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Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what binding measures have been agreed at COP21 which commit China and the US to reducing their carbon emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The 21st Conference of Parties (CoP) in Paris delivered an historic and unprecedented legally binding agreement that takes a significant step forward towards reducing, on a global scale, the emissions that cause climate change.

    For the first time, all countries, including China and the US, are legally bound to: set out their plans to reduce emissions; take domestic mitigation measures towards implementing those plans; revisit those plans every five years in light if a global stocktake of progress towards the long term goal in the Agreement; and report on progress made to implement and achieve these plans and subject their report to independent review and multilateral consideration.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Marlesford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they recognise President Bashar al-Assad as the de jure President of Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government recognises nation states and not governments. Assad has forfeited his legitimacy and any plausible claim to be part of Syria’s future. A transition away from Assad, to a more inclusive government that represents all Syrians is what the 2012 Geneva communiqué envisages, and this is what we will continue to work towards.

  • Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request that the European Commissioner for Competition investigate whether McDonald’s has reduced its UK tax liability through an unlawful state aid agreement with Luxembourg.

    Mr David Gauke

    As set out in its press release of 3 December, the European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Luxembourg’s tax treatment of McDonald’s. Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs officials will examine the Commission’s final decision when it is published.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are encouraging supermarkets to abandon strict cosmetic specifications for farm products that result in edible food being wasted.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), is working with food manufacturers and retailers, including all the major UK supermarkets, to meet targets to reduce food waste from the grocery supply chain under the Courtauld Commitment. Signatories have reported a 7.4% reduction in supply chain waste between 2009-2012, with interim results for Courtauld 3 showing a further 3.2% reduction by 2014.

    WRAP has worked with supermarkets and consumers to support acceptance and use of ‘imperfect’ fruit and vegetables. Work is also in progress with signatories, trade bodies and redistribution organisations to build a better understanding of the amounts and causes of waste in the supply of food and drink. WRAP is currently brokering a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, which will build on this progress.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are enough neonatal nurses who have completed accredited training in specialised neonatal care to enable neonatal units to meet marker of good practice 2.2.3 in the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services, published by the NHS and his Department in October 2009.

    Ben Gummer

    A key standard set out within NHS England’s service specification for specialised neonatal critical care is that hospitals trusts who do not meet the staffing levels recommended by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, must be working towards an agreed plan with their respective Regional Specialised Commissioning Teams to meet and maintain the nurse staffing levels in line with the Department’s Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services.

    The increasing demand for neonatal care has resulted in additional challenges for some trusts in meeting the recommended nurse to patient ratios. However, 71 (54%) of the 131 neonatal critical care services now meet required staffing ratios and NHS England Regional Specialised Services Commissioning Teams continue to work with their respective hospital trusts to improve this situation.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that all academy schools, their leaders, boards of directors, advisers and heads of department, adhere to all aspects of equality legislation in the UK.

    Lord Nash

    Academy trusts, and the academies they run, are required to adhere to all aspects of equality legislation. The Department’s model funding agreement for academy trusts, available on GOV.UK, states that the academy trust must ensure the academy promotes principles that support equality of opportunity for all. The Education Funding Agency is responsible, on behalf of the Secretary of State, for holding academy trusts to account for meeting the terms of their funding agreements.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the implementation of European Professional Cards for doctors does not inhibit his Department’s ability to perform background checks on doctors from European countries and to ensure that they meet the medical qualification standards required by the NHS.

    Ben Gummer

    The European Professional Card (EPC) will not be introduced for doctors until 2018 at the earliest. The European Commission will review the effectiveness of the EPC process for the first wave of professions, which includes nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists, before any decision is taken to extend the EPC to other professions.

    In the United Kingdom, independent health regulators are responsible for performing checks on health professionals from European countries to ensure that they meet agreed standards of fitness to practise. For doctors, this role is undertaken by the General Medical Council.

    Although under the EPC system the responsibility for carrying out initial background checks will transfer to the home regulator of the professional, UK regulators will continue to be able to carry out registration checks, and can require additional information if there are any justifiable doubts about a registrant’s application or fitness to practise.

    The UK Government has negotiated new safeguards to ensure that the high standards we expect from staff in this country are met by those from elsewhere in Europe who come to work here. These include:

    – the introduction of an EU-wide alert mechanism which regulators will use to inform other countries of professionals who have been restricted from practising; and

    – applying language controls for healthcare professionals from the EU so that regulators are able to ensure that professionals have the necessary knowledge of English before they are able to work in the UK.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS Improvement will consider further applications from NHS trusts to become foundation trusts.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We will continue to discuss the role of foundation trusts (FTs) in the National Health Service with the leaders of NHS Improvement as the organisation moves to a more aligned approach to the regulation and oversight of FTs and NHS trusts.

    The clinical and economic sustainability of all trusts is of paramount importance, and NHS Improvement will continue to support NHS providers to determine the most appropriate means of securing their long-term future.

    The NHS Trust Development Authority is continuing to refer organisations to Monitor for FT authorisation decisions. No decisions have yet been made about how this activity will be undertaken by NHS Improvement from 1 April 2016.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of 16 November 2015, Official Report, column 393, on the Paris terrorist attacks, what capabilities for Border Force maritime aerial surveillance are needed; and whether those capabilities are fewer than under the present contract.

    James Brokenshire

    For security reasons we do not disclose details of the surveillance capabilities available to Border Force. Border Force will ensure it retains appropriate air surveillance capabilities to meet continuing operational needs.

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

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current foodbank provision in London.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government does not hold data on numbers of food banks. We commissioned a study to look at this issue in 2013. The “Review of Food Aid in the UK” published in February 2014 was a short, literature based study designed to improve understanding of food aid provision in the UK, who makes use of it, and why. It was not a complete assessment of food aid as it found a variety of types of food aid, with mostly community-led provision responding to local needs.

    Defra does not estimate numbers of households experiencing food insecurity. There is no single definition of food insecurity. The factors that impact on household food security are complex and include economic, social and environmental issues.