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Tag: 2015

  • John Randall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Randall – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Randall on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risks of retrafficking within the UK once a victim of trafficking has completed his or her period of reflection in a government-funded shelter and is no longer permitted to remain in the shelter accommodation.

    Karen Bradley

    Protecting victims is at the heart of the Government’s strategy on modern
    slavery. Addressing the risk of retrafficking is a key factor in the review of
    the National Referral Mechanism and the provision of support through Government
    funded safe houses. Our strategy focuses on strengthening support for victims
    so that they can increase their resilience to being retrafficked. This
    includes Government funded support providers who work with victims to support
    safe reintegration based on each individual’s needs, taking into account any
    particular risk of retrafficking. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s
    role also includes promoting good practice in the prevention of modern slavery
    offences, including prevention of retrafficking

  • Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hay of Ballyore on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve cancer care across the National Health Service and to ensure that National Health Service staff are trained to meet the future needs of cancer patients.

    Earl Howe

    On Sunday 11 January NHS England announced a new independent cancer taskforce to develop a five-year action plan for cancer services that will improve survival rates and save thousands of lives. It will produce a new cross-system national cancer strategy to 2020, building on NHS England’s vision for improving cancer outcomes as set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

    The taskforce will work in partnership with the cancer community and other health system leaders, and will be chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK. It will include cancer specialist doctors and clinicians, patients groups and charity leaders, Public Health England, local council representatives and professional bodies.

    The strategy will set a clear direction covering the whole cancer pathway, from prevention to living with and beyond cancer and end-of-life care, issues such as data, workforce, research and reducing inequalities. It will also consider how services need to develop and innovate in the future. The taskforce will produce a statement of intent by March 2015, with the new strategy to be published in the summer.

    It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and content for education and training and ensure newly qualified doctors, nurses, and other professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high-quality patient care. The General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council set standards for the education of doctors and nurses respectively. The royal colleges have responsibility for developing curricula for doctors and nurses.

    The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service in England. HEE works across disciplines to train staff to deal with patients with all conditions, including cancer.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that public land required by HS2 Ltd only during the construction phase will be returned to the relevant local authority for reprovison for community facilities.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Virtually all the land compulsorily acquired for HS2 will be used permanently for the construction and operation of the new railway. Where land compulsorily acquired becomes surplus to requirements, in accordance with the Crichel Down Rules and subject to key Guiding Principles set out in the High Speed Two Information Paper – C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND, landowners may be offered the opportunity to buy back land, at market value. The future use of land returned to local authorities would therefore be a matter for them to decide.

    High Speed Two Information Paper C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND attached.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take greater steps to help UK nationals access pensions which have been earned abroad.

    Priti Patel

    The UK already participates in a comprehensive EU-level system of regulations which allows people to claim their state pension from every EEA country they have lived or worked in.

    There are further international agreements with countries outside the EEA and taken together with the UK’s own bilateral social security agreements, the large majority of people are covered for claims to state pension earned abroad.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deafblind people unable to use a telephone or complete paper forms are able to submit claims for personal independence payments.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The claim process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has been developed involving claimants and people who support disabled people. This includes organisations which represent individuals with sensory impairments, including Sense, the deafblind charity, and Deafblind UK.

    The current process allows for someone else to start the application for PIP over the telephone with the claimant present when the call is made. If a face-to-face visit and a specialist interpreter is required we would seek to provide one.

    For the remainder of the process the claim forms, paper guidance and general information are available in a range of formats including large print, Braille, audio and British Sign Language.

    We are working with Sense and RNIB in the development of the PIP Digital Claim. This will involve deafblind people testing the design and giving us feedback which we will use to make improvements to the online journey.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many application forms for jobseeker’s allowance were given out by Wrexham Jobcentre in each of the last 24 months.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on UK business of the continuing disruption by migrants of rail and road freight traffic through the Channel Tunnel.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Although it has made no specific assessment, the Government is well aware of the disruptive impact of migrants seeking to access the UK across the English Channel, both through the Channel Tunnel and on the shipping routes. The impact at the Channel Tunnel is particularly severe on the rail freight operators, who have seen a significant reduction in their business, and on Eurotunnel itself.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Care Quality Commission reports of acute hospital inspections in 2014 and 2015 recommended increased staffing levels.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England and has a key responsibility in the overall assurance of safety and quality of health and adult social care services. The CQC has provided the following information.

    CQC inspections of acute trusts include an assessment of how trusts are meeting the legal registration requirement on staffing.This requires providers to have sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced persons to deliver safe care. The CQC can take enforcement action where providers do not meet the registration requirements.

    For acute National Health Service trusts and acute NHS foundation trusts, the CQC found 38 breaches of the staffing registration requirement in 2014 and four between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2015. These figures include CQC re-inspections and include locations for specialist acute trusts.

    The CQC does not provide a rating of staffing levels and does not make recommendations on the appropriate number of staff a trust should employ.

    The CQC has issued 106 ratings of acute NHS trusts and acute NHS foundation trust hospital sites in 2014, and 97 in 2015 up to 30 September 2015. These figures include locations with more than one published rating in the period and include locations for specialist acute trusts.

  • Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been paid to external research and polling companies by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in each month since October 2014, and to which companies payments were made.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Details of research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. BIS has published its research strategy and details of the monitoring and evaluation of its programmes. Details can be found at the ‘BIS evaluation strategy’ and ‘BIS research strategy’ sections of the GOV.UK website, which are attached.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what military hardware and components have been imported into the United Kingdom from Israel in the past 12 months.

    Lord Maude of Horsham

    Firearms, firearms component parts and ammunition are the only items of military equipment subject to import licensing controls.

    In 2014, BIS Import Licensing Branch issued 10 import licences for imports from Israel totalling 240 firearms and 2760 firearms component parts.

    In 2015 (to 30th September), BIS Import Licensing Branch issued 20 import licences for imports from Israel totalling 1858 firearms and 3260 firearms component parts.