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

    Lord Palmer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the challenge made via the World Trade Organisation to the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging in Australia, in the light of their plans to consider introducing a similar regime in the United Kingdom.

    Earl Howe

    The Government is aware of the complaints made in respect of the Australian plain packaging legislation, within The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute procedures. The Government continues to carefully consider all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, including all legal aspects.

    In accordance with normal practice, the Government is not intending to disclose legal advice received.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children with special educational needs.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Children and Families Act – to be implemented from September – introduces the most fundamental reform to the system for SEN and disability for 30 years, placing children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.

    Families will be more involved in decision making and there will be greater clarity about local services provided in each area.

    We’re providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week we announced a further £45.2m – on top of the £70m already provided this year – for implementing the reforms.

    We are also providing £30m over two years to provide independent supporters to families.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been done to implement the recommendation of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea (1225, h: p 371) that States which have ties with North Korea, such as diplomatic relations, should form a Contact Group which would communicate human rights concerns to the regime and support initiatives that help improve the human rights situation on the ground.

    Baroness Warsi

    The UN Commission of Inquiry’s (COI) report on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) recommended that states with historically friendly ties, major donors and potential donors and those states engaged in the DPRK through the Six-Party Talks framework form a human rights contact group. Although the UK does not fall into the aforementioned categories, a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official did meet COI members in April to discuss a range of issues associated with human rights in the DPRK, including the proposal to form a contact group. However, the group has not yet been formed nor have potential members formally been identified. The Minister of State, my Right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also discussed this with Ambassadors and senior UN Officals in Geneva on 18 June.

    The UK continues to raise concerns over the DPRK human rights situation during meetings with the authorities, most recently with the DPRK Ambassador to the UK in May, but also in Pyongyang where we do so both bilaterally and alongside other EU diplomatic missions.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Parminter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of sixth form colleges in England offered Religious Studies at A-level in 2009 and 2013.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education does not hold information on the proportion of sixth-form colleges that offer religious studies at A level.

  • 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.