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Tag: 2014

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual cost in each school of setting up a new Combined Cadet Force detachment.

    Anna Soubry

    The cost of setting up a new Combined Cadet Force (CCF) unit under the Cadet Expansion Programme depends largely on the number of cadets in the unit.

    Decisions on opening new CCFs in schools are made jointly by the Department for Education and Ministry of Defence (MOD). The key criteria for deciding which schools can establish a new CCF are the ability of the school to fund the new unit and provide sufficient adult volunteers to run it. However, we are particularly interested in establishing CCFs in areas of deprivation.

    No assessment has been made of the effect of establishing new CCFs in state schools on recruitment to community cadet units. However, it should be noted that CCFs and community cadet units deliver different but complementary elements of the MOD’s youth engagement strategy.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with the United States Special Envoy on North Korea, Ambassador Robert King, about ways to build international action to follow through the passage of United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/25/L.17) on human rights violations in North Korea.

    Baroness Warsi

    The UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva met with Ambassador King on 18 March to discuss the UN Human Rights Council Resolution and how it could be used to build international action to improve the human rights situation in North Korea. In the near future we hope to welcome him.

    On 27 March, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), discussed the resolution with US Assistant Secretary Russel. We will continue to work with the US and others to ensure that there is accountability for the horrifying human rights violations documented in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases of academy trusts acquiring freehold interests on land for schools there have been in each of the last five financial years.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust. In some circumstances, where the school governors or supporting foundation already hold the freehold, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, may allow publicly-funded school land to be transferred to an academy trust, which will have satisfied the Secretary of State as to its ability to operate a state-funded school.

    There are strict rules protecting publicly funded land used by academies, regardless of who holds the freehold. This is set out in published guidance, which is available online:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice

    A copy of the guidance has been placed in the House Library.

    The Department does not hold information about the average value of land used for academies on a freehold or leasehold basis. Information about the number of academies that occupy land on a leasehold and freehold basis is not held centrally.

    “

  • Lord Harries of Pentregarth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Harries of Pentregarth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harries of Pentregarth on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on returning gay and lesbian asylum seekers to Uganda.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    All asylum and human rights claims are considered in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. We recognise that, in general, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) persons may be at risk of persecution and warrant protection and that this may have increased following the signing of the Anti-Homosexual Act into law. However, each case needs to be considered on its individual facts.

    Where we consider that an individual does not require protection, and the courts have not reached a different view, then we expect these individuals to leave the UK at the earliest opportunity. If individuals refuse to leave voluntarily, it may become necessary to enforce their removal. Returns are undertaken only when we conclude that it is safe to do so.

  • John Howell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    John Howell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Howell on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms in Henley constituency have been subject to restrictions on cattle movements following a test proving the presence of TB in each of the last three years.

    George Eustice

    Statistics on TB breakdowns are only available at county and herd level. Figures below show the number of herds restricted as a result of positive bovine TB test results in Oxfordshire in each of the last three years:

    · 2011 – 30

    · 2012 – 29

    · 2013 – 27

    Bovine TB statistics are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bovine-tb.

    “

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) EIA and (b) non-EIA development recommendations HS2 Ltd has made for conditions to be imposed on planning permission to protect the High Speed 2 project.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Following the making of safeguarding directions for the London to West Midlands section of HS2 in July 2013 (updated October 2013) , the number of recommendations made by HS2 Ltd for conditions to be imposed on planning permission to protect the High Speed 2 project is as follows:

    a) EIA recommendations – 0

    b) Non-EIA recommendations – 7

  • Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on allowing the transplant of organs from people deceased outside of hospital.

    Jane Ellison

    Organ donation following death outside of hospital is not broadly practiced in the United Kingdom. For organs to remain viable and suitable for transplantation, they must either be kept supplied with oxygen, blood and nutrients, or kept cold so that the metabolism of the cells is slowed right down. When someone’s heart stops beating suddenly, the blood supply to organs stop and the cells begin to get starved of oxygen and nutrients and start to die. Therefore, there is a very narrow window of a few minutes between the heart stopping beating and the need for organs to be removed and preserved.

    A pilot programme is underway in Edinburgh for retrieval of organs from those who suffer a witnessed cardiac arrest from which they are unable to be resuscitated and are brought within minutes to the hospital. NHS Blood and Transplant is supporting this pilot and, depending on the outcome, will support further similar initiatives.

    Additionally, health care professionals need to obtain consent and get a full medical history to ensure the organs are suitable for transplantation.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has written to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

    Esther McVey

    It is not possible to separately identify the written correspondence from the Secretary of State, to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011 other than at disproportionate costs.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will assess the achievements of Kidney Research UK’s Peer Educator model to support sign-up to the NHS Organ Donor Register in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities; and if his Department will take steps to support rollout of Kidney Research UK’s Peer Educator model across the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department, as part of its support for the National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Transplant Alliance, is funding Kidney Research UK to run a Peer Educator Project to raise awareness of the lack of donors and increase the numbers on the organ and bone marrow/stem cell registers within the Pakistani Muslim community in Birmingham. Subject to Parliamentary business, the project will be officially launched by the Public Health Minister on 26 June 2014 and will build upon the success of an earlier Department funded Peer Educator project. The project will be fully evaluated and further lessons learned will be used to inform the roll out of any future Peer Educator projects in other BAME locations across the country.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether agreement was received from HM Treasury to the Top Level Budget holder in his Department making ex gratia payments to members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined under AGAI67 following a police caution; what estimate the Treasury made of the cost of such payments; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    No such ex-gratia payments have been made.