Tag: 2015

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of mesothelioma worldwide, and of which countries are most at risk from it.

    Baroness Verma

    Data on mesothelioma deaths is collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the WHO mortality database. The WHO recognises that the global mesothelioma burden remains unclear, but the number of reported mesothelioma deaths and the number of countries reporting deaths has increased in recent years. The WHO, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and other intergovernmental organisations and civil society, works with countries towards elimination of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) funding, (b) personnel support and (c) other support has been provided by the Government under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund referred to in the Prime Minister’s response to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s report on the Extension of Offensive British Military Operations to Syria, published on 26 November 2015.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the UK has delivered over £100million in support to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon since the start of the crisis. This has focussed on strengthening the moderate opposition, building resilience against extremists, fostering civil society structures in besieged areas, promoting Human Rights, delivering basic governance and laying the foundations for a more peaceful and inclusive future for Syria. Further details of our funding can be found on the Gov.uk website.

    The UK has always punched above its weight in helping deal with the effects of the Syria crisis. Our vision for Syria is an open, democratic society with greater social, economic and political participation where violent extremism does not have a place and where refugees feel safe to return. That is why, alongside our pledge of over £1.1 billion in humanitarian aid, the Prime Minister announced a commitment of at least £1 billion to reconstruction in Syria during the 26 October Commons debate.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, (a) how and (b) by whom each head teacher was selected to work with her Department on improving the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

    These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the number of young people involved in (a) dissident republicanism and (b) loyalist paramilitary groups.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    My written statement to Parliament of 15 December 2015 illustrates that dissident republican groupings continue to have sufficient numbers to pose a severe threat to national security in Northern Ireland. The UK Government has allocated £160 million of additional security funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the next five years in order to assist them in tackling the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism.

    The Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015 confirmed that all the main loyalist paramilitary groups remain in existence and that individual members continue to engage in criminality and also seek to exercise community control through violence and intimidation.

    I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at ending paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, including establishing a new international body to monitor progress toward that goal. The Government is working closely with the Irish Government to establish this body as part of the overall package of measures aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of all paramilitarism.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will provide funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016.

    Rory Stewart

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, Gerald Jones, on 19 November 2015, PQ UIN16385.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to implement the review of staffing and deployment agreed with trades unions in February 2014.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regularly shares staffing data with the Trade Union Side (TUS) and has met them on many occasions since February 2014 to discuss matters including, but not limited to, staffing and deployment. A timeline was agreed with the TUS for these discussions to conclude on 23 September 2015 in order for them to ballot members on the position reached. Despite the final position on these talks being rejected by the TUS DVSA offered to continue discussions, on an ongoing basis, about staffing and deployment.

    DVSA is currently engaged in talks via ACAS with the Prospect Union, who have suspended industrial action, and hopes to be able to do the same with the Public and Commercial Services Union.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen its border security with Liberia.

    James Duddridge

    Through our commitment to the UN Peacekeeping Budget, the UK contributed £23 million to the UN Operation in Côte D’Ivoire (UNOCI) and £19.5m to the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in financial year 2014/2015, both of which help secure the Côte D’Ivoire-Liberia border. The UK has supported UN Security Council Resolutions 2226 and 2239 extending the mandates of both Missions into 2016.

    Despite incidents early in 2015, neither UN commander has reported any recent security concerns along the border region. We welcome the improved security situation and greater stability in Liberia and Cote D’Ivoire. We expect both governments to assume increased responsibility for the security of their shared border as the two UN missions begin to draw down.

  • 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 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding has been allocated to the Fit for Work service for the current financial year; and whether the Government plans to increase that amount.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Fit for Work is now fully rolled out across Great Britain. All employers and GPs are able to refer employees who are on sick leave for four weeks or more, to get a work-related health assessment and help them return to work sooner.

    The Department does not routinely publish funding allocations. However, Fit for Work has been provided with sufficient funding to meet its demands for 2015/16, this financial year. Outturn spending will be detailed in DWP’s published Annual Report and Accounts. Departmental funding for future years has been settled by HMT.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution of 6 November 2015 by the Minister for Community and Social Care, Official Report, column 1307, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the provisions of the Off-patent Drugs Bill would be potentially harmful.

    George Freeman

    The current legal framework allows a clinician to prescribe drugs outside their licensed indication where that will best meet the clinical needs of their patient. This clinical freedom is crucial in delivering appropriate healthcare to groups of patients for whom medicines have not historically been licensed, e.g. children. It is also helpful in enabling prescribers to quickly pick up and apply new evidence that will help patients with particular clinical needs. The Off-Patent Drugs Bill would introduce a legal duty to apply for a licence for off-patent drugs where evidence of effectiveness for a new indication becomes available. This will create an expectation that only licensed uses of drugs are acceptable and therefore that off-label use is not appropriate. This would cause unnecessary delays in patients getting the medicines they need by slowing the rapid uptake of new evidence in clinical practice. This is why we believe the proposed legislation could potentially be harmful.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pupils take a full EBacc range of subjects in (1) sponsored academies, and (2) maintained schools.

    Earl of Courtown

    Provisional figures for 2014/15 show that 27.8 per cent of pupils in sponsored academies and 37.5 per cent of pupils in local authority maintained mainstream schools were entered for all components of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

    This information is published in the Statistical First Release “Provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015”.[1]

    A list of qualifications which count towards the English Baccalaureate is available on the school performance tables’ website.[2]

    [1] 2014/15 provisional table can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467605/SFR37_2015_National_Tables.xlsx. (Years: 2014/15 Table 3a)

    [2] A list of qualifications which count towards the English Baccalaureate can be found at: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/secondary_14/English_Baccalaureate_list_of_qualifications_July_2015.xls.

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