Blog

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS recognises alcoholism as a mental health issue.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Evidence shows that there is a link between alcohol misuse and mental ill health. We know that people who drink excessively are at higher risk of poor mental health and that some people with mental illness may lead riskier lifestyles and may have issues with alcohol and drug misuse.

    National Health Service clinicians use the tenth edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for mental and behavioural disorders. The ICD-10 includes ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.’

    Diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder would be subject to an individual assessment, by an appropriate clinician.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Ministry of Justice has made of whether there is a correlation between alcohol consumption and criminal activity.

    Lord Bates

    Alcohol is a contributory factor in crime and disorder. The Home Office has estimated that alcohol-related crime costs society around £11.4 billion per year.

    The Crime Survey for England and Wales data from 2013/14 showed that around half (53%) of all violent crimes are alcohol-related, with two-thirds (64%) of all violent crimes involving strangers attributable to alcohol-consumption. Alcohol is also associated with over a third (36%) of domestic violence incidents.

    There is also a link between non-violent crime and alcohol. 36% of penalty notices for disorder in 2014/15 were issued for being drunk and disorderly. Alcohol is closely associated with anti-social behaviour with nearly one fifth of adults (18%) perceiving people being drunk or rowdy as a problem in their local area in 2014/15.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether diabetes is defined as a disability, and if so, what assessment they have made of the impact of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on diabetics in the UK.

    Lord Freud

    Under the Equality Act 2010 a person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Diabetes is a long term health condition and how disabling it is for people will vary depending on, amongst other things, severity and how well it is managed. The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have on the extent to which Daesh is establishing and consolidating control of territory in Afghanistan, in particular in the east, and what action they plan to take to prevent that.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Daesh affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan which identifies as Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP) primarily consists of former Taleban. While ISKP has influence in the eastern province of Nangahar, it has not yet demonstrated any national presence. The Taleban see ISKP as a threat and there have been repeated clashes between the two groups in Nangahar. The UK, through our support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), provides Train, Advise and Assist support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces to help them tackle the extremist threat in Afghanistan. Together with our NATO partners we continue to monitor the situation closely.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of concerns about the increase in antibiotic resistance, what assessment they have made of the recent study by researchers at King’s College London, published in the British Journal of General Practice, reporting a link between patient satisfaction and the prescription of antibiotics, in particular given that patient satisfaction is a contributory factor to GPs’ performance-related pay.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government is aware of the research from King’s College, which shows the pressures that general practitioners face to prescribe antibiotics, even when they are not clinically appropriate.

    We have already taken steps to address this issue, in particular, through measures to educate the public on the value of antibiotics and when the use of these drugs is inappropriate. For example, the Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking work to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice through low cost and scalable interventions designed by behavioural scientists. In addition, PHE has developed the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to improve prescribing behaviours amongst healthcare professionals and to encourage the public to use antibiotics responsibly. Furthermore, all prescribers are encouraged to support antimicrobial stewardship by following guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence on antimicrobial stewardship, published in August 2015.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the documentation for the application of the family test to the policy to limit means-tested financial support to the first two children in the family, in line with the Department for Work and Pensions’ guidance on the family test; and if not, why not.

    Lord Freud

    The Government has fully considered the family test criteria as an integral part of the policy development process. The published assessment of impacts of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill incorporates these considerations.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries limit financial support for children by the number of dependent children.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The national systems for supporting families in and out of work are very different between countries and it is thus difficult to compare one system with another. Many countries do not have means-tested supplements for children.

    The Government believes that the welfare system needs to be fair to taxpayers as well as benefit claimants, which includes ensuring that families on benefits make the same sort of financial decisions about the number of children they can afford to have as families supporting themselves solely through work.

    In 2011 the UK spent more on family benefits than Germany, France or Sweden. The UK spent more than double the OECD average on cash benefits to families according to OBR’s welfare trends report 2015.

  • Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bridges of Headley on 17 November (HL3184) and 7 December (HL2794), whether public engagement strategies are produced by electoral registration officers and made publicly available, and how the success of their work with local education institutions to increase voter registration is measured.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Electoral Commission’s guidance requires that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) produce a public engagement strategy. There is no requirement that these be made publicly available.

    As part of the performance standards framework, the Electoral Commission encourages EROs to monitor and adapt their public engagement strategy where needed to meet local challenges. Evaluation of the success of this work is carried out by EROs at a local level.

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK, as one of the three guarantor powers of Cyprus, was consulted in connection with the request by Russia to the government of Cyprus for the provision of military facilities on that island.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have discussed with the Republic of Cyprus their dialogue with the Russian Federation on the provision of facilities for humanitarian and emergency purposes. The Republic of Cyprus have stated very clearly that they have no plans for a Russian military base on the island.

    The UK remains fully engaged on issues of regional security with the Republic of Cyprus, while recognising that it is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide which bilateral agreements to sign.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the Farming Recovery Fund, and how much has been paid to farmers to date.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Farmers affected by the recent flooding in Northern England will be able to apply for between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of work to restore damaged agricultural land.

    The scheme is due to open for applications on 18 December and we will pay out on all eligible claims.