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Tag: 2015

  • John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mc Nally – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation for religious minorities in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma remains a country of concern in our annual Human Rights report. We, therefore, produce biannual updates on the human rights situation, the latest can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/burma-in-year-update-july-2015/burma-in-year-update-july-2015.

    We have been concerned by the increase in religious intolerance in Burma and the treatment of minority groups, particularly religious miniorities. This has been evidenced starkly in the four discriminatory race and religion laws as well as in the appalling treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, their disenfranchisement from the 8 November elections, and the rise of Buddhist nationalism, hate speech and anti-Muslim violence. We have raised our concerns about this in detail with the Burmese authorities, both bilaterally, in company with our partners in the EU and in international fora like the UN. We will continue to raise this important issue facing Burma with any incoming government.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total spent, above basic salaries, on staff on detached duty at young offender institutions in England and Wales in each month between October 2014 and October 2015 inclusive.

    Lord Faulks

    The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. It allows staff to be allocated from prisons with the capacity to provide them, to those where additional staffing is required.

    The total amount spent on staff on detached duties above basic salaries could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of (a) disqualifications of parliamentary candidates, (b) disenfranchisement of ethnic groups and (c) inaccuracy and omissions from the voter lists in elections in Burma in November 2015.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The British Govenment was concerned by the disqualification of parliamentary candidates, which disproportionately affected Muslim nominees. Of the 6,074 candidates who registered, 99 nominations were rejected, of which 22 were Muslim. Of these, 67 appealed, and 24 decisions were overturned of which 11 were Muslim. The EU Election Observation Mission’s (EOM) preliminary statement of 10 November stated that since the rejections predominantly focused on the strict application of the citizenship requirement, this impacted particularly heavily on Muslim candidates. The EU EOM estimated that only 28 Muslim candidates stood in total. The UK has regularly expressed its deep disappointment with the decision to revoke Temporary Residence Cards (‘White Cards’) which effectively disenfranchised the Rohingya community from the vote, as well as some other minorities. The EU EOM noted that, as a result, universal suffrage was not properly provided for, and the elections were not fully inclusive. Improving the conditions for the Rohingya remains a top priority for the UK. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) said in his statement of 10 November: ‘The UK stands ready to support the people of Burma as they continue to work towards a more democratic and accountable government, including those unable to vote in this election.’ Ahead of polling day there were widespread concerns about the accuracy of the voter lists. However, on the day, the EU EOM noted that: ‘Most voters, in polling stations visited, found their names on the voter list, but in 7% of polling stations visited some absences on the list were observed.’

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of a poor maternal diet in pregnancy for the life chances of babies, in the light of research conducted in the last decade.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The most recent assessment of the influence of poor maternal diet on later health consequences, including the risk of chronic disease in adulthood, was carried out for government by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in 2011.

    Taking into account the international evidence base and the findings from the United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Surveys showing that women of childbearing age are not meeting dietary recommendations, SACN concluded that there is cause for concern. It advised that improving the nutritional status of women of childbearing age, infants and young children, has the potential to improve the health of future generations.

    Current dietary advice to women of reproductive age, those planning a pregnancy and those who are pregnant, is promoted via the NHS Choices website as well as the government’s social marketing campaigns, such as Start4Life.

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what powers local authorities have to restrict the growth of e-cigarette outlets.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department is not aware of any local authority powers to restrict retailers from selling e-cigarettes. From October, it became an offence in England and Wales to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s and for an adult to purchase an e-cigarette on their behalf. Scotland introduced a Bill in June 2015 which includes similar provisions. Northern Ireland is seeking to bring forward similar legislation within their jurisdiction.

  • Lord Shipley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Shipley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Shipley on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total number of new homes that will be completed in the UK between May 2015 and May 2020.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    My Department does not publish forecasts of net additions.

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the review of national radiotherapy capacity commissioned by NHS England.

    Jane Ellison

    HS England has not commissioned a national capacity review of radiotherapy. Earlier this year, NHS England provided local commissioning teams with a tool to assist planning of radiotherapy services with their local providers in order to assess a different set of planning assumptions developed by the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group in line with rapidly changing clinical practice.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the distribution and use of funds raised by the proposed Apprenticeship Levy.

    Nick Boles

    Skills policy is a devolved area so the devolved administrations will continue to have control over how to support businesses through training and apprenticeships.

    We are working closely with the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ensure they get their fair share of the levy and can work out how best to use it to complement their own apprenticeships and skills policies.

    We will engage with skills ministers in the devolved administrations, including Julie James AC/AM, to do all we can to make the levy work for employers and would-be apprentices across the UK.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department makes available on the prevention of loss of hearing amongst older people.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England and the Department jointly published the Action Plan on Hearing Loss in March 2015. The action plan identifies exposure to noise and increasing age as the two major risk factors of hearing loss in working age and older adults. It includes a key objective to: improve the hearing health of all communities, improving equalities and reducing inequalities through prevention of hearing loss; ensure that diverse communities are aware of the importance of good hearing and communication; and, provide effective and up to date communication support for people living with hearing loss to ensure they realise their aspirations. Delivery of this objective will be supported by:

    • NHS England working with partners to promote the development of care programmes to focus on people at risk, including those with dementia, depression, diabetes and cataracts.
    • Public Health England collating existing data on incidence, prevalence and impact of hearing loss in people aged 65 and over and if possible in key groups such as people with dementia; and,
    • The Health and Safety Executive: working with industry stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve compliance with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005; and, reviewing the feasibility of otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing as a leading indicator of damaging exposure to noise for workers.

    An oversight group with membership from government departments, arm’s length bodies and stakeholders in the hearing loss community will review and monitor progress of implementation of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy that the changes to interest rate relief on buy-to-let mortgages announced in the Summer Budget 2015 apply to purchasers within a limited company structure.

    Mr David Gauke

    The restriction to finance cost relief brings the rate of relief available for individual landlords more in line with that of corporate landlords.