The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2015-11-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they hold on the occupancy levels of registered care homes in the last five years for which information is available.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The information requested is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18323, what assessment his Department has made of progress on establishing a government of national accord in Libya; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We urgently need to see a conclusion to the UN-led political process and the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya. The Libyan Political Agreement announced at Skhirat in October is the only basis for peace and security in Libya, and only a Government of National Accord can begin the difficult work of establishing effective, legitimate governance, restoring stability and tackling the threat posed by Daesh. The Rome Conference co-chaired by Italy, the US, and the UN on 13 December will be an opportunity to demonstrate the determination of the international community on the way forward. The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to coordinate international support for a unity Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the OECD global trade outlook and its recommendation that governments should step up investment to support growth.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The latest OECD Economic Outlook forecasts the UK to be the joint fastest growing major advanced economy in 2015. The OECD have revised down the forecast for both world trade growth and global GDP growth in 2015 and 2016. This demonstrates the need to continue to fix the economy to ensure the UK can deal with risks from abroad.
The government remains committed to encouraging long-term investment and promoting a dynamic economy, and recently set out comprehensive reforms to support productivity growth in “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation”.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on patient outcomes of the planned transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities to clinical commissioning groups from April 2016.
George Freeman
We do not expect obesity outcomes to be affected, as the change will primarily be in regard to commissioning responsibilities. However, we believe the transfer should support better integration between Tier 3 and Tier 4 services (which include obesity services) which in turn should improve patient pathways.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made about the health and wellbeing of, and the prison conditions being experienced by, former President of the Maldives Mohammed Nasheed.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has spoken directly with the Maldives Foreign Minister on a number of occasions regarding former President Nasheed and in August wrote to her expressing our concern about Mr Nasheed’s return to prison. On 10 November Mr Swire met for a second time Mrs Laila Ali, wife of former President Nasheed as well as Amal Clooney and Ben Emmerson QC from Mr Nasheed’s legal team. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the situation in the Maldives as well as Mr Nasheed’s case, his health and wellbeing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that friends and family of people who have died by suicide receive a copy of the publication Help is at Hand from Public Health England.
Alistair Burt
Help is at Hand is available on the ‘Support after Suicide’ website and to order on the Department’s orderline. Public Health England is working with the voluntary sector and local areas to make sure there is effective distribution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the size of deposit needed to buy a starter home in London.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Starter Homes will be sold at a minimum of 80% of the full market price and offered to first time buyers under the age of 40. The discounted Starter Homes price will be capped at £450,000 in London.
The cap is not an expectation of the going price for a Starter Home. Most first time buyers are not buying average-priced properties, but those at the lower quartile of values in an area. This is the first time buyers market that exists, and this is where we anticipate developers pricing starter homes
Starter homes will reduce deposit requirements for first time buyers. The average price paid by a first time buyer in London in Q2 2015 was £376,000 (Office for National Statistics data). The discount achieved through the Starter Home initiative would reduce the price of such a property to £301,000 and also reduce the deposit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will discuss with her ministerial colleagues in other departments (a) reducing UK support for fossil fuels overseas and (b) ensuring that support for energy in developing countries is directed towards low-carbon technologies.
Mr Nick Hurd
My Department works closely with other government departments on UK energy policy overseas, including the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Treasury, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The UK Government has committed to end public funding for coal fired power plants, , except in rare circumstances, in the world’s poorest countries. This policy has been agreed with DECC and was announced at the Warsaw Climate Change conference in 2013.
DFID will continue to support international initiatives to promote cleaner energy sources and other low carbon technologies. For example, the Energy Africa campaign will accelerate the expansion of the household solar market in Africa, helping to bring universal energy access to the continent. The International Climate Fund (ICF) managed by DECC and DFID also actively supports low-carbon technologies, and monitors this through Key Performance Indicators. The UK reports publicly on achievements through the ICF (see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463954/ICF_Results_Note_Final.pdf).
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they still intend to publish their Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in summer 2016.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department for Transport is in the early stages of developing its first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) with the intention to publish by summer 2016 following a public consultation on the draft in spring 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he plans to publish the Government’s response to the report, The role and contribution of women in the Scottish economy, published in March 2015.
David Mundell
The Government will be responding to the recommendations in the report in due course, and discussions between Professor Sawers and the UK Government are continuing on this matter.