The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Argar on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to hold national events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the RAF in 2018.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence is in the planning stage of its RAF100 Campaign and intends to hold a National commemoration to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the RAF. A full list of events and activities will be published in 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have on the extent to which Daesh is establishing and consolidating control of territory in Afghanistan, in particular in the east, and what action they plan to take to prevent that.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Daesh affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan which identifies as Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP) primarily consists of former Taleban. While ISKP has influence in the eastern province of Nangahar, it has not yet demonstrated any national presence. The Taleban see ISKP as a threat and there have been repeated clashes between the two groups in Nangahar. The UK, through our support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), provides Train, Advise and Assist support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces to help them tackle the extremist threat in Afghanistan. Together with our NATO partners we continue to monitor the situation closely.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to raise awareness of the risks of parents sharing a bed with their baby.
Jane Ellison
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) published updated guidelines on co-sleeping in December 2014. The guideline advises health professionals to discuss co-sleeping (which can be intentional or unintentional) with parents and carers and inform them that there is an association between co-sleeping (parents or carers sleeping on a bed or sofa or chair with an infant) and Sudden Infant Death.
As part of the Healthy Child Programme, which is provided for all children and their families, health visitors provide information on the risk of sudden infant death including advice on sleeping positions, co-sleeping and room temperature.
Comprehensive advice for parents is also available on the NHS Choices website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the financial cost to date of UK air strikes against Daesh in Iraq.
Earl Howe
It is not possible to separate out the costs of military action in Iraq from that of wider counter-Daesh operations due to the inter-related nature of UK military activity. The net additional cost of UK counter-Daesh operations to date is approximately £150 million. This includes around £80 million for military operations between August 2014 – 31 March 2015 and a net additional cost to date in this financial year of around £70 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to section 32(1) of the Pilotage Act 1987, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to maintain pilotage standards in areas where harbour authorities now have the power to impose compulsory pilotage upon shipping.
Mr Robert Goodwill
None. The Pilotage Act 1987 already requires Competent Harbour Authorities to keep under consideration what pilotage services need to be provided to secure the safety of ships navigating their waters, including the circumstances in which pilotage should be compulsory, and to provide such pilotage services accordingly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much revenue has been raised from call charging associated with the legal aid telephone gateway.
Lord Faulks
Between March 2014 and January 2015 the LAA phased out the use of 0845 access numbers for CLA and replaced them with 0345 numbers.
This means there is a single national point of contact for CLA without callers having to pay extra to call them.Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to a 01 or 02 number and count towards inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls. This applies to calls from any type of line including mobile, fixed line or payphone.
The LAA provides clear information about the costs of making a call. Individuals can also check whether they may qualify for legal aid via a free digital service on gov.uk before requesting a call back. They also have the option of asking CLA staff to make a return call.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rate is of ex-offenders who were granted release on temporary licence to undertake (a) voluntary work, (b) paid work or (c) an educational course.
Andrew Selous
The Government fully supports the use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) in appropriate cases to allow prisoners to take work, training and educational opportunities that cannot be provided in prison, as well as for maintaining ties with their families. ROTL allows suitable, risk assessed offenders to start to tackle key criminogenic needs before they are released. It would incur disproportionate cost to establish the re-offending rate for offenders who, whilst in custody, had received ROTL for each of the three specified purposes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people of what age and sex have died as a result of volatile substance abuse in each region of England and Wales in each year since 2013.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to give refugees settled in the UK opportunities to improve their English language skills.
Nick Boles
Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through a provider’s adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period. Refugees are therefore eligible for full-funding for English Speakers of Other Languages, if they are in receipt of certain work-related benefits and are mandated to undertake skills training to improve their English in order to find work. If they are on other state benefits and are unemployed, they may still be eligible for full funding at the discretion of the training provider. If they are not on benefits, they can be co-funded at the discretion of the provider.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made by (a) his Department and (b) NHS commissioners to ensure NHS services in England are meeting the six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards set out by the IBD Standards Board in the 2013 Board Report; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards were published in 2013 by the IBD standards group, an independent organisation made up of a number of clinical professional organisations and the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK. The standards were designed to support clinicians, commissioning organisations in developing IBD services locally and may be considered, if appropriate, alongside sources of guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
In February 2015, NICE published a Quality Standard (QS) for IBD. As part of the QS development process, the IBD Standards Group and other related organisations submitted evidence to help shape the four Quality Statements which constitute the QS. The NICE QSs are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers the key elements of what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care.