The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide the Mayor of London with the powers to place a cap on private hire vehicles in London.
Andrew Jones
This Government does not intend to amend primary legislation to allow the number of private hire vehicles licensed in London or elsewhere to be restricted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Syrian opposition to encourage their participation in the Geneva peace talks; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are in regular contact with the Syrian opposition. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Riad Hijab, Chair of the Syrian Higher Negotiations Commission (HNC) on 29 January, expressing his support for the HNC and highlighting the importance of their participation in negotiations. Our Special Envoy for Syria and his team are currently in Geneva alongside other international partners, supporting the opposition and engaging with the UN.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the Afghan Minerals Law includes the strongest possible measures to strengthen transparency and reduce the risk of corruption in the Afghan extractive sector.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK proposed changes to the Minerals Law as part of a review commissioned by the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in 2015; and supported the incorporation of recommendations from donors and transparency organisations into amendments. The Mining Advisory Council is reviewing the amendments before submission to the Ministry of Justice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of UK relations with Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
As I saw for myself, and as demonstrated my Rt Hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Islamabad and Lahore last month, the UK and Pakistan are joined by strong bonds of friendship and partnership. Our bilateral relationship is underpinned by extensive trade, investment and cultural cooperation. The UK will continue to stand beside the Government of Pakistan as it builds a more secure, prosperous and democratic future for all its citizens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission an independent review into the sentencing regime for imprisonment for public protection which will involve those criminal justice agencies that manage the sentence and incorporate the experiences of prisoners and their families.
Andrew Selous
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders 2012, abolished the sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) and introduced a new sentencing scheme for dangerous offenders.
In respect of IPP sentences already imposed, the government considered that it would not be right or appropriate retrospectively to alter sentences that had been lawfully imposed, particularly because in this case those sentences were imposed with public protection issues in mind.
Significant numbers of IPP prisoners continue to be released where the Parole Board is satisfied that they can be safely managed in the community, but other prisoners currently remain too high risk to be released. It is a priority for us to help remaining IPP prisoners progress towards release, by ensuring that their parole reviews take place on time, through greater efficiency in the parole process, and by giving their opportunity to complete relevant interventions and work in order to demonstrate reduced risk to the Parole Board.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether the Government is on target to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.
Alistair Burt
The indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework brings together the range of information on levels of preventable sight loss in a single place.
The indicator is made up of four sub-indicators which are measuring the crude rates of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and of the rate of sight loss certifications per 100,000 population.
The latest data published by the Public Health Outcomes framework show that there were the following new certifications of visual impairment in 2013/14:
– 11,055 for age related macular degeneration, a decrease of 90 from 2012/13;
– 3,432 for glaucoma, an increase of 141 from 2012/13;
– 1,563 for diabetic eye disease, a decrease of 29 from 2012/13; and
– 22,911 overall new certifications (all causes), an increase of 264 from 2012/13.
Early detection is essential to tackling preventable sight loss. A range of treatment and services are in place in the National Health Service to deal with the key causes of preventable sight loss.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures his Department has in place for the regular receipt of information on non-combatant casualties arising from US airstrikes which are conducted from UK airbases.
Mike Penning
Airstrikes from UK airbases are not a routine occurrence. The Secretary of State would approve such a request only if satisfied that the operation was compliant with UK and international law. Individual permission is granted for each operation. Similarly, battle damage assessments of such operations are shared with the UK on a case-by-case basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when (a) she and (b) her Department’s officials have met John O’Brien, Secretary of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse since his appointment to that position.
Sarah Newton
The Home Secretary has not met the Secretary to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Home Office officials meet regularly with the Secretary to the Inquiry as part of the sponsorship responsibilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Bermuda’s progress in introducing a public register of beneficial ownership since June 2013.
James Duddridge
We have asked the Bermudian authorities to meet the following criteria: a) UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards; b) These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and c) Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway. We are continuing our dialogue with the Bermudan authorities on this and have offered any technical support that might be required as they develop their proposals My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, met with Premier Dunkley on 26 August in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-11-30.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average turnaround time for cancer genetic tests relating to (1) breast cancer, (2) lung cancer, (3) colorectal cancer, and (4) melanoma, measured from biopsy to a discussion of the results with the patient, in (a) tertiary care centres, (b) secondary care centres with in-house testing, and (c) secondary care centres with third-party testing.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England has not, to date, undertaken a direct comparison of the English and French health systems in respect of genetic testing practice for cancer.
NHS England does not hold data on the percentage of stage 2b, or higher, cancer patients in secondary and tertiary centres who were genetically tested. Detailed information on the clinical circumstances, or reasons, for referral for genetic testing for individual patients is not currently collated on a national basis.
NHS England does not consider business cases from individual National Health Service trusts in relation to the adoption of new genetic tests. Instead, NHS England considers national clinical commissioning policy proposals on the eligibility of a particular test, or treatments to be made available in the presence of particular genetic markers. These are considered and where agreed, funded consistently across England for services falling within NHS England’s direct commissioning responsibilities.
Examples include the separate policies (published in July 2015) confirming eligibility for Ivacaftor for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in the presence of certain gene mutations, and confirming eligibility for testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, respectively. Copies of the policies are attached.
In addition, the UK Genetic Testing Network currently presents new genetic testing proposals to NHS England for funding consideration based on the conclusions of their assurance programme. These are considered, alongside other new policy proposals, as part of the annual funding prioritisation process, where there is a net annual investment to be made to support their adoption.
Information on the average turnaround time for cancer genetic tests is not currently collated, or analysed, nationally. However, NHS England will be undertaking a procurement exercise in the coming months to support the strengthened provision of genetic testing across England. This includes more consistent reporting of activity and other performance indicators, including the timeliness of reporting on receipt on referrals. The supporting national service specification, setting out the standards required of commissioned providers, has been the subject of a recent public consultation.