Tag: 2014

  • Chris Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chris Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the situation for religious minorities in northern Nigeria.

    Mark Simmonds

    Conflict in northern Nigeria has caused great suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Representatives of The Government maintain regular contact with religious and ethnic community leaders across Nigeria. We recognise there are tensions in many parts of the country, including in the north east, middle belt and the Niger Delta. Recent attacks by Boko Haram have been indiscriminate, but it is almost certain that these attacks have killed more Muslims than Christians.

    We recognise the underlying issues of poverty and inequality, which lead to inter-communal tensions and conflict in Nigeria and we urge political, traditional and religious leaders to work together in order to resolve these issues. The Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) continue to fund a range of conflict resolution projects across Nigeria designed to address these problems. We currently have an expert team in Abuja to help Nigeria deal with the abduction of the school girls from Chibok and to also look at addressing longer term challenges, including inter-communal tensions.

  • Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists the decision of its faculty of sexual and reproductive health not to allow doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to supplying contraceptive drugs or devices which act after fertilisation to receive its diploma in sexual and reproductive health.

    Jane Ellison

    The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare is responsible for decisions on the syllabus of its Diploma, the requirements for entry to the Diploma course, and the award of a Diploma qualification.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-05-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what response the UK has made to the application of the Marshall Islands to the International Court of Justice in respect of compliance by the UK with Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    Hugh Robertson

    The UK is currently considering its response to the proceedings instituted by the Marshall Islands in the International Court of Justice on 24 April 2014. The UK is confident of its record in progressing nuclear disarmament in accordance its obligations under the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and will defend its position robustly.

  • 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 2014-05-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the medium-termhumanitarian,securityand protection risksin the Central African Republic.

    Baroness Warsi

    The humanitarian and security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is extremely poor. The UK is playing a strong role as part of the international community’s response, including through significant humanitarian aid, support to the African Union and EU support missions – the International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) and the European Union Force (EUFOR), and co-sponsorship of the UN Security Council Resolution that authorised a UN Peacekeeping Operation (PKO). The UN PKO will deploy in September and will have a comprehensive mandate with an initial focus on protecting civilians. However, CAR represents a challenging environment and there is a clear risk insecurity will continue to affect the population of CAR in the medium term. This would continue to affect CAR’s neighbours, including through refugee numbers.

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the Arts on Prescription 2010-2012 report produced by the charity Arts & Minds.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Arts & Minds charity is doing important work within the arts and health sector. I recently held a roundtable meeting on arts and health focusing on some of the issues raised in the Arts on Prescription report which the Executive Director of Arts & Minds attended. Health initiatives like the Arts on Prescription scheme have the potential to result in cost savings across health and social care and health practitioners and other relevant authorities should give careful consideration to the recommendations.

  • Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of interpretation services provided to the (a) magistrates’ courts and (b) Crown Court in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which information is available.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that has been requested. In order to provide the information we would be required toobtain a number of large reports from individual locations. This could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average length of time between an application for free school status being made and a successful applicant school opening; and what plans he has to reduce the time taken.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    In cases where there is no existing school, the average length of time between an application for a free school being made and a brand new school opening is approximately eighteen months. There are instances where a free school is able to open in a shorter amount of time, for example, in the case of an existing independent school that wants to join the state sector.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers left Prison Service employment within (a) six months, (b) one year and (c) two years of becoming an officer in each of the last five years.

    Jeremy Wright

    Information on the number of prison officers who left employment within the first two years of joining public sector prisons in England and Wales in 2009 – 2013 is contained in the table below.

    Table: Headcount of officers leaving public sector prison service in England and Wales within (a) 6 months, (b) 1 year, (c) 2 years 2009 – 2013

    Year

    Officers leaving Within 6 months

    Officers leaving within 1 year1

    Officers leaving within 2 year1

    2009

    40

    100

    190

    2010

    30

    60

    130

    2011

    20

    50

    90

    2012

    20

    40

    80

    2013

    ~

    20

    50

    1 Figures are cumulative i.e. the number leaving within 1 year includes those leaving within 6 months.

    Officer numbers, which are derived from a dynamic administrative system, have been rounded to the nearest 10 to reflect the level of uncertainty in the figures.

    It is not possible to provide figures for privately contracted prisons with the time available. This is because information on leavers is held not held centrally and is only available from the individual contractors. This information has been requested and I will write to you again when it is available.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Sheridan on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning in Scotland on the use of zero-hour contracts in Scottish education establishments.

    Jenny Willott

    There have been no recent discussions between my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning in Scotland directly relating to the use of zero-hour contracts in Scottish education establishments.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on demand for accident and emergency services at James Cook University Hospital of the proposed closure of minor injuries units at (a) East Cleveland and (b) Guisborough hospitals.

    Jane Ellison

    No such assessment has been made. This is a local process, not one led from Whitehall. The Government has made clear that any proposed service reconfiguration should be clinically led, not driven from the top down. A public consultation on the proposed changes in South Tees NHS Foundation Trust is currently taking place and is due to close on 31 July. No decisions have been made on the proposed closure of the minor injuries units at East Cleveland and Guisborough Hospitals.