Tag: 2015

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employees of Border Force are seconded to Kos and Lesbos; and what their (a) powers and (b) duties are.

    James Brokenshire

    UK Border Force currently has twelve staff deployed to support Frontex joint operations in the Mediterranean, and one staff member seconded to Frontex Headquarters, Returns Sector, in Warsaw. Eight of the twelve staff support joint operation ‘Poseidon Sea’ in Greece: two in Kos, three in Lesbos, one in Leros, one in Samos and one in Chios; and four support Frontex joint operation ‘Triton’ in Italy: two in Trapani, one in Lampedusa and one in Syracuse.

    UK staff cannot exercise any powers on Frontex operations. Border Force staff debrief migrants to gather intelligence on their routing, modus operandi and any facilitators involved; Border Force staff also screen migrants to establish their identity, to aid the host member state with documentation and return of those migrants with no right of stay in Europe.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to broaden the remit of Police and Crime Commissioners.

    Lord Bates

    Within our Manifesto, this Government gave a commitment to “…develop the role of our elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners.”

    We have already announced proposals to enhance the PCCs current role in relation to police complaints and emergency services collaboration.

    We are actively looking for further opportunities to develop the PCC role as we move forward towards the next national PCC elections in 2016 so that they are able to shape policing services to local needs, as they are now doing in commissioning victims’ services, setting policing priorities and driving reform.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support women’s reproductive healthcare in Liberia.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Since 2008 DFID has been supporting the Government of Liberia to deliver health services and has committed over £28m. This includes an additional £6m funding announced at the UN conference on post-Ebola recovery in July 2015.

    Roughly half of our funding is specifically targeted towards health services for women and children, including during pregnancy and for childbirth, and to purchase drugs including contraceptives and other family planning products.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the higher education sector on extending the loan book to part-time students who wish to undertake a second degree.

    Joseph Johnson

    We have extended fee loans for those already holding a degree to students wishing to retrain in engineering, technology and computer science. We continue to examine what more we can do to support part-time including the availability of additional fee loans and are engaging actively with the sector on these issues.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish the minutes of the Prime Minister’s Community Forum meeting on 13 October 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Cameron

    Information about the first meeting of the Community Engagement Forum can be found on the gov.uk website.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of apprentices in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK earning £3.30 per hour.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in extending reassessment periods for claimants in the employment and support allowance support group (a) generally and (b) who have degenerative brain conditions.

    Priti Patel

    Despite routine re-assessments are currently suspended to focus on new claims, we have made an exception for deteriorating conditions where a repeat assessment can be requested. As a consequence no changes have been made to the re-referral periods for people in the Support Group.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the European Food Safety Authority’s review on the evidence on the impact of neonicotinoids; and what representations she has made to that Authority on that review.

    George Eustice

    The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) review on the evidence on the impact of neonicotinoids is an important opportunity to produce an up-to-date assessment of this issue. EFSA has just completed the data collection phase and the UK will contribute fully to the review as it progresses.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment has been made of the effect of incorporating the function of the Pay and Work Rights Helpline into ACAS on outcomes for workers.

    Nick Boles

    From 1 April 2015, the ACAS Helpline is, in addition to its usual services, answering queries previously handled by the Pay and Work rights Helpline. This provides a one stop shop for those seeking advice and guidance on employment rights. Where appropriate, ACAS passes on callers through a real time transfer of the call to the relevant enforcement body for them to take any further follow up action, including any specific complaints.

    No formal assessment has been made at this time of the outcomes for workers. ACAS continues to work closely with the four enforcement bodies to ensure the service is bedding in effectively and delivering the right outcomes for the public.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Care Quality Commission is taking to ensure that nursing homes in Lancashire (a) assist registered nurses in complying with revalidation with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and (b) provide training to such nurses to assist with achieving such revalidation.

    Ben Gummer

    Information on support provided by individual National Health Service providers is not collected centrally and may be obtained from the organisations themselves.

    All nurses and midwives practising in England are required by law to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. From April 2016, nurses and midwives will have to revalidate every three years, when they renew their registration.

    It is the responsibility of nurses and midwives to register and undertake revalidation.There is no specific requirement for employers to help nurses and midwives through revalidation but it is in their interests and a matter of good practice, to support nurses and midwives to provide safe and effective care.

    As part of its inspection process, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) considers staff access to training and related support. Where nurses are employed, the CQC makes enquiries about the maintenance of continual professional development and the levels of support offered by the provider.