UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to set out the steps and timescale by which the refugees currently in Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Germany would have the unfettered right to move to the United Kingdom.

    Lord Bates

    The United Kingdom does not participate in the border aspects of the Schengen acquis and continues to operate border controls with other EU Member States. Individuals granted refugee status in another Member State will therefore be subject to the same entry clearance requirements as third country visa nationals resident in the EU if they wish to enter the United Kingdom. Free movement rights can only be obtained once a refugee becomes a citizen of an EU country. This process varies from Member State to Member State.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Health Service Litigation Authority’s Sign Up to Safety maternity-related projects include measures to improve the care of multiple pregnancies; and if so, when they expect to report the findings on those projects.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Under the Sign up to Safety Scheme £8 Million has been awarded to 25 maternity units who submitted a successful bid to the National Health Service Litigation Authority incentivisation scheme. Most of the successful bids related to improvements in foetal monitoring (equipment and training) supervision, human factors and team working or a combination of these themes.

    All 51 bids (successful and unsuccessful) had to demonstrate a link to their claims. As such none of the bids made a specific reference to multiple births, the focus was on the causes within maternity that resulted in a particular injury outcome, for example resulting in brain damage

    A full evaluation of the impact of this scheme will be available next year.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Moynihan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish best practice guidelines as part of water resource management plans to ensure that the right solutions can be delivered at competitive prices.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat and the Environment Agency published joint water resources management planning guidance in 2012. This included the expectation that water companies should consider all options to balance supply with demand, including water trading, cross boundary solutions and third party supplier solutions. Updated guidance is currently being prepared for publication for the next planning round.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve awareness of cerebral palsy amongst (1) medical generalists, and (2) those working in schools.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has taken a number of steps to support people with cerebral palsy.

    Health Education England is mandated to develop training for general practitioners to develop a special interest in the care of young people with long-term conditions. We have also funded the development of Paediatric Care online, a resource for supporting the clinical workforce across the full range of children’s health issues.

    The Government funded the development of Disability Matters (launched in February 2015). This is an e-learning tool to improve the skills of anyone working to support the needs of people with a disability or complex need (of all ages), and can be used by teachers and health professionals.

    The Government has introduced a new statutory framework for children and young people with special educational needs and disability, which requires clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to make joint arrangements to ensure a co-ordinated assessment of needs. The new approach will greatly improve integrated working across specialist health, education (either in mainstream or special schools), and social care, to deliver improved outcomes for the child.

    There are no current plans to introduce a national register of children with cerebral palsy.

  • Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stuart Blair Donaldson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Blair Donaldson on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to reform company law to require the disclosure of beneficial controlling interests of offshore companies.

    Anna Soubry

    From next year companies registered in the UK will be required to hold a register of people with significant influence or control over them. This information will be filed with Companies House, which will maintain a central, publicly accessible register.

  • George Kerevan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    George Kerevan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of allegations of unusual volumes of short selling of RBS shares in the period immediately before the August 2015 share offering by UKFI.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Chancellor and UK Financial Investments (UKFI) take the allegations of unusual volumes of short selling of RBS shares very seriously. UKFI have analysed the volume of shares on loan in the period immediately before the August 2015 share offering.They have concluded that the increase in the volume of shares on loan ahead of the sale was not material, and did not impact on the final price achieved.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a landlord licensing scheme.

    Brandon Lewis

    Local authorities have strong powers to introduce selective licensing schemes where they have acute, localised problems of high levels of crime, inward migration, anti-social behaviour or deprivation, or suffer from low housing demand or poor property conditions. These powers should only be used where there is a real need and it is proportionate to do so.

    We do not support blanket licensing schemes as they put unnecessary burdens and expense on good landlords which reduces choice, and increases costs, for tenants. A targeted approach helps to ensure that local authorities focus their enforcement activity on areas with the most severe problems, and are able to deliver their local plans in a way that is beneficial to both landlords and tenants.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if the Government will make it its policy to eliminate all indirect and direct fossil fuel subsidies within the present Parliament.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The UK does not have any fossil fuel subsidies. The Government sees clear benefits from climate, domestic energy security and budgetary stability perspectives, of phasing out such subsidies internationally. Therefore, where helpful, we will continue to aid the global effort to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. The UK remains a strong supporter of the G20 commitment to rationalise and phase out, over the medium term, inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption. You may also be aware that my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced that the UK will support the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform Communique – which is to be presented at the Climate Change negotiations in Paris later this year – calling for more action on this matter.

  • Harry Harpham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Harry Harpham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harry Harpham on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that parties to the conflict in Yemen exercise maximum restraint and adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in Yemen by all sides to the conflict and take these very seriously. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities and have received repeated assurances of IHL compliance and we continue to engage with them on those assurances. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with international human rights law.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase public understanding of diabetes and its symptoms.

    Jane Ellison

    Change4Life, Public Health England’s (PHE) social marketing programme aimed at families with children aged 5 to 11 gives advice about healthy lifestyles in order to lower the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. More than 2.7 million people have engaged with the campaign.

    PHE is currently developing a social marketing campaign for adults about improving their own health, encouraging them to make a number of lifestyle changes including taking more exercise, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.

    The Department, building on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, has committed to improving the outcomes for those with and at risk of diabetes. We will announce our plans in due course.