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  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for East Devon, of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 1264, what training was provided to the election observers supported by Government funding referred to in that contribution.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The United Kingdom funded the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in training and deploying some 5000 Burmese civil society observers throughout the country. These national observers were trained to evaluate the quality of the electoral process at polling stations and to rapidly report incidents on the day. The presence of national and international observers was a key part of the United Kingdom’s strategy for deterring fraud in Burma’s elections on 8 November.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on community cohesion of the withdrawal of ESOL Plus Mandation funding.

    Nick Boles

    We have not carried out a specific assessment in relation to community cohesion. The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to give refugees settled in the UK opportunities to improve their English language skills.

    Nick Boles

    Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through a provider’s adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period. Refugees are therefore eligible for full-funding for English Speakers of Other Languages, if they are in receipt of certain work-related benefits and are mandated to undertake skills training to improve their English in order to find work. If they are on other state benefits and are unemployed, they may still be eligible for full funding at the discretion of the training provider. If they are not on benefits, they can be co-funded at the discretion of the provider.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to enable people with limited English to access healthcare services.

    Alistair Burt

    The provision of language support, including interpretation and translation, is driven by the requirement for all National Health Service organisations to comply with the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010. The provision of such services by NHS bodies is a matter for local determination based on the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have died within a week of being notified of a benefit sanction in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not collected.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of child obesity and (b) whether there is a correlation between child obesity and deprivation; and what steps his Department is taking to address that issue.

    Jane Ellison

    We know obesity rates in children are far too high and children in lower income groups are more likely to be obese than the rest of the population, but it is an issue across all groups.

    Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will announce our plans for tackling childhood obesity in the new year.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve understanding of palliative and end-of-life care in nursing and care homes.

    Ben Gummer

    We are committed to ensuring everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This applies to all settings in which palliative and end of life care is delivered, including nursing and care homes.

    To achieve this, we introduced a new approach to end of life care in 2014 based on five priorities for care of the dying person. It is for individuals and organisations delivering end of life care, including care homes, to ensure that the care they provide is based on the priorities. The Implementation Guidance for Service Providers and Commissioners and the Duties and Responsibilities of Health and Care Staff, which accompanied the priorities, set out clear expectations for organisations to ensure their staff receive the right training in palliative and end of life care.

    In addition, Skills for Care, which works to support staff working in adult social care to develop their skills and knowledge has developed end of life care qualifications, guidance and resources to equip workers to recognise and manage end of life situations effectively.

    In April 2015, Skills for Care launched the new Care Certificate, an identified set of standards that health and social care workers should adhere to in their daily lives. The Certificate includes end of life care and provides confidence that all health and care workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.

    I intend to announce further policy on end of life care in due course.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding of research by P. Zainotto et al, forecasting obesity to 2010, published in 2006, that around 97 per cent of obese children come from families where at least one parent is obese or overweight.

    Jane Ellison

    We know obesity rates in children are far too high and children in lower income groups are more likely to be obese than the rest of the population, but it is an issue across all groups.

    Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will announce our plans for tackling childhood obesity in the new year.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce poor nutrition among elderly people (a) in general and (b) in nursing and care homes.

    Alistair Burt

    Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy food provision for all regardless of age, including those who are undernourished. This is a selection of food and drink which meets daily nutrient needs in a healthier more sustainable way.

    PHE has published a range of catering guidance and supporting tools offering practical advice to support healthier and more sustainable food provision across a range of settings. This includes a toolkit for serving food to older people (including those in residential settings or community settings where older people may receive support, such as “meals on wheels” and take part in social activity such as lunch clubs).

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall. Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requires registered providers to meet nutritional and hydration needs.

    This fundamental standard requires that a service user receives suitable and nutritious food and hydration which is adequate to sustain life and good health. Care providers need to take into account the service users preferences or their religious or cultural background. Service users should also receive support to eat and drink if necessary.

    The CQC inspects providers to see if they are meeting these fundamental standards and provides clear direction on areas that require improvement. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers if a provider fails to meet the fundamental standards.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to the Care Quality Commission for improving the quality of food in care and nursing homes.

    Alistair Burt

    Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy food provision for all regardless of age, including those who are undernourished. This is a selection of food and drink which meets daily nutrient needs in a healthier more sustainable way.

    PHE has published a range of catering guidance and supporting tools offering practical advice to support healthier and more sustainable food provision across a range of settings. This includes a toolkit for serving food to older people (including those in residential settings or community settings where older people may receive support, such as “meals on wheels” and take part in social activity such as lunch clubs).

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall. Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requires registered providers to meet nutritional and hydration needs.

    This fundamental standard requires that a service user receives suitable and nutritious food and hydration which is adequate to sustain life and good health. Care providers need to take into account the service users preferences or their religious or cultural background. Service users should also receive support to eat and drink if necessary.

    The CQC inspects providers to see if they are meeting these fundamental standards and provides clear direction on areas that require improvement. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers if a provider fails to meet the fundamental standards.