UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Tom Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her Irish counterpart on steps to counter terrorist threats.

    Mr John Hayes

    Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have received young carer assessments under the Children and Families Act 2014 since its implementation; and what proportion of young carers received services from the local authority to meet their needs following such an assessment.

    Edward Timpson

    This information is not available to the Department.

    From April 2015, all young carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs for support by the local authority. These new provisions work alongside those in the Care Act 2014 for assessing adults to enable ‘whole family approaches’ to assessment and support. This means that when a child is identified as a young carer, the needs of everyone in the family will be considered. This will cause both children’s and adults’ support services to assess why a child has a caring responsibility, what needs to change, and what would help the family to prevent children from taking on this responsibility in the first place.

    This reform is intended to ensure effective, joined-up support with the potential to offer a single point of professional contact for young carers and their families.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he intends to publish the Office for Road and Rail’s first Highways England Monitor.

    Andrew Jones

    The Office for Rail and Road’s (ORR’s) six month update on Highways England’s performance will be laid in the House at the end of November and then published by ORR. The first annual report will be due in summer 2016, after a full year of monitoring Highways England has been completed.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many greyhounds were euthanised at the end of their racing career in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 December 2015, PQ UIN 20014. The public consultation on the initial findings of the review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 has now closed and Defra are currently considering the responses.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with EU member states and other European countries about the implementation of targeted human rights sanctions against named North Korean officials who are suspected of committing crimes against humanity.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain in close contact with other EU member states regarding our concerns over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). These include discussion on how we can address concerns over the DPRK’s nuclear programme and how we can improve the DPRK’s appalling human rights record. During our meetings we have discussed the full range of measures at our disposal including the option of targeted human rights sanctions against DPRK officials. We will always carefully consider the impact and benefits of sanctions measures before they are imposed. These considerations include our ability to defend the legality of the sanctions should they be challenged under EU law and the likelihood of achieving our objective of improved human rights for North Koreans.

  • Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Tania Mathias on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of putting health warnings on cigarette packaging in different languages as well as English.

    Jane Ellison

    No assessment has been made of the putting health warnings on cigarette packaging in different languages as well as English. The labelling of tobacco products is harmonised at European Union level and mandates that the official language of the Member State is used on health warnings for tobacco. In the United Kingdom the official language is English.

    Local Stop Smoking Services may choose to publish smoking cessation materials in a range of languages if they consider it beneficial to the local population.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 4 November (HL2981), what were the grades of each of the two full-time members of staff seconded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Office of the Quartet Representative from 2007 to 2013.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office seconded two full-time members of staff to the Office of the Quartet Representative from 2007 until 2013. These consisted of one senior civil servant from June 2007 until March 2010 and then one Grade 6 equivalent from March 2010 until June 2013. This was in addition to one higher executive officer equivalent from June 2007 until December 2010, followed by an executive officer equivalent from January 2011 until August 2012, and then an administrative officer equivalent from September 2012 until June 2013.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department is encouraging the use of medical nutrition as a integral part of healthcare where there is an identified clinical need; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Doctors are able to advise patients on any aspect of diet relevant to the treatment and management of a medical condition as part of their normal practise.

    The Government also takes active steps to support healthy eating and vitamin supplementation as a protective measure. The Healthy Start scheme is a United Kingdom wide government scheme to improve the health of low income pregnant women and families on benefits and tax credits. Women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant and families with children under four years old get vouchers to spend on milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables (with nothing added). They also receive a voucher to swap, free of charge, for Healthy Start vitamins. Healthy start vitamins contain the supplements recommended by the Department to prevent deficiency; Vitamins D and C and folic acid for pregnant women and vitamins A, C and D for children.

    Hospital food standards for the National Health Service are written into the NHS Standard Contract 2015/16 which is the key document governing the purchase and provision of NHS services. Providers are obliged under the terms of their legally-binding contracts with commissioners to adhere to these requirements. The five food standards are:

    For patient catering:

    – The 10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care, NHS England

    – Nutrition and Hydration Digest, British Dietetic Association

    – Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool or equivalent, British Association for Parental and Enteral Nutrition.

    For staff and visitor catering:

    – Healthier and More Sustainable Catering – Nutrition Principles (for staff and visitor catering), Public Health England.

    For all catering:

    – Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services, Defra.

    For patients whose dietary requirements are not represented by the ‘eatwell plate’, a personal nutritional care plan should be implemented and tailored dietetic advice sought. The specific nutritional needs of individual patients should always supersede the application of blanket principles.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of research on the links between the risk of cancer and radiation spikes during the refuelling of nuclear power plants, whether they plan to carry out a meta-analysis of European epidemiology studies about incidences of leukaemia in children under five living within five kilometres of nuclear power plants.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) has advised that it considers the conclusions reached by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) in their 14th report published in 2011 remain robust, that there was no evidence that living near a nuclear power station in the United Kingdom is associated with an increased risk of childhood cancer. PHE is not aware at this time of any plans for a meta-analysis of European epidemiology studies about incidences of leukaemia in children under five living within five kilometres of nuclear power plants.

    COMARE is a Departmental expert advisory committee that provides independent advice to Government on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation. A copy of their 14th report is attached.

  • Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have been age assessed while in detention in each of the last 12 months; and how such assessments were carried out by immigration officers.

    James Brokenshire

    The number of individuals who have been age assessed while in detention is not held centrally. Age assessments are carried out by the relevant local authority.

    Individuals whose age is disputed will only be considered for detention where:

    • there is credible and clear documentary evidence that they are 18 years of age or over

    • a full "Merton-compliant" age assessment by a local authority has been carried out and is available stating that they are 18 years of age or over

    • their physical appearance/demeanour very strongly suggests that they are significantly over 18 years of age and no other credible evidence exists to the contrary.

    Otherwise individuals are treated as children until a full age assessment has been conducted by a local authority and all available evidence has been duly considered. This includes victims or potential victims of human trafficking and the Modern Slavery Act 2015 places a presumption about age on a statutory footing when arrangements to assist a potential victim are being carried out.