Tag: 2015

  • Rebecca Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rebecca Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Harris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of negotiations to reform the EU and the UK’s relationship with the EU.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has set out substantial reforms in four key areas to fix the problems in the UK’s relationship with the EU. Technical talks have been ongoing since July. The Prime Minister updated leaders at the October European Council and wrote to President Tusk on 10 November. Leaders will return to the issue at the December European Council.

  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance were made by (i) UK nationals and (ii) EU nationals from outside the UK in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the change in the number of firefighter posts was in Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

    Greg Clark

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 November 2015, PQ 13946.

  • Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Byford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS doctors qualified in each of the last 10 years, broken down by gender.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department does not collect the data requested.

    The General Medical Council, as the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom, will hold information on doctors currently registered with them which may include their gender and what year they qualified.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the effect that the offshore wind industry has on stimulating investment in the north of England.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Recent major investments in the north of England include Siemens and APB’s investment in Hull, Offshore Structure Britain in Teesside and JDR Cables in Hartlepool. There has also been significant investment in operations and maintenance facilities. These investments are helping to deliver high quality and long term jobs to the region.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of people, including children, who continue to suffer the consequences of predictable and preventable disasters globally, and what assessment they have made of the case for Disaster Risk Reduction being included in all development assistance programmes in high-risk countries.

    Baroness Verma

    DFID uses the global assessment undertaken by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology for Disasters (CRED). CRED estimates that in 2014 107.3 million people were affected by disasters caused by natural hazards such as drought, earthquakes and floods. A DFID funded report recognises that, although there is limited available data, women and children are disproportionately affected by disasters.

    In 2012 DFID undertook a study which highlighted the case to invest in measures to build resilience to natural hazards, including Disaster Risk Reduction. The study proved that investing in disaster resilience in advance of shocks or in the early stages of a crisis saves lives and is more cost-effective than humanitarian aid provided after a disaster strikes. It found that, for instance, in Kenya, over a 20 year period, every $1 spent on disaster resilience resulted in $2.90 saved in the form of reduced humanitarian aid, avoided losses and development gains. Since 2011 DFID has undertaken a process to embed disaster resilience in all our country programmes, resulting in the inclusion of disaster risk reduction when appropriate. The Political Champions for Resilience Group has ensured building resilience has been institutionalised in donors, aid agencies and national governments. Strengthening resilience and response to crises is one of the four priorities of the 2015 UK Aid Strategy, Tackling Global Challenges in the National Interest.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving the environment as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

    Rory Stewart

    Improving the environment is essential for providing the natural resources that underpin our economic success. We also want to see businesses whose products improve the environment grow. As a member of the Informal Ministerial Group on the Northern Powerhouse, I have discussed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and other Ministerial colleagues ways in which a healthy environment and economic growth in the north of England go together.

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

    Lord Mancroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS England and Public Health England provide data demonstrating that there is equitable access to the new hepatitis C treatment.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England is working with NHS England and the Clinical Leads of the Operational Delivery Networks to ensure that a minimum data set is collected to allow monitoring of patients being treated. Limited demographic information will be requested to help interpret this information in the context of the whole infected population to help assess whether treatment access is as equitable as possible.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries who have been classified as homeless have been returned to their home countries in each year since 2010.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office does not record information in relation to homelessness. We do encounter rough sleepers during enforcement operations and, depending on the individual circumstances, non-UK rough sleepers can be removed or deported. In these situations, the Immigration Enforcement teams will ensure that vulnerable individuals are also connected to support services in their home countries.

    For vulnerable individuals who are sleeping rough on the streets, there are locally funded reconnection services they can approach voluntarily to help them return to their home countries voluntarily and connect into support services there. We do not hold data on those who are returned using this service.

    Therefore, any information we hold does not provide a complete and accurate picture of those who have returned home.

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

    Lord Bradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the planning guidance for the NHS for 2016–17 will include a requirement for Clinical Commissioning Groups to achieve real term increases in mental health spending.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    As part of the mental health parity of esteem requirement for 2015-16, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were asked to plan for an increase in spend on mental health services at least in line with the increase in their overall funding allocation for the year, which set a higher bar than achieving a real terms increase in spending, though not all CCGs were able to achieve this target. 192 of the 209 CCGs achieved a real terms growth in mental health planned spend measured against the 1.4% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator for 2015-16.

    The list attached shows which CCGs have achieved real terms increases in spending on mental health in 2015-16.

    The final data for CCGs’ spending on mental health in 2015-16 will be submitted to NHS England by commissioners in May 2016, and it is anticipated NHS England may be in a position to provide final spend information by around the end of the first quarter of 2016-17.

    NHS England has not yet published CCG planning guidance for 2016-17. Consideration will be given to holding commissioners to account for spending on mental health.

    CCG and NHS England mental health spending information is now routinely collected as party of NHS England’s monthly financial reporting regime. Monthly financial reports by CCGs are scrutinised and quality assessed by NHS England’s regional teams. The monthly reports also form part of the CCG assurance process. NHS England is also in the process of setting up the financial plan assurance process for 2016-17, which will incorporate the review of planned spending on mental health services for future years.