The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the admission of Shaykh Hamza Sodagar into the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We do not routinely comment on individual cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s recent findings that almost half of the people with multiple sclerosis surveyed who had had a work capability assessment declared that it had caused their condition to deteriorate or relapse.
Priti Patel
We are always striving to improve the Work Capability Assessment and especially the claimant experience. To this end we have implemented, or are implementing, over 100 recommendations identified following five independent reviews. All assessments are carried out by health professionals trained in Disability Assessment Medicine and receive guidance for medical conditions which include fluctuating conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) volume and (b) value of (i) raw milk, (ii) butter, (iii) cheese, (iv) cream and (v) condensed milk was consumed domestically in each year from 1995-96 to 2014-15.
George Eustice
The information requested is set out in the tables attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) her Department, (b) Ofqual, (c) Ofsted, (d) the National College for Teaching and Leadership, (e) the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and (f) the Equalities Office; how many of those employees earn more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education communications group, which covers press and public relations work, employs 34.1 permanent members of staff. This includes 2.5 staff members for the Government Equalities Office. Nine of these staff members earn more than £50,000 and none more than £100,000.
With regard to Ofsted, these matters are for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
With regard to Ofqual, these matters are for its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Patina Rail, the owners of Eurostar, about human trafficking and the creation of a commuter route between St Pancras and Ashford that mirrors the so-called Lille loophole.
Lord Bates
The UK Government takes child trafficking extremely seriously. All Border Force officers at the Eurostar ports in the UK France and Belgium have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act. Border Force and Eurostar have daily contact on operational matters. When passengers are identified by Border Force officers as potential victims of trafficking, immediate action is taken to safeguard the individual by following Home Office guidance on the treatment of the victims of trafficking. Border Force collects data on these cases in order to notify the Human Trafficking Centre. Contact is also made with Camden Social Services Safeguarding Team as soon as possible in order to establish safe care of the child. Eurostar has its own policy on unaccompanied children travelling on its services which can be found on its website.
Border Force has not provided training to French border officials on UK child trafficking patterns. All cases of suspected trafficking detected by the French border officials at St Pancras are handed to the BTP to action. In France and Belgium any concerns Border Force officers have about vulnerable children attempting to travel to the UK would be referred to the French and Belgian frontier control authorities. The Home Office has not had any discussions with Patina Rail about a proposed new routing between St Pancras and Ashford.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will meet Girlguiding to discuss the findings of its 2015 Girls’ Attitudes survey.
Caroline Dinenage
The Girlguiding’s Attitude Surveys provide an invaluable picture of the concerns and priorities of young women and the Government Equalities Office maintains an excellent relationship with the organisation. The 2015 survey demonstrates that many girls perceive barriers to reaching their full potential. The Government is encouraging girls to broaden their aspirations, educating young people about respectful relationships through the teen relationship abuse campaign, and equipping parents to talk confidently with their children about important issues through the Parentinfo website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Civil Aviation Authority has taken in response to the findings of the Air Accident Investigation Branch report into the Shoreham Airshow disaster of August 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has not yet published its final report. The majority of recommendations in the AAIB’s latest bulletin cover areas where the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has already taken action as part of its ongoing review of air display safety, which it established immediately after the Shoreham accident.
The CAA is now reviewing the AAIB’s bulletin in detail and will consider all of its recommendations carefully, alongside its ongoing air show review which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specialist training in mental health commissioning is provided to clinical commissioning group mental health commissioners.
Alistair Burt
NHS England does not provide specialist mental health training to clinical commissioning group (CCG) commissioners.
NHS England provides a range of information, tools and guidance to support mental health commissioning and the transformation of services. NHS England Commissioning Support Units provide a wide range of commissioning support services that enable clinical commissioners to focus their clinical expertise and leadership in securing the best outcomes for patients and driving up quality of National Health Service patient services.
NHS England Strategic Clinical Networks also provide support to CCG commissioners as part of their support and development role. One of the Strategic Clinical Networks is focused on Mental Health, Dementia and Neurological Conditions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) science-related contracts and (b) outsourced activities in the health sector are awarded to organisations that demonstrate a commitment to high professional standards and invest in the professional development of their scientific workforce.
George Freeman
All procurement processes must identify key objectives, performance indicators and critical success factors and ensure these are reflected in the tender documents against which organisations are invited to bid. Where appropriate, specific ongoing training and development needs can be included as specific terms in the final signed contract.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to (1) change the colour of the current British passport from maroon to dark blue, and (2) remove the words European Union” from British passports.”
Baroness Williams of Trafford
There are no immediate plans for changes to the format or colour of the UK passport. Parliament will be informed of any changes to the passport following UK withdrawal from the European Union