The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 10 June (HL56), whether they will provide updated statistics for the tables entitled Growth in the UK Muslim Population, to show the most recent figures available.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowlands on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis, and by which process, the relevant shares of the proposed Apprenticeship Levy will be distributed to the devolved administrations.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
We are working with the devolved administrations to ensure fair and transparent funding and, as far as possible, to develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations. We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowlands on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Chairman of Committees how many apprentices are employed in the House of Lords.
Lord Laming
The House of Lords Administration does not currently employ any apprentices. The Administration supports training related to employees’ work in the House of Lords, and has a graduate trainee post in the Parliamentary Archives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on UK citizens of the US proposal to tighten its visa waiver programme.
Lord Bates
We have a very close relationship with the USA and are confident the changes the administration is currently proposing will have minimal impact on UK citizens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical assistance they are providing to Burma to help that country in its democratic transition following the elections on 8 November.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our package of development assistance to Burma this year is £82 million and we have allocated £25 million between 2014 and 2019 specifically to strengthen democratic governance in Burma. This sum included support to elections through the provision of technical advice to the Burmese election commission, voter education and building capacity in monitoring and observation of the electoral process.
Following the November elections, we will continue to engage with Burma to encourage the country along its journey of democratic reform. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 November to offer continued political and economic support for the people of Burma. We will of course keep in close contact on a range of topics and look forward to working with the new administration, which takes office in March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have that air strikes in Syria would reduce ISIL’s ability to attack the UK; and what assessment they have made of the terrorist threat to the UK posed by British-born ISIL recruits as a direct result of such air strikes.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The threat to the UK is already at Severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. In just over a year, our police and security services have stopped no fewer than 7 different terrorist plots in Britain, all linked to or inspired by Daesh. By attacking Daesh in its heartland in Syria, from where many of its plans are directed, we are taking the fight to Daesh and degrading their capability to plot to kill British people. There is already a significant threat to the UK from British Islamist extremists who have travelled to Iraq and Syria. Around 800 Britons of national security concern are known to have travelled to Iraq and Syria, and over half of those have already returned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define moderate” in the context of opposition in Syria.”
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The moderate opposition in Syria, the majority of whom use the brand of the Free Syrian Army, call for a pluralistic political system in Syria that respects the rights of all Syrians (including minorities) and rejects terrorism and terrorist tactics. They have repeatedly condemned Islamic extremism, and have been fighting, and beating back Daesh in Syria for over two years while also protecting their communities from vicious attack from the Assad regime. They have scored significant victories in Idlib and Aleppo in Northwest Syria and in Dera’a province in the South.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many ground troops they estimate would be required to defeat ISIL, and which countries they expect would provide those forces.
Earl Howe
We have not made such an estimate. We recognise that defeating Daesh will take a combination of military measures and political process. In Iraq we will continue to support government and Kurdish forces already rolling back Daesh. In Syria, this means an end to civil war, allowing all those forces committed to a stable, inclusive and unified Syria – including the army of an internationally-supported Syrian government – to fight Daesh together on the ground.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action can be taken by a local authority or a successful provider when a contractor appointed to enable a local healthwatch to be established and run does not respect the distinction between its role and the local healthwatch organisation being run by that provider.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Local authorities are responsible for making contractual arrangements for local Healthwatch statutory activities to be delivered in their area. As commissioners of the service, we expect local authorities to manage their contracts in order to ensure the local Healthwatch is able to operate effectively.
The Local Government Association has published guidance to support local Healthwatch and local commissioners to put in place good governance arrangements, which includes clarity about the roles of all parties involved. A copy has been attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government for (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales, how much was spent per capita on cancer services, and what is the national one-year cancer survival rate as a percentage of new patients for the most recent year available.
Lord Prior of Brampton
As health is a devolved matter, we are unable to provide data for Scotland or Wales.
The National Audit Office estimated that the cost of cancer services to the National Health Service in England in 2012-13 was £6.7 billion, although precise figures are not available.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the most recent available one-year age-standardised, all cancer survival rate for England for patients diagnosed in 2012, and followed up to 2013, is 69.3%.