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Tag: 2015

  • Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Harris of Richmond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Harris of Richmond on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of cross-border smuggling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how many prosecutions for such smuggling have been recorded in the past five years.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The government is committed to tackling the fraudulent evasion of duty. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) records statistics for excise offences in Northern Ireland by regime; hydrocarbon oil, tobacco and alcohol. It does not separate out those involving smuggling between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    By their very nature these offences can include cross border aspects and HMRC works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to disrupt criminal activity connected with these goods. This includes regular exchange of intelligence, joint operational activity and the gathering of evidence for use in criminal prosecutions.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on teaching of transgender issues to (a) four year olds and (b) other school children.

    Edward Timpson

    Whilst schools have the autonomy to teach about gender at KS1-4 as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, transgender is not prescribed in lessons for pupils age 4 (KS0).

    Gender is an important aspect of identity and developing a positive sense of one’s identity is a significant part of growing up. Schools can help to develop pupils’ understanding and respect, through the age-appropriate teaching of transgender issues. Schools can also provide any pupils who are questioning their gender with a nurturing and supportive environment.

    Schools in England can teach about transgender issues in their PSHE lessons, drawing on the guidance and resources available. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, which includes teaching about gender and gender identity at key stages 2, 3 and 4. The programme of study is available on-line at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1004

    The education of four year olds in England is covered by the Early Years FoundationStage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for future progress.

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  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to Bermuda’s decision to (a) reject the Prime Minister’s request to introduce a public register of beneficial ownership and (b) reject the Prime Minister’s request to hold a consultation on adopting such a register.

    James Duddridge

    We have asked the Bermudian authorities to meet the following criteria: a) UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards; b) These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and c) Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway. We are continuing our dialogue with the Bermudan authorities on this and have offered any technical support that might be required as they develop their proposals My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, met with Premier Dunkley on 26 August in London.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 16 November 2015 to Questions 15832, 15826 and 16699, what options Ministers are considering in response to the research published by her Department in March 2012 on the extent of use and humaneness of snares.

    Rory Stewart

    In 2012 Defra published research on the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. Following publication of the report, officials worked with stakeholders to explore options to improve the humaneness of snaring. Ministers are currently considering these options, including the issue of improved guidance on snaring.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to update the Cardiovascular Disease Outcome Strategy, published in March 2013.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England continues to support implementation of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy. It is working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on a range of preventative issues which support implementation of the strategy and promote wider improvement in outcomes. These include addressing areas such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol together with the further development of NHS Health Checks. NHS England is also working with partners to support actions that promoteearlier diagnosis of conditions such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure and valve disease and improved survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest.

    NHS England also hosts an expert forum which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, the main relevant national charities, the National CVD Intelligence Network, PHE and the Department. This collaborative continues to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy.

    As part of its work on the seven days services programme, NHS Improving Quality has surveyed 24/7 diagnostic service provision (including cardiac physiology) and has announced early adopter seven day sites. One of these adopter sites focuses on provision of seven day services to support cardiac interventions and improved bed usage. More details can be found at:

    http://www.nhsiq.nhs.uk/media/2422315/papworth_foundation_cs.pdf

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  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating osteoarthritis in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis on an annual basis is not collected and the Department has made no specific estimate of the cost of osteoarthritis to the NHS. Although some relevant costing data are captured, such as those relating to hip fracture, total costs are not available, as additional costs are incurred out of hospital and in other services where data are not available.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals aged (a) between 15 and 64 and (b) over 65 from each EEA country were granted permanent residence in each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

    James Brokenshire

    Under the EU law, EEA nationals (and their family members) have an initial right to reside in the UK for three months without conditions. To have a right to reside in the country longer than this the EEA national must be exercising a Treaty Right, described in the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 as being a qualified person. To be considered a quali-fied person, they must be a jobseeker, worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient or a student. After living in the UK for a continuous period of five years in accordance with the conditions set out in the EEA Regulations, an EEA national and any family member will acquire the right of permanent residence in the UK and apply for documentation confirming this right.

    The total numbers of documents certifying permanent residence by country of nationality are published in table ee_02 ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’ table ee_02 for 2004 to 2014, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics . Corresponding data for 2015 will be published on 26 May 2016. A breakdown by age grouping is not published.

    The issuing of permanent residence documents to EEA nationals commenced in April 2006 and therefore there are no statistics relating to EEA nationals available prior to that date.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children under 18 were referred to Sexual Assault Referral Centres in each financial year since 2010-11.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England co-commissions sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) in England with police and crime commissioners and police forces in England.

    Data on the number of children referred to SARC’s is not collected centrally. However, as part of improving SARC services, NHS England are requiring all SARCs to return from April 2016, a mandatory, standardised data set that will include the ages of people seen.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect that the decision of the Quality Contract Scheme board on the Quality Contract proposed to be run by Nexus for Tyne and Wear will have on city devolution deals.

    Andrew Jones

    The Quality Contract Scheme Board’s report concerns an individual case brought under existing legislation. It is not about the bus franchising powers which will be included in the Buses Bill.

    The Government is determined that local transport authorities with ambitious plans to grow and develop should be given the powers they need, and we will legislate through the Buses Bill to deliver on our devolution commitments.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 92 of the consultation document entitled, Tackling Exploitation in the Labour Market, (a) how many prosecutions and (b) what penalties have been applied for each of the existing offences that are in the remit of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

    Karen Bradley

    The list of offences that will be in the remit of the Labour Market Enforcement Director are subject to public consultation. The following figures are available for prosecutions and penalties for offences that are being considered for inclusion in the Director’s remit.

    There have been nine prosecutions relating to National Minimum Wage underpayment since the first prosecution took place in 2007. Criminal prosecution is reserved for the most serious cases. Penalties totalling over £3.9 million has been issued.

    There were three prosecutions (one failed) for suspected breaches of Employment Agencies Standards (EAS) Regulations in 2013-14. Fines totalling £5,200 were issued and total compensation and costs awarded to workers was £6,041. Information on prosecutions prior to 2013/14 can be found in EAS Annual Reports online.

    During 2013/14 and 2014/15, there were six and nine prosecutions respectively for offences contained within the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004. Penalties included fines and custodial sentences for these and other non labour market offences.

    The Modern Slavery Act offences, which could fall within the remit of the Director, came into force on 31st July 2015. Data is not yet available for those offences.