The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the case of the Hares Boys.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to monitor developments in the case of the Hares boys and raise the issue with the Israeli authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-03-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 25 February (HL5719), whether an NGO can assist individual parents, or groups of parents, to challenge the fairness of the admission arrangements in their local school or schools through the adjudication process, including legally challenging the fairness of the adjudication process itself.
Lord Nash
There is nothing in school admissions legislation which would prevent a parent or group of parents from seeking the assistance of a non-government organisation in referring an objection to the Schools Adjudicator or in bringing a legal challenge about the adjudication process. Similarly, there is nothing in admissions legislation to prevent an organisation from providing such assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 March (HL6930 and HL6954), how the patient information and consent forms originally submitted to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) explicitly described the process of genome editing in human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9; whether such previously licensed research has now commenced; if so, when the HFEA received evidence of ethics approval; and what have been the reasons for the further delay in commencing such research in the light of previous complaints about delays by the person responsible in her correspondence to the HFEA dated 15 December 2015 and 12 January 2016.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the original patient information is part of the information presented to the Licence Committee and this was sent to the noble Lord on 7 March 2016. The research involving gene editing has not yet started. The HFEA is awaiting final confirmation that the changes to the patient information and consent forms requested by the research ethics committee have been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence given to the Committees on Arms Export Controls on 27 April 2016, if he will publish the reports the Saudi Arabian military has shared with his Department on airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen.
Mr Philip Dunne
We will not release this information as coalition military reporting shared with the UK is sensitive operational information which we have received on privileged terms and which belongs to another country and its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another state. Likewise, we would expect our allies and partners to protect any operational information we shared with them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve health outcomes in the North East.
Jane Ellison
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 statutory duties, Public Health England (PHE) works with local authorities to improve the health of local populations and provide services including drug and alcohol misuse as well as sexual health services.
PHE works very closely with local authorities, and are undertaking a number of projects in the North East to improve health and address health inequalities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey concerning that government’s response to the attempted coup d’état in July.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK Government has unreservedly condemned the failed attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkey on 15 July. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary spoke to their Turkish counterparts on the day following the coup attempt. The Minister for Europe and the Americas visited Turkey on 20-21 July to reiterate the UK’s support for democracy in Turkey, the first Minister to do so following the coup attempt. During his visit he stressed the need for Turkey to respect human rights and the rule of law, and the importance of taking measures under the State of Emergency that are proportionate and justified. The Foreign Secretary met his Turkish counterpart on 7 September in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police forces are able to maintain existing levels of frontline policing over the next five years.
Mike Penning
Ultimately, decisions on the size and composition of a police force’s workforce are for individual chief officers and Police and Crime Commissioners. The police have demonstrated that, with reform, it is possible to deliver more for less and to prioritise available resource at the frontline.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-12-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to offer deadline extensions for tax due by businesses affected by flooding in Cumbria.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900
Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.
HMRC will also:
The helpline is in addition to other HMRC telephone contact numbers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that judges and other decision-makers have appropriate knowledge and training on issues relating to child arrangements orders made in the family court in cases in which there is a history of domestic abuse.
Caroline Dinenage
Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, responsibility for judicial training rests with the Lord Chief Justice and this responsibility is exercised through the Judicial College. Accordingly, the independence of the judiciary means that Government Ministers do not intervene with regard to the content of judicial training.
The Judicial College has advised that judges, magistrates and their Legal Advisers have all received specific training on domestic violence issues and were trained in the new Child Arrangements Programme and Practice Direction 12J as part of the Family Justice Review reforms in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department of Health on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.
Lord Prior of Brampton
There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.