UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Uncategorized

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the European Union Fourth Railway Package is likely to preclude nationalisation or re-nationalisation of national railways as a whole or in part.

    Baroness Kramer

    The proposals published by the European Commission on 30 January 2013 would, if adopted, strengthen requirements for the formal separation of infrastructure manager and train operator responsibilities. The proposals make no assumption about the status of the infrastructure manager. They do, however, require the competitive tendering of rail public service contracts in most circumstances.

    There is no particular bar on public companies competing for such tenders, and exemptions to tendering are proposed for small networks and in emergency situations.

    The Italian Council Presidency (Jul-Dec 2014) intends to start Member State level Working Groups about the market opening proposals in July. As these proposals are still under discussion it is too early to say what we think the effect is likely to be.

  • Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which is investigating extending the human papillomavirus immunisation programme is expected to publish its conclusions and recommendations.

    Earl Howe

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Human papilloma virus (HPV) sub-committee will report its findings to JCVI following consideration of ongoing studies by Public Health England on the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or adolescent boys.

    It is expected that the MSM modelling study will be completed at the end of 2014 at the earliest, and the adolescent boys modelling study will be completed at the end of 2015 at the earliest. The JCVI will then consider the findings of the HPV subcommittee before deciding what advice or recommendations can be made.

  • Bob Stewart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Stewart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Stewart on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the practice of Palestinian youths being tried by military courts and sentenced to prison for minor offences.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Government is concerned over the dual court system that is employed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, under which all Palestinians, except those living in East Jerusalem, are subject to trial in military courts irrespective of the charges against them while Israeli youths are tried in civil courts. We also have serious concerns about the treatment of Palestinian children under the Israeli military court system, which we raise regularly with the Israeli authorities. More details can be found at: http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/

    “

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice his Department provides to local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators to help identify and tackle extremism in schools; and when this guidance was last updated.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Preventing extremism in all schools is a priority for the Government. In 2010 the Department for Education set up the first preventing extremism unit in Whitehall outside the Home Office. Ofsted now trains inspectors to understand and report on extremism. The Department has published a range of guidance to support schools in raising awareness of the risks from extremism.

    Schools can help protect children from extremist and violent views in the same ways that they help to safeguard children from drugs, gang violence or alcohol abuse. Schools’ work on Prevent needs to be seen in this context. It is for local authorities to determine how best to support schools in their areas in the light of local circumstances.

    A number of local Prevent projects, funded by Home Office, engage schools and supplementary schools and train teachers in priority areas. The Department for Education and Home Office are working together to secure the best practical outcome from this funding. It is the responsibility of the Home Office to evaluate the projects it funds.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start Up Loans applications have been supported by each approved provider of Start Up Loans mentoring services in each region in which the new company was based or planned to be based.

    Matthew Hancock

    All loan recipients in all regions receiving a start-up loan are offered mentoring, although take up of support services is not a mandatory condition of making the facility available. The number of loans made in each region will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  • Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which Ministers in his Department attended the most recent Bonn Climate Change Conference.

    Gregory Barker

    The UK is represented at senior official levels at the current Bonn Climate Change Intersessional conference. It is a mid-year meeting paving the way for the Lima Conference of the Parties (COP) in December and ministers do not usually attend the Bonn meetings. I am fully behind reaching a global deal in Paris, am talking to many parties both formally and informally and will attend further international engagements later this year.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the money allocated by his Department to improve birthing environments was spent in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Information on the breakdown of the money allocated by the Department to improve birthing environments in 2012-13 and 2013-14 has been placed in the Library.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK position is on the future status of Jerusalem.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Government considers that Jerusalem has the status of a corpus separatum as defined by the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Although we accept de facto Israeli control of West Jerusalem we do not recognise Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which we consider to be occupied territory. Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

    We believe that a solution to Jerusalem must be sought as part of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the solution must allow for all those people for whom Jerusalem means so much to access and enjoy it.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that hepatitis C services are prioritised at local level.

    Jane Ellison

    Commissioning of local hepatitis C services is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England expects that decisions made by local CCGs will be based on clinical insight and take account of the needs of the local population overall.

    Public Health England supports work on local prioritisation of hepatitis C services by producing factsheets for local government, publishing a template to support commissioning by estimating the number of people infected with hepatitis C locally and the costs of treatment. Public Health England is also developing local liver profiles (to be published) at local authority level which includes key local statistics and prevention guidance on hepatitis C and questions which should be asked locally by local authority Health and Wellbeing Boards.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 377W, on Sri Lanka, what assessment he has made of the suitability of President Rajapaksa to serve as Chairperson in Office of the Commonwealth.

    Mr William Hague

    The position of Chair in Office, which is occupied by the host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for two years after the event, was formally created in 2009. No formal guidance exists on the role. The decision for Sri Lanka to host CHOGM, and become Chair in Office thereafter, was taken at CHOGM in 2009. There has been no consensus amongst member states to revisit this decision.