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  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of teaching provision available to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan; and what assessment she has made of the effects of language barriers on the effectiveness of such provision.

    Justine Greening

    According to the UN, there are over 320,000 school-age Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and over 200,000 in Jordan. We continue to be concerned about barriers to education for refugees from Syria, which is why I have set up the £50m ‘No Lost Generation initiative’ which is providing desperately needed help, including trauma counselling and education.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of UK aid to Syria has been written off as nugatory expenditure.

    Justine Greening

    No UK aid to Syria has been written off as nugatory expenditure.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that there is a renewed focus on the millennium development goals which have not yet been attained.

    Justine Greening

    Despite remarkable progress, some countries are off-track to meet MDG targets. In response, the Government has increased development assistance to fragile states, driven forward work to help unlock the potential of girls and women and focused more resources on creating the jobs, investment and growth that emerging and frontier markets need to escape poverty.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department gives full consideration to the increasing impact and challenges that ageing populations will place on national governments, civil society and relevant stakeholders (a) between 2015 and 2030 and (b) after 2030.

    Justine Greening

    The UK government welcomes the fact that life expectancy is increasing in developing countries and wants to see this positive trend continue. However, DFID also recognises that this brings new challenges, which the post-2015 framework should address. The High Level Panel, co-chaired by the Prime Minister, acknowledged this in its report to the UN Secretary General through its call to ‘leave no one behind.’

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals are coherent with and integrated into the development agendas of all government departments.

    Justine Greening

    Ensuring that the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals are coherent with and are integrated into the development agendas of all UK Government departments is a priority for this Government. DFID Ministers and officials work closely with other Government departments and through the National Security Council, Cabinet and Cabinet sub-Committees to ensure development coherence across HMG.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which sites were affected by the failure of UK Border Agency computers at passport control on 30 April 2014; what steps she is taking to investigate and rectify the problem; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for the computer failure.

    James Brokenshire

    This was a national issue and all ports were affected. The issue was rectified
    as soon as possible, with national security our first priority at all times. An
    urgent investigation is being conducted to examine the circumstances
    surrounding this incident.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to raise awareness of the conditions that can lead to young sudden cardiac death and sudden death syndrome.

    Jane Ellison

    The UK National Screening Committee advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. It is currently reviewing the evidence for screening young people between the ages of 12 to 39 years for the major causes of sudden cardiac death. A public consultation will open shortly.

    NHS England is working with the Chief Coroner to discuss what the coronial system can do to help reduce sudden cardiac death in the young. As a result, the Chief Coroner has written to local Coroners asking them to make families of those who have died of the condition aware that it may be inherited, and encouraging them to contact either the British Heart Foundation, Cardiac Risk in the Young, or their general practitioner for testing and counselling.

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that fathers have appropriate access to or custody of their children following separation or divorce in cases where there is no risk to the child.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Government recognises that a father’s role in his child’s life is a very important one and legislation in the Children and Families Act 2014 reflects the importance of children having a continuing relationship with both of their parents following family separation, as long as it is safe and in the child’s best interests.

    We are also strengthening the way in which breaches of child arrangement orders are handled. Cases which are breached within the first 12 months of an order being made will in future return to court quickly and, wherever possible, to the judge who made the original order. Courts will also be able to make full use of powers to direct a parent who is in breach of an order to participate in an activity, for example a parenting programme, to address their behaviour.

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the openness and transparency of the proceedings and accountability of Family Court decisions.

    Simon Hughes

    The Government recognises the need for greater openness in the family justice system. The challenge is to open the system up to greater scrutiny while protecting those involved especially the welfare of children. Last year, the President of the Family Division issued practice guidance in relation to committal of individuals found in contempt of court to ensure that these proceedings should be held in open court. In January this year, the President issued guidance aimed at increasing the number of judgments in family proceedings which are published. We are grateful to the President for his work in this area.

    The guidance is available at the following link:

    http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Guidance/transparency-in-the-family-courts-jan2014.pdf

    “

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are working on the transition to a new system following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012; and what the cost was of employing such officials in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    The Health and Social Care Transition Programme (HSCTP) was set up to implement the changes introduced under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The programme was led by the Department and closed on 31 March 2013. All of the organisations in the new health and care system assumed full responsibilities and powers as set out in the Act from 1 April 2013.

    Any enduring responsibilities that transferred to the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), or NHS England from 1 April 2013 are being discharged as part of business as usual arrangements in each organisation. As the HSCTP has closed and the new organisations are in place, there are no longer any officials working on the transition to a new system.

    Further information on the overall cost of transition is available in the National Audit Office report ‘Managing the transition to the reformed health system’ available at the following link:

    www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/10175-001-Managing-the-transition-to-the-reformed-health-system.pdf