they are continuing to seek employment and have a genuine chance of employment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she intends to answer the letter to her from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 5 November 2015 with regard to Ms J Batsleer.
Andrea Leadsom
I replied to the rt. hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 23 December 2015, and I apologise for the delay in doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of new houses built in each of the years from 2010 to 2015 were built on floodplains, and whether they expect that proportion to change in the next five years.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The department’s latest land use change statistics provide estimates on the proportion of new residential addresses created in National Flood Zone 3 in England. The latest figures show that in 2013-14, 7 percent of new residential addresses were created in the National Flood Zone 3. This equates to an estimated 9,100 homes being built in National Flood Zone 3 in 2013-14.
Prior to the publication of 2013-14 figures land use change statistics were calculated using a different methodology so they are not directly comparable to the 2013-14 figures. Figures produced using the previous methodology were last published for the calendar year 2011 and are provided in the attached table.
Development can not be ruled out in high flood risk areas as around 10 percent of England, including large parts of major cities, such as Hull, Portsmouth and central London are located in these areas. All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance, which includes steering development away from flood risk areas. Where development in flood risk areas is considered, national planning policy is clear that it should be safe, resilient and not increase flood risk elsewhere.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on social mobility.
Priti Patel
The Government has carefully considered the impact of the tax and benefit reforms introduced in the Summer Budget, including those in the Bill, and are committed to improving social mobility.
The Bill itself proposes a reform to the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission to ensure its focus on this important issue. The new provisions on life chances recognise the crucial role of education in this respect, and the objectives of our welfare reforms are to promote employment, ensure people have the skills and the opportunities they need, make sure that work always pays, and allow people to keep more of what they earn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of winter fuel payments to eligible claimants were made automatically in each of the last five years.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The majority of Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically from information already held by the Department. We invite claims mainly from men under 65 who meet the eligibility criteria, as the largest group not identified and paid automatically. Claims can be made up to and including 31 March and are not accepted after that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that all blood cancer patients have access to a clinical nurse specialist or equivalent point of contact as part of their care.
Jane Ellison
The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July 2015, and recognised the need to improve care and support for people living with and beyond all types of cancer, including blood cancers. In September 2015, we announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, including those with blood cancer, live well beyond cancer. In April 2016, we also published guidance for commissioners on commissioning and implementing the recovery package effectively. Support for patients living with and beyond cancer should be tailored specifically to the needs of every patient.
In addition the strategy called for every person with cancer to have access to a clinical nurse specialist or other key worker from diagnosis onwards. NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the Cancer Taskforce, and has appointed Cally Palmer CBE as National Cancer Director. A National Cancer Transformation Board is overseeing the implementation of the strategy, and an implementation plan will be published shortly. An independent Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Harpal Kumar, the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK and Chair of the independent Cancer Taskforce, is advising and scrutinising the work of the Transformation Board.