The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2016-03-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the prospective impact on the education and training of Registered Nurses of the UK leaving the EU.
Lord Prior of Brampton
No work has been undertaken to determine what impact the United Kingdom leaving the European Union would have on the education and training of registered nurses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of exports from the West Midlands to other EU countries was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
Data on the value of exports of goods from the West Midlands to EU countries are available from the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ Regional Trade Statistics database.
Data on the value of exports of services from the West Midlands to EU countries are not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Met Office will cease to provide forecasts for the BBC; what assessment they have made of the impact of that change on the provision of the shipping forecast in particular; and what discussion they have had with the BBC about ensuring that future providers have detailed knowledge of the UK.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Details of the contract between the Met Office and BBC are a matter for the BBC.
The Met Office and BBC are in discussion over the future use of Met Office public weather service data and National Severe Weather Warnings during periods of significant weather.
The Shipping Forecast is paid for and provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The MCA have responsibility for providing maritime weather products (including a Shipping Forecast), ensuring that the contracted supplier meets the necessary required standards. The current supplier contracted by the MCA is the Met Office. Their current contract runs for a minimum of 3 years, until 2018, with the possibility of a further 2 years. The MCA are in the process of finalising a written agreement with the BBC that will ensure the maritime forecasts that they broadcast will be the ones supplied by the MCA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to reduce the concentration of microplastics in the marine environment.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
On 3 September 2016 the Government announced plans to ban the sale and manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products containing microbeads where these are capable of harming the marine environment. Our plans will be informed by a formal consultation later this year. At the same time, evidence will be gathered on the extent of the environmental impacts of microbeads found in other products before considering what more can be done in future to tackle other plastics, for example microfibres, which enter the marine environment.
Given the trans-boundary nature of marine litter, we will also continue to work with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to address marine litter, including microplastics.
In December 2015, the UK published its Marine Strategy Part Three: UK programme of measures. This sets out a comprehensive set of measures to address marine litter. Some measures address microplastics directly; others contribute indirectly by removing, or avoiding the release of, larger plastic particles, preventing their degradation into microplastics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of spit hoods; and what assessment she has made of the extent of use of such hoods by police forces.
Brandon Lewis
The use of ‘spit hoods’, as with any other use of restraint or force, is an operational matter for Chief Officers. The Home Office is clear that all uses of force or restraint must be necessary and proportionate.
In recognition of the importance of ensuring transparency in how police forces use various means of restraint, the former Home Secretary asked Chief Constable David Shaw to review what data should be collected and published. The review recommended that forces record a range of data in all instances when significant force is used, including restraint techniques and the use of spit hoods.
The data to be collected includes the age, gender, ethnicity and sex of the subject, the type of force used, reason for the use of force, and the outcome of the incident.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Stern on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many referrals to the RAF mental health care system from members of 13 and 39 squadrons there have been each month over the last year.
Earl Howe
During Financial Year 2014-15, there were fewer than five Regular Royal Air Force personnel from 13 Squadron or 39 Squadron who were seen for an initial assessment at Ministry of Defence Specialist Mental Health Services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of (a) current imaging capacity within the NHS and (b) imaging capacity required to meet the Independent Cancer Taskforce’s recommendation that all GPs have direct access to investigative tests by the end of 2015; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
The extension of direct access to diagnostic tests for primary care is an issue for clinical commissioning groups and local commissioners. Although the Independent Cancer Taskforce report did estimate that some additional diagnostic capacity was needed, it did not consider possible increases in capacity required specifically as a result of increasing general practitioner (GP) direct access to testing.
The Taskforce’s five-year strategy recommends improvements across the cancer pathway, with the aim of improving survival rates, and we will work with the NHS, charities and patient groups to deliver it. We have already announced funding of up to £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the new target that patients will be given a definitive cancer diagnosis, or the all clear, within 28 days of being referred by a GP.
In addition, the recently updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence referral guidelines for suspected cancer also recommend GPs refer direct-to-test in a number of different circumstances. The guidance is available at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each young offender institution are qualified speech and language therapists.
Andrew Selous
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.
The Youth Justice Board is responsible for commissioning and oversight of the secure youth estate. The Youth Justice Board funds dedicated social workers at each under-18 Young Offender Institution (YOI). All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding.
Under-18 YOI providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what definition is used by HM Revenue and Customs to define an EU migrant family, and for what purposes such classifications are used; and which other government departments use similar definitions and classification, and for what purposes.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
EU migrant family is not a technical term that HM Revenue & Customs use in their calculations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps is he is taking to support the youth work sector; and if he will take steps to support that sector through sustainable funding, investment in research and incentives to encourage volunteering.
Mr Rob Wilson
It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate funding for youth services according to local need, through the existing statutory duty (Education Act 2006, Section 507B). Government launched the Delivering Differently for Young People Programme to offer practical support to local authorities in exploring innovative and sustainable models for delivering youth services. Government continues to support the Centre for Youth Impact to work with youth organisations to undertake research to measure impact and demonstrate value to funders and commissioners. We are also committed to expanding National Citizen Service, which many youth sector organisations help to deliver. Government is taking new steps to encourage and enable social action. This includes a further £15m investment in the next phase of the Centre for Social Action. We want social action to become a lifelong habit.