UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government had with the Angolan government on the case of Luaty Beirão while he was on hunger strike in prison.

    James Duddridge

    The UK continues to follow the case of Luaty Beirão and 14 other activists under arrest in Angola with concern. On 17 October, a British Embassy representative along with representatives from other EU Member State missions and the EU Delegation in Angola visited Mr Beirão at the Clinica Girassol. We and EU partners are calling for due legal process and will continue to raise cases of concern with the Angolan authorities.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which refugee camps in (a) Turkey, (b) Jordan, (c) Iraq and (d) Lebanon have received financial and material support from her Department; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. To date, we have pledged over £1.1 billion. Of this total we have allocated £304 million in Lebanon, £193 million in Jordan, £34 million to Turkey, £19 million to Iraq and the remainder across the region.

    We have not earmarked our funding for specific refugee camps across the region. We support a range of partners including the UN and international non-governmental organisations that work both in camps and in host communities to provide a range of support for refugees. This includes shelter, water, healthcare and education. The vast majority of refugees in countries neighbouring Syria live in host communities. There are no formal camps in Lebanon; rather refugees are disbursed across the country in host communities.

  • 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 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that young women attend screening for cervical cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC reviews its recommendations on a three year basis or earlier if any new peer reviewed evidence emerges.

    The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence on whether human papillomavirus testing as primary screening for cervical disease should replace the currently used cytology test and whether faecal immunochemical testing could be used as the primary screening marker in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Public consultations on both reviews have just closed and the UK NSC is expected to make a recommendation to ministers later this month.

    The NHS Breast Screening Programme is currently carrying out a long-term trial to investigate extending current screening eligibility to women aged 47-49 and 71-73. Over two million women have taken part in a randomised control trial, with the impact on breast cancer mortality rates due to be reported in the early 2020s. The UK NSC will consider the research evidence when it is published.

    We are not aware of steps being taken by employers to enable staff to take time off work to attend cancer screening appointments. However, Macmillan has produced, “Your rights at work” an information leaflet on reasonable adjustments in the workplace for people who have or have had cancer.

    In 2011, the UK NSC recommended that bowel scope screening could be offered in addition to the homes testing kit as part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Currently 76% of bowel scope screening centres in England are operational, and the Secretary of State’s commitment is to have this programme rolled out to all screening centres in England by the end of 2016. Health Education England has commissioned a training pilot for non-medical endoscopists (NMEs) to provide accelerated training in certain diagnostics procedures, with the aim of providing additional screening capacity. The pilot will commence in January 2016. A framework has also been developed to help NMEs demonstrate that they have achieved the competency levels required for their role.

    The NHS Screening Programmes have a dedicated team who oversee education, training and stakeholder information. This involves working closely with Royal Colleges, Professional bodies, stakeholder groups, NHS England, Health Education England and the Public Health England campaigns team. A vast range of educational resources exist which are free to NHS staff and cover all screening programme plus the theory and practice of screening. The team is currently expanding the range of taught courses and e-learning resources to make learning more accessible. Accessible patient information is available to educate users of the service and enable informed choices regarding screening. This is complemented by a comprehensive set of material on NHS Choices regarding all 11 NHS Screening Programmes. Patient information is constantly updated and users are involved in the reviews and evaluation of all materials.

    To increase rates of cervical screening in young women, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women who are receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The study began in November 2011 and reports can be expected in spring 2016.

    In addition, the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team is developing a trial to investigate the use of behavioural insights to optimise the content of the invitation letter for cervical screening.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with Bombardier about that company’s plans for the number of jobs it provides in Northern Ireland.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    Northern Ireland Office Ministers regularly meet a range of businesses and business organisations from across Northern Ireland.

    The Northern Ireland economic pact recognised the importance of Bombardier as one of Northern Ireland’s largest private sector employers. The Government continues to work with Invest NI to deliver on the commitments contained in the economic pact which included providing research and development funding to Bombardier.

  • 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 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of whether there has been an increase in the use of mental health services by chemsex drug users in the last 12 months.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England is due to publish a briefing for commissioners and providers of drug and alcohol services highlighting issues for men who have sexual contact with other men (MSM) and chemsex. The briefing contains background information, recent data and survey findings, and prompts for local areas and drug services – including liaison and referral for sexual, mental and physical health problems. Information is also collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on contacts with drug and alcohol support teams, however data is not broken down by drug type or by behaviours associated with drug use.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that conditionality requirements for jobseekers in receipt of universal credit are eased during periods when an individual claimant is homeless.

    Priti Patel

    Work Coaches regularly discuss a range of issues and circumstances with claimants. Where homelessness is raised, and is a barrier to employment, work coaches can temporarily lift or vary work search and availability requirements to help support in finding accommodation. Conditionality requirements reflect reasonable expectations given the claimants circumstance. These are recorded in the Claimant Commitment and regularly reviewed.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the public purse of a vacated trial in (a) Magistrates’ courts and (b) the Crown Court.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    HMCTS is unable to provide the information requested, as this information is not held.

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 12 Portas Pilots.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I chair a refocused Future High Street Forum to lead an ambitious programme of town centre restructuring. The Forum runs the Great British High Streets Awards which champion innovation, sharing best practice around the country.

    Entries to this year’s competition have come from a number of the 27 former Portas pilots. One of these – Rotherham – won the accolade of best town centre. And I congratulate them.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with (a) the UN Secretary General, (b) the President of the International Criminal Court and (c) the President of the International Court of Justice on the recent amendments to the ministerial code and compliance with international treaties.

    Matthew Hancock

    The government publishes details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations as part of its wider commitment to transparency at www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 4 December (HL3813), what is their assessment of whether they have the power under section 24 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to give direction to the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland to secure their compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights; and whether the Secretary of State has considered exercising any such power to secure full compliance in Northern Ireland with its obligations under the Convention in relation to equal marriage, blasphemy and defamation.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland does not have the power under section 24 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to give direction to the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland to secure their compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

    The UK Government recognises and respects the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland and in any event does not have power under section 24 to secure full compliance in Northern Ireland with its obligations under the Convention in relation to equal marriage, blasphemy and defamation.