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  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the changing criteria for the Adult Dependent Relative Visa on recruitment and retention of health professionals.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government reformed the Immigration Rules for adult dependent relatives in July 2012 in light of the significant NHS and social care costs which can be associated with these cases. The new rules seek to ensure that only those who have a genuine need to be physically close to and cared for by a close relative in the UK are able to settle here. Those who do not have such care needs can be supported financially in the country in which they live by their relative in the UK. We have kept the family Immigration Rules under regular review in light of any evidence received as to their impact and will continue to do so.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce and prevent incidences of pneumococcal pneumonia.

    Jane Ellison

    A national pneumococcal vaccination programme is in place to protect individuals for whom pneumococcal infection is likely to be more common and/or serious. Vaccination is provided to children as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme; those aged 65 years or over; and those aged between 2 and 64 years of age who are at increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease.

    There is an increased risk of getting pneumococcal pneumonia following influenza infection. Therefore people aged 65 years and older and those under 65 years of age in clinical risk groups are offered influenza vaccination each year to lower their risk of flu and also pneumococcal disease.

    There has been a significant reduction in pneumococcal pneumonia in the United Kingdom, in all ages, this has mainly been the result of the impact of the UK childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccination programme.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) officials of his Department, (b) representatives of NHS bodies or (c) researchers funded by his Department will be attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in November 2015.

    George Freeman

    No officials from the Department plan to attend San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2015. The Department does not hold information centrally on planned attendance at this event by NHS representatives or researchers supported fully or in part by funding from the Department.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his officials have had with the MBC Project in Boston, USA, on secondary breast cancer research.

    George Freeman

    Officials in the Department have had no specific discussions.

    The Broad Institute/Dana Faber Metastatic Breast Cancer project is one of several projects around the world that are together addressing the common goal of discovering genetic alterations within cancers, or in the inherited genes of patients who develop cancer, which will lead to improved knowledge of the disease and better treatment.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data is collected on the number of people who have primary breast cancer twice.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Russian airstrikes on (a) ISIL/Daesh targets on (b) non-ISIL/Daesh targets in Syria to date.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The vast majority of Russian air strikes have been against Syrian opposition forces, not the terrorist organisation ISIL. Despite Russian government claims to the contrary, only a small minority of strikes have targeted locations where ISIL forces are present. Overwhelmingly, Russian air strikes have targeted Homs, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo – areas where moderate opposition are concentrated. A map of Russian strikes is available on Twitter – @UKAgainstISIL. This is on the basis of reporting from international NGOs and actors on the ground.

  • John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Bangladesh on the murder of Faisal Arefin Dipon.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The British Government has been unequivocal in its condemnation of the murder of Faisal Arefin Dipon and in calling for the Bangladesh government to protect those who face threats to their lives because of the views they have expressed. My noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, our High Commissioner in Dhaka and myself have all expressed our shock at the appalling murder and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and free speech protected.

  • Michael Dugher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Michael Dugher – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide a list of diplomats at Minister-Counsellor rank serving in the Qatar embassy to the United Kingdom (a) currently and (b) for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    James Duddridge

    Until 2014, the London Diplomatic List was published annually, listing diplomats of foreign and Commonwealth countries in London. The information in the the London Diplomatic List is supplied by diplomatic missions and is now available on-line at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk. FCO records show that two diplomats hold the rank of Minister-Counsellor at the Qatari Embassy in London and have done so since late 2013. According to our records and the LDL there were no Minister-Counsellors at the Qatari Embassy in London from 2010 to November 2013.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to meet the new President of Burma; and if he will raise the issue of human rights abuses of ethnic groups in that country with the President.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma’s next president will not be chosen when the new parliament convenes in February 2016.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department has provided to the EU election observation mission overseeing elections in Burma in November 2015.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The United Kingdom lobbied the EU to deploy an Election Observation Mission to Burma and we welcomed their deployment of a 136-person mission. The presence of international observers, including from the EU, was a key part of the United Kingdom’s strategy for deterring fraud in Burma’s elections on 8 November.