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  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with the government of Iraq and the regional government of Kurdistan about the protection needs of people likely to be displaced by current, and proposed, offensives against Daesh, in particular women and children.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional government, and regularly raises with them the protection needs of internally displaced persons arising from the conflict – including the protection needs of girls and women. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq to fulfil its commitments to develop and implement plans to stabilise areas which have been liberated from Daesh by providing the governance, services and security necessary to enable the safe return of people to their homes.

    The UK has committed £79.5 million of humanitarian assistance to Iraq since summer 2014. This includes cash assistance for vulnerable displaced Iraqis, allowing them to prioritise what they need most. Through the UN Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, we fund a number of projects designed to meet the most urgent needs of displaced Iraqis including emergency healthcare, water and sanitation, and protection services for girls and women. Our partners consider gender related differences in needs when developing all Department for International Development funded projects.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in family reunion cases, they are considering providing entry visas valid for longer than 30 days, to enable visa holders to complete all the required exit procedures and necessary travel arrangements.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We issue a flexible 30-day visa to non-EEA nationals coming from overseas to stay in the UK for over six months to enable them to collect their biometric residence permits (BRP) shortly after they arrive in the UK.

    When a family reunion application is made, individuals can specify the date they would like the 30-day visa to start to enable them to make any necessary travel arrangements, including obtaining exit visas. The start date of the visa can be deferred for up to three months from the date of application. If there is any delay expected in the processing time of the application, the individual will be contacted by UKVI and informed about the delay. Where someone is unable to make arrangements to travel to the UK within the 30 day period, they can apply for a replacement visa.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk that changes to the cost effectiveness threshold for vaccines as proposed by the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurements working group would lead to England being restricted from paying for some new vaccines when compared to other health economies in Europe, and people in the UK receiving fewer innovative vaccines.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government expects to receive the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement report shortly and will consider its recommendations once received. Until then, it would not be appropriate to speculate on possible recommendations or the impact they might have. We are committed to publishing their report. We will decide when to publish, and whether to consult, once we have had time to consider the report.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the final report of the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurements working group to be published, and whether its recommendations will be subject to public consultation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government expects to receive the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement report shortly and will consider its recommendations once received. Until then, it would not be appropriate to speculate on possible recommendations or the impact they might have. We are committed to publishing their report. We will decide when to publish, and whether to consult, once we have had time to consider the report.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total combined overall spending on vaccines procurement and administration (1) nationally, and (2) locally, including awareness campaigns, in each year from 2012–13 to the current financial year.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England were formed on 1 April 2013, therefore spend information can only be provided from 2013/2014 financial year onwards. Total combined spend for 2015/16 is not yet available.

    Overall spend on procurement and the administration of vaccines, including communications spend for campaigns, is split between PHE and NHS England. The total combined overall spend can only be provided at a national level. Local level information is not readily available. Spend information is provided in the following table.

    Approximate combined vaccine procurement and vaccine administration spend for England

    Financial Year

    2013/2014

    2014/2015

    Vaccine procurement and vaccine administration spend (£ million)

    578

    616
  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the East Coast Main Line infrastructure is adequate to provide a robust and reliable inter-city service, and of any modifications required in order for it to do so.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Her Majesty’s Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the infrastructure to operate the planned service. It will be for Network Rail and the relevant train operators to work together to ensure that the East Coast Main Line infrastructure is adequate to provide a robust and reliable inter-city service, making use of the normal industry processes.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Office of Road and Rail’s recent proposals for the East Coast Main Line services take fully into account the needs and expectations of passengers using stations south of Doncaster, in particular Newark, Grantham and Lincoln.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) has granted Virgin Trains East Coast’s application to run additional services on the East Coast Mainline.

    It will be for Network Rail and the relevant train operators to work together through the normal industry processes, under the oversight of the ORR, to ensure that the future mix of services provides an effective level of connectivity to meet the needs of passengers from these and other stations on the route.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Office of Road and Rail has adequately evaluated the impact of inter-city trains on the East Coast Main Line sharing the tracks approaching London with Thameslink services providing 24 trains per hour through the core section.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    No such assessment has been made by the Government. However, in making its own assessment, the Office of Road and Rail were aware of the requirements of the planned Thameslink service.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion by the Office of Road and Rail that it will be possible, by 2021, to run 7.5 long distance trains per hour on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) in an operationally robust timetable, in the light of the eight interventions to improve the ECML identified in the 2011 Initial Industry Plan by Network Rail at a cost of £500 million, and the later announcement of funding of £240 million.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government understands from work carried out by Network Rail that under the current plans for enhancement works on the route, 7.5 high speed paths would be available from 2021, although the detailed implications for the timetable and train performance have yet to be examined.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the unaccompanied minors brought to the UK from refugee camps in Europe will be assigned to families through the usual system of allocation to foster carers.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child’s best interests.

    The legislation is clear that consultation with local authorities is needed before any figure is set. We are working closely with local authorities and consulting NGOs, the UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant Member States to establish suitable processes to im-plement this initiative.

    We are committed to act as quickly as we can but we must take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to resettle and support those who are resettled.

    We must also ensure that we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK. We will be working closely with local authorities to find suitable placements within the UK. Statutory agencies at a local level are best placed to understand and meet the needs of all children and will continue to make decisions about the right accommodation and support services for those who are looked after. Unaccompanied children will be eligible for foster care if it is considered that that this placement type will provide appropriate support and best meet their individual needs.

    The UK has well-established and effective safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of children who come to the UK. All children brought to the UK will be given the care, support and education they require.