Tag: 2015

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on liabilities arising from contract renegotiations in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Ministry of Defence contracts are negotiated and amended as necessary during the course of normal business. In terms of which contracts were renegotiated and the liabilities paid, I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to strengthen democracy and parliamentary oversight in Sri Lanka.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Through our bilateral support to Sri Lanka, we are seeking to strengthen democracy, improve good governance and the rule of law. We funded a programme of voter education and support to domestic election observers during the January and August elections at a cost of £120,000. Staff from the British High Commission in Colombo were involved in the EU Election Observer Mission both in the run up to and on the day of the 17 August parliamentary elections.

    We are working closely with others, including the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, on building the capacity of the new Parliament and on strengthening political parties. We welcome the involvement of UK Parliamentarians, including the recent visit of my hon. Friend, in supporting this work.

    Our spending on democracy related projects this year will be around £200,000. We are also supporting a project to provide training to local media in investigative journalism techniques, which should help strengthen freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating patients with diabetic retinopathy in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

    Jane Ellison

    We do not hold this information in the format requested.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arrived at Heathrow Airport without travel documents in the last year for which figures are available.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to powers under section 87 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, if he will raise the fines for refusal to carry an assistance dog in a taxi to level 4.

    Andrew Selous

    Changing the maximum fine from one level to another would need to be effected through changes to the legislation governing the offence (The Equalities Act 2010).

    Figures from the courts database do not indicate that courts are finding their sentencing powers inadequate, or that there is a need to raise the maximum level of fine available.

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to increase Government funding for specialist information and advice services for women at work.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The government funds the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to provide a wide range of information and support aimed at women at work, particularly pregnant women and new mothers, which is available on their website.

    The government also funds the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) to provide women at work with information and guidance.

    The findings of the largest ever study of pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination in Great Britain will be published by the EHRC later this year and will inform any further action that the government takes to ensure women can access the information and support they need.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 10 February (HL4487), concerning the state of human rights in the Republic of Ireland, what steps they have taken to ascertain that the government of the Republic of Ireland is and has been carrying out those sections of the Belfast Agreement to which it agreed in 1998.

    Baroness Randerson

    I have nothing to add to my previous answer of 10 February to the Noble Lord.

  • 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 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to introduce a Strategic Clinical Network for musculoskeletal disorders, as recommended by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

    Earl Howe

    NHS England’s National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, Peter Kay, is currently working in partnership with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), to develop new MSK clinical networks across England.

    The work ARMA has done to date has been very successful in capturing examples of best practice in MSK care across England, bringing together health professionals and commissioners and building a strong consensus on the way forward for models of care for MSK patients across the entire MSK community. Work is ongoing in this area and NHS England and ARMA are in dialogue about the nature of such support.

    NHS England is undertaking a review of the role, purpose and function of the sub-regional infrastructure that it funds, which is focussed on supporting commissioners and providers to improve the quality of services including Strategic Clinical Networks (SCN), Clinical Senates and Academic Health Science Networks. The purpose of the review is to understand how the best value can be secured from the investment in these functions, in support of commissioners and providers in improving quality. This review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of March.

    Regarding plans to introduce MSK networks as part of the SCN programme, NHS England has made clear that as priorities change, or should the work of one of the initial SCNS conclude, it will identify new conditions or patient groups that would benefit from an SCN approach.

    The provision of fracture liaison services (FLS) and falls services is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England advises that it is aware that provision of good FLS is not uniform across the country and it continues to work with CCGs to support them to develop appropriate local FLS services. It also advises that the FLS model recommended by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Osteoporosis society is recognised as best practice and is being promoted.

    In addition to this, the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people sets out best practice for clinicians on the management of patients aged 65 and over who are susceptible to falls.

  • Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the principles and prohibitions regarding eugenic practices in the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine form part of the constitutional traditions common to member states of the European Union.

    Earl Howe

    The United Kingdom has not signed or ratified the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

  • Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Curran – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers on the sharing of Scottish NHS data with HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke


    Treasury ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their ministerial counterparts, including in the Scottish Government. In line with the practice followed by previous administrations, details of such discussions are not routinely disclosed.