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Tag: 2014

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the progress made by the Libyan government on drafting a new constitution.

    Mr William Hague

    The Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) in Libya is responsible for drafting the new constitution. The elections for the CDA took place on 20 February and Ali Tarhouni was subsequently elected as Chair of the body. Discussions are on-going to fill outstanding slots for minority groups. I welcome the recent G7 Communiqué which underscored the commitment of the international community to support the work of the CDA. The UK attends the UN Elections and Constitution coordination meetings in Libya which monitors the work of the CDA.

    Whilst there is still much work to do in a challenging timescale and testing security environment, the CDA recently produced an initial programme of what they plan to include in the constitution including the main references and guiding principles. I welcome the efforts the CDA are making in developing a transparent and inclusive process which will benefit all peoples of Libya.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-03-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 26 March (WA 124), whether the review by Lady Justice Hallett is to be purely an internal government exercise without anyone else whom the judge may summon being under any statutory legal compulsion to appear; and whether any compulsion to co-operate extends to members of Sinn Fein, the police, the recipients of the on-the-run” letters

    Baroness Randerson

    The inquiry led by Lady Justice Hallett has no powers of compulsion. As recorded in my earlier Written Answer, Official Report, Column WA124, officials who are requested to appear will be expected to do so.

  • Peter Bone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Peter Bone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what date he plans to announce whether the Rushden Lakes/Skew Bridge planning application has been accepted.

    Nick Boles

    The Secretary of State issued his decision on this case on 11 June. He has decided to grant planning permission for this development. A copy of the decision letter and the Inspector’s report has been sent to my hon. friend and to other interested parties, and these documents are available on the GOV.UK website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/planning-applications-called-in-decisions-and-recovered-appeals

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  • Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-03-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with their European partners concerning whether Israeli security personnel convicted of violating human rights law in the West Bank should be refused free visas in line with the policy of the United States State Department.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    We have had no such discussions with EU partners. Israeli nationals coming to the UK as a visitor for less than six months do not require a visa. All other routes, will need a visa before travelling, where the usual rules, including fees and checks will be applied.

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

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many keyhole surgery operations for heart surgery were carried out in (a) East Lancashire and (b) Airedale in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is shown in the attached table.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help local authorities control the sale of legal highs.

    Norman Baker

    In December 2013 the Home Office published guidance for local authorities which sets out the range of legislative tools they can use to tackle the ‘head shops’
    where legal highs are often sold. This was developed in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and the Trading Standards Institute. The guidance covers offences head shops may be committing under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, and various consumer protection regulations.

    The Home Office also provides local authorities and their trading standards officers with technical and financial support with drug testing through the Forensic Early Warning System. This supports local authorities in their action against the sale of legal highs by helping them to identify the contents of legal high products. To date, we have brought well over 250 substances under control through the use of ‘generic’ legislation and temporary class drug orders. We also work closely with law enforcement to tackle this reckless trade. Concerted action, started in November 2013, has so far resulted in over 40 arrests and seizures of new psychoactive substances, including 9 kilograms by Kent Police.

    Last summer we also ran a targeted communications campaign to raise awareness of the risks in taking new psychoactive substances amongst young people; providing information on these substances through our FRANK online service.

    However, we accept that more can be done, hence my announcement on 12 December 2013 of a review by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s response to new psychoactive substances can be enhanced beyond the existing measures. The expert panel includes a senior policy advisor from the Local Government Association to inform the work of the panel from a local government perspective. The panel is due to report its recommendations by the end of spring 2014.

  • Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Peter Luff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 395W, on Afghanistan, whether recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy in Afghanistan will receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Officer Cadets at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Afghanistan receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325. This supports one of the ANAOA’s core training objectives to: “Comply with Afghan National Army gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women’s rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 189W, on the electoral register: Northern Ireland, if he will discuss the lessons from the registration for schools programme in Northern Ireland with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

    Greg Clark

    I have discussed the Northern Ireland schools initiative with the Minister of State for Northern Ireland.

  • Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Annette Brooke on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to (a) support cervical Screening Awareness Week and (b) promote awareness by other means of the importance of cervical cancer screening for cervical abnormalities and cancer; and if he will make it his policy to set a target of 85 per cent for screening uptake.

    Jane Ellison

    We welcome the Demos report Behind the screen: “Revealing the true cost of cervical cancer…”, which we have discussed in detail with Public Health England (PHE). On the specific recommendations in the report:

    – it is NHS Cervical Screening Programme policy that general practitioners should offer ‘on the spot’ cervical screening tests to women during other appointments, as long as they are overdue. In 2012-13, more than 500,000 were taken without an immediate invitation;

    – on awareness campaigns, PHE is looking at a number of other cancers for potential local pilot tests within the Be Clear on Cancer programme, and a decision will be made later in the summer;

    – a strategy on using celebrities or religious leaders to improve coverage would need to be tied in with any overall marketing campaign, but previous experience shows that this only has a short term effect and needs frequent repetition. The publicity around Jade Goody, diagnosis, illness and subsequent death, brought in many under-screened women, but this dissipated within months following Jade’s death at the end of March 2009; and

    – PHE has funded research on the effects of mother/daughter relationships on uptake of screening and vaccination, including in lower socio-economic groups. PHE would be very happy to discuss this with Demos and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

    We know that for a number of reasons coverage rates amongst women have fallen slightly over the last decade, as highlighted further in the report, and a considerable amount of work is underway to tackle this decline. The third annual report of our Cancer Outcomes Strategy said that a priority for 2014-15 will be to improve screening uptake amongst disadvantaged groups. PHE is undertaking analysis on local screening programmes with poor coverage, and will work with them to develop action plans to increase coverage in their local areas.

    Specifically on younger women, the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women who are receiving their first invitation from the programme. We also know that coverage rates are lower in certain communities. NHS Cancer Screening Programmes have worked with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to host two events looking at challenges to screening uptake among black and minority ethnic communities, and a third event is due to be held in Birmingham in July 2014. NHS Cancer Screening Programmes has also funded an award winning Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s Are You Ready for Your Screen Test? campaign targeting lesbian and bisexual women to raise awareness about the need to attend for regular cervical screening tests.

    Regarding costs discussed in the report, we will ensure that the report is sent to colleagues in NHS England who are responsible for commissioning the cervical screening service. The report will also be discussed at the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening in the autumn.

    Acceptable and achievable standards for cervical screening coverage rates are being discussed as part of the update of the cervical screening service specification attached to the NHS public health functions agreement: Public health functions to be exercised by NHS England (Section 7a agreement) for 2015-16.

    We are fully supportive of Cervical Screening Awareness Week (CSA Week) and the work Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust does, who I met recently.

    I wrote to all Members of Parliament on 11 June to draw their attention to CSA Week, update them on national and local screening statistics and ask for their support in promoting take-up of screening. In addition, the Department and PHE promoted CSA Week on social media.

  • Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of properties in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber which do not have mains gas access and which use domestic heating oil.

    Gregory Barker

    Estimates for the number of households which do not have mains gas and which use domestic heating oil are not available. However, the number of households that did not have access to a mains gas supply in the Brigg and Goole constituency can be estimated bycombining figures for the lower layer super output areas that most closely match this area.

    In 2012, there were approximately 4,400 households (12 per cent) which had no access to mains gas.The number of households that did not have access to mains gas in Yorkshire and the Humber is estimated to be127,000 (six per cent of households within Yorkshire and the Humber).

    These data are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lsoa-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network.

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