The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions were performed beyond the 24 week limit where feticide was declined in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
Information on whether feticide was declined is not collected on the abortion notification form HSA4.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Revised Standard Operating Procedures for the Approval of Independent Places for the Termination of Pregnancy, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients seeking abortion counselling are not subject to pressure to agree to the procedure as a result of his Department’s requirement that abortion treatment must be delivered within 10 days of the first appointment; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The Required Standard Operating Procedures make clear that women can choose to delay appointments/booked procedures and this should always override issues of timeliness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Revised Standard Operating Procedures for the Approval of Independent Places for the Termination of Pregnancy, what assessment he has made of the possibility that inaccurate diagnoses will follow his Department’s decision to allow women to refrain from informing their GP of a prior abortion.
Jane Ellison
Women seeking an abortion have the right to confidentiality and their decision must be respected if they do not want their general practitioner to be informed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he intends to take to endure that literature distributed by abortion clinics informing women about adoption as an alternative to abortion under the new Revised Standard Operating Procedures for the Approval of Independent Places for the Termination of Pregnancy is of the highest possible quality and objectivity.
Jane Ellison
The updated Required Standard Operating Procedures set out that “women must be given impartial, accurate and evidence based information (verbal and written) delivered neutrally” covering a range of issues including adoption. Part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection methodology is to look for open and honest communication from a service provider about the nature of the services it provides. The CQC’s inspectors would ask to see a sample of information that would be provided to service users and use this as part of the decision making process when making a judgement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to promote the Access to Work scheme to disabled people in Scotland.
Mike Penning
Access to Work is a valued and succesful national programme that makes a real difference to the working lives of disabled people throughout the UK.
The Department for Work and Pensions has actively marketed Access to Work to raise awareness of the programme through a national marketing campaign lasting throughout 2013. This included activity to further strengthen our partnerships with key stakeholders and organisations, developing marketing materials, attending key events and digital marketing. The campaign involved a wide range of communications activities, including press releases, presentations at disability and employer events, articles in disability publications and engagement in direct marketing to large employers. It also included use of digital media, paid advertising links in popular search engines, magazine adverts and awareness training for Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisors.
Access to Work also featued in the launch of the Department’s Disability Confident campaign in July 2013 and at subsequent local events, including Glasgow on 4 March 2014.
The Department for Work and Pensions has worked closely with the Public Health division of the Scottish Government to raise awareness of Access to Work with health professionals. This included sharing information on the NHS Scotland’s Knowledge Network and the Health and Employability Delivery Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding has been provided to disabled people in Scotland and the UK through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.
Mike Penning
Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data is available
Access to Work programme spend in Scotland:
2010/11: £6.5m
2011/12: £6.0m
2012/13: £5.9m
Access to Work programme spend in Great Britain:
2010/11: £105.5m
2011/12: £98.3m
2012/13: £99.0m
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have received support through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last three years.
Mike Penning
Please see figures for the last full three financial years for which data is avaiable:
Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Scotland:
2010/11: 2,800
2011/12: 2,510
2012/13: 2,500
Numbers helped by Access to Work support in Great Britain:
2010/11: 35,820
2011/12: 30,780
2012/13: 31,500
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Williamson on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department gives local authorities on the suspension of school staff.
Mr David Laws
The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 require local authority-maintained schools to establish procedures to regulate the conduct and discipline of staff, including the suspension of staff. This requirement is set out in the Department’s guidance on Managing Staff Employment in Schools. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) also provides detailed advice for all employers including self-governing schools and local authorities on the suspension of school staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to European governments to secure as quickly as possible restitution for British citizens who had assets seized by the Nazis.
Mr David Lidington
I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 689W. Since January, the British Government has engaged at Ministerial or official level with the Germans, Poles and Russians on restitution and looted art.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent reports that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said that his organisation will not renounce violence or recognise Israel.
Hugh Robertson
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 91W.