The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) ministers and (b) officials of his Department will be present at the International Aids Conference in Durban in July 2016.
Jane Ellison
Officials from Public Health England will be attending the conference and feeding back to Ministers on the issues discussed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the costs to the NHS Litigation Authority of late release of medical records where those records reveal a case to be unfounded; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
The timetable for the release of medical records in clinical negligence cases is determined by the Pre Action Protocol for clinical negligence claims. This prescribes 40 days for the release of the records, or the ability to request an extension to that time.
The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) works with National Health Service trusts to ensure prompt release of medical records and other information which will inform the outcome of a claim for compensation. Often expert evidence will be required to give conclusive evidence as to whether there was negligence and if so, whether that caused injury to the claimant. As claims are often resolved in-house by the NHSLA, any costs which arise as a result of delays in receiving medical records are not recorded separately as they will fall within overall administration costs.
46% of claims were resolved without payment of damages in 2014/15; however, as above, it is often necessary to obtain expert medical advice to determine whether compensation is due.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on reducing the number of people sleeping rough in the UK.
Mr Marcus Jones
One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new national £10 million programme to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, building on the success of our No Second Night Out initiative.
Homelessness is a devolved matter. I have not had any conversations with my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive but would be happy to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the total untaxed capital gains that will accrue to the beneficiaries of the starter homes scheme by 2020, taking into account the discount and any anticipated rise in house values.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The 2015 Conservative manifesto had the clear objective to build affordable homes, including Starter Homes to support young people into home ownership. They will be sold at a minimum 20 per cent discount on open market value and for no more than the price cap of £250,000 (£450,000 in London). The amount of discount will vary according to local property prices. No separate assessment on capital gains has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-11-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 9 November (HL3457), what specific steps they are taking to help Syrian refugees in the Jungle” camp at Calais who wish to claim asylum in the UK.”
Lord Bates
Migrants in Calais in need of protection, including Syrians, should claim asylum in France. Other than in very limited circumstances under the Dublin Regulation, where a migrant who has lodged an asylum application in another Member State has close family ties to the UK, the UK has no responsibility to help refugees who are in other EU Member States to come here to claim asylum. Consequently, there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for them to do so. However, Border Force officers and representatives from the French Government carry out regular joint communications visits to the camps, informing all nationalities of migrants of their options to seek support, including claiming asylum, in France.
The UK Government is spending £1.1 billion in and around Syria on humanitarian aid, caring for refugees and helping the Governments of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to cope with the huge numbers of refugees they have received. After the United States, Britain is the biggest donor country in the region. The Government has also expanded the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. This scheme is helping the most vulnerable people in the region by offering them protection in the UK. The Government intends to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on establishment of a Northern Ireland University Air Squadron.
Mr Julian Brazier
The two newly established staff posts in the Northern Ireland Universities Air Squadron were filled in October and November 2015, and the first students were accepted on 25 November. Of the 24 student places, 11 have so far been filled.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21502, on Syria: military intervention, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result of RAF airstrikes in Iraq or Syria.
Penny Mordaunt
All UK airstrikes in Iraq and Syria are assessed post-strike using the best available imagery, intelligence and other sources of information to assess the impact of the strike on the target and affected area. This assessment, coupled with pre-strike checks provides the evidence base to support the statement that in the hundreds of airstrikes conducted by the RAF to date in Iraq and, more recently Syria, we have found no evidence of civilian casualties arising from UK airstrikes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, 26 January 2016, Official Report, column 146, when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary plans to write to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley, on breaches of contracts and fines at G4S-run establishments.
Andrew Selous
I committed to write to the honorable lady on this point at the latest Justice Orals. The Ministry of Justice are currently considering the honorable lady’s question and I will provide her with a written response shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the extent to which the policies of broadcasters recruiting members of the public for quiz or game shows or similar programmes discriminate against people with disabilities.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Broadcasters are subject to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 which legally protects disabled people from discrimination in the delivery of services and in wider society. This government is actively encouraging the industry to be proactive in increasing diversity on and off screen – including by increasing the representation of disabled people. Ed Vaizey hosted a conference in January that raised the wider issue of lack of representation of disabled people in the creative industries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on traffic congestion in (a) Brentford and Isleworth constituency and (b) the London borough of Hounslow of the proposed third runway at Heathrow.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Airports Commission undertook a range of detailed assessments to support its Final Report published in July 2015. The analysis included a detailed assessment of transport network impacts for each of the Commission’s three short-listed options.
Copies of the Commission’s Surface Access: Dynamic Modelling Report its Local and Strategic Roads Modelling Study for the Heathrow Airport North West Runway Proposals, and the Commission’s Freight Impact Study were published alongside its Final Report, and are available from the Commission website at the following links:
The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out when making a decision on the location of additional runway capacity.
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