The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Michael Meacher on 2014-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants have been sanctioned for (a) four weeks, (b) three months and (c) three years in each month since January 2010.
Esther McVey
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in working with the Commonwealth Secretary-General to review LGBT rights in Uganda.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) wrote to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth on 1 March to ask him to work with us to review the worrying trend on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the Commonwealth. We welcomed the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s statement to the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council on 6 March reiterating the Commonwealth’s commitment to equality and respect for the protection and promotion of rights without discrimination on any grounds. Whilst we support the work of the Secretariat in strengthening the capacity of national human rights institutions to engage their respective governments on sensitive areas such as LGBT rights, we continue to encourage the Commonwealth to do more to address LGBT rights across the Commonwealth, and in particular Uganda.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2014-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the IT systems supporting universal credit are able to process a change in a claimant’s circumstances when he or she (a) moves to live in an area where universal credit is not being piloted, (b) forms a new relationship and is re-classified as part of a couple and (c) has a child.
Esther McVey
Where a Universal Credit claimants circumstances change in the way set out IT systems support the processing of those changes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from (a) research bodies and academics, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) people at high risk for prostate cancer and prostate cancer patients about accessibility of early prostate cancer screenings.
Jane Ellison
The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) Scientific Reference Group (SRG) keeps the evidence on prostate cancer screening under review, and has not yet seen compelling evidence that screening should be offered to high risk groups.
The PCRMP is in place to ensure that men over 50 without symptoms of prostate cancer can have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test free on the national health service after careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the test and after a discussion with a general practitioner.
The patient information sheets on PSA testing make it clear that the risk of prostate cancer is greater for men with a familial history of prostate cancer and black-African and black-Caribbean men.
The National Cancer Action Team (NCAT) previously highlighted the increased risk of prostate cancer in black men through the ‘Cancer Does Not Discriminate’ campaign, including distributing over 200,000 health supplements and an editorial in The Voice newspaper.
In 2011, the Department, NCAT, North East London Cancer Network and Prostate Cancer UK worked with NHS Newham and Barts Health Care Trust to pilot the Newham Prostate Health Drop-in Clinic at the Newham African-Caribbean Resource Centre. 322 men had a consultation at the clinic, 59 were referred to secondary care and nine new diagnoses of early stage prostate cancer were made.
The learning gained from a formal evaluation of the pilot was shared widely with stakeholders within London and across England, including NHS England. The pilot won the in the 2013 Civil Service Diversity and Equality Award for Understanding and engaging with communities.
The Department is represented on the multi-disciplinary PCRMP SRG and the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group, along with representatives from clinicians, professional bodies, academics, the voluntary sector and patient groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-03-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister discussed with Chancellor Merkel during her recent visit to the United Kingdom the proposal by the European People’s Party that students should be given a European Union education”.”
Lord Nash
The Prime Minister did not discuss the proposal by the European People’s Party that students should be given a ‘European Union education’ with Chancellor Merkel during her recent visit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many complaints of (a) unsolicited marketing calls and (b) silent or abandoned calls were made by people in Pendle in each of the last five years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The data recording these figures is not broken down by individual constituencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Nicholas Brown on 2014-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on devolution of the Affordable Homes programme to (a) combined authorities and (b) local enterprise partnerships.
Kris Hopkins
Housing policy and the provision of affordable housing is not a function of combined authorities or Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Elected local councils act as both the local housing authorities and local planning authorities, and we should be cautious about any intervention which effectively transferred power upwards.
Notwithstanding, in the recent Affordable Homes Programme prospectus, we have stated that local authorities will want to engage in strategic dialogue with their Local Enterprise Partnerships when identifying key areas for economic growth.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 549-50W, on Nigeria, whether her Department collects this data on a state-by-state basis.
Lynne Featherstone
The 2008 Demographic and Health Survey is conducted by the National Population Commission. The data requested is collected on a national basis rather than state by state.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who were recalled to prison from home detention curfew have been subsequently released back onto home detention curfew since 3 December 2012.
Jeremy Wright
The information required to answer these questions is due for publication on 24 April 2014. I will write to my Honourable friend as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England in receipt of free social care are terminally ill.
Norman Lamb
Local authorities have a duty to assess the needs of any person for whom the authority may arrange social care and who may be in need of such care. They have a further duty to decide, having regard to the results of the assessment, what, if any, care and support they should provide to meet the individual’s needs. Where a local authority decides to arrange care and support it will carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to contribute towards the cost. Appeals against decisions by local authorities are considered locally. Information about appeals is not collected centrally.
In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.