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  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many drug trials have taken place in the UK in each of the last three years.

    Norman Lamb

    The numbers of applications received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Clinical Trials Unit for clinical trials of medicinal products over the past three financial years is shown in the following table:

    Financial Year

    Total trials

    2011-12

    920

    2012-13

    935

    2013-14

    989
  • Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what change there has been in police dog numbers in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in the last five years.

    Damian Green

    The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria his Department uses to evaluate tenders to provide Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

    As with all procurement exercises undertaken by the National Health Service, there will be a clear service specification and evaluation criteria will be developed specific to the requirements of the service being tendered. Providers will then be able to submit a response, which NHS England or the CCG will assess and make a decision based on the outcome.

  • Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Elfyn Llwyd on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of probation staff have received training in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

    Jeremy Wright

    Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which were inserted by virtue of section 111 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012,have been included in the curriculum of the Probation Qualification Framework since 2012.

    The Home Office has funded the development and delivery of a training package on stalking for frontline professionals which is been delivered by Women’s Aid, in collaboration with Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service. This training is currently taking place nationwide. The training material is also available for use by organisations and agencies to deliver sessions themselves.

    Training details relating to probation staff are held locally, but have not been collected centrally and could not be collected without incurring disproportionate cost.

  • Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of each type of benefit were sanctioned and for what period by Warrington Jobcentre in each year since 2010.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested on the duration of benefit sanctions is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    The available information on the number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction is shown in the table below.

    Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction in Warrington Jobcentre Plus office: 2010 – 2013

    Year

    Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

    Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

    2010

    1,121

    146

    2011

    912

    45

    2012

    1,436

    36

    2013

    1,488

    55

    Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

    Notes:

    1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to protect against the identification of individual claimants.

    2. Figures for Income Support Lone Parents are not available by Jobcentre Plus office.

    3. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant.

    4. Data refers to January to December in each year shown.

    5. New regulations introduced a new revised sanctions regime for JSA and ESA claimants from 22nd October and 3rd December 2012 respectively.

    6. This data is published at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    “

  • Susan Elan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Susan Elan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Susan Elan Jones on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make representations to RBS and all its subsidiaries on making their services available at post offices.

    Jenny Willott

    Since September 2011, the customers of RBS, Ulster Bank, and NatWest have been able to withdraw cash free of charge at all post office branches across the UK. With around 11,700 branches – more branches than all the high street banks and building societies combined – the Post Office is the largest retail network in the UK. It is also the only retail network that meets the Government’s strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the national population live within three miles of an outlet. With 95% of all UK debit card holders able to access cash at Post Office counters, the Post Office is in many communities the only source of free to access cash.

    The Post Office is also a major provider of personal financial services. In partnership with its banking partner, the Post Office provides a wide range of financial services including mortgages, credit cards, and savings products. The Post Office is currently trialling its own current account products.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had regarding the compatibility of Brunei’s human rights policies with the human rights values of the Commonwealth Charter, and with whom.

    Baroness Warsi

    We, along with the EU and other members of the international community, regularly discuss human rights with the Bruneian authorities. During Brunei’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 2 May, we called on Brunei to lift its state of emergency, to establish a national human rights institution and to ensure that the implementation of their new sharia criminal code was in line with international human rights standards. This includes the Commonwealth Charter which commits members to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I discussed this with His Majesty The Sultan, and other government figures during a visit to Brunei in April. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for East Devon also raised our concerns with Brunei’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pehin Kunis on 12 June. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Mr Vara), raised this with the Bruneian Attorney General at the Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting on 6 May. The Secretary of State for Health, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), discussed this with his opposite number at a Commonwealth Health Ministers’ meeting on 18 May 2014.

  • Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with universities, and what research they have conducted, in relation to the impact that changes to the A/S level examinations will have on the assessment the university sector will be able to make of candidates for undergraduate entry.

    Lord Nash

    We have discussed the changes to the AS qualification with UCAS and other higher education organisations, including the A level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB), the Russell Group and Universities UK. It is, of course, for individual universities to determine their own admission arrangements. AS grades only form one part of a range of information available to universities about prospective applicants. They also look at prior attainment at key stage 4, teachers’ assessments and personal statements.

    In May 2013 the Department for Education published research which considered how GCSE results compared to AS Level results at estimating the probability of a student attaining at least a 2:1 at university. The research[1] found that using GCSE results are a better predictor of university outcomes than AS results. Our plans to restore rigour to GCSEs will ensure they are an even more useful source of information for university admissions.

    [1]Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-comparison-of-gcse-results-and-as-level-results-as-a-predictor-of-getting-a-21-or-above-at-university

    “

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent progress has been made in establishing the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland.

    Baroness Randerson

    We strongly support the discussions currently under way between the Northern Ireland parties and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland on securing the full operation of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland. Early resolution of this issue is essential to avoid gaps emerging in law enforcement in Northern Ireland in areas where there is serious public concern, such as drug enforcement, human trafficking and other forms of serious criminality.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the resignation of Mr Lakhdar Brahimi as United Nations mediator in Syria.

    Baroness Warsi

    Lakhdar Brahimi has played a crucial role as joint UN and Arab League Special Envoy for Syria since June 2012. He showed strong leadership and great patience in getting the parties to the conflict round the same table in Geneva and take the first steps towards potentially constructive dialogue. The responsibility for the collapse of negotiations rests wholly with the regime’s refusal to engage in discussion on an agenda for future talks put forward by Mr Brahimi. The appointment and mandate of any future UN Special Envoy is still under consideration by the UN.