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Tag: 2015

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the action that could be taken to assist freedom of expression in Egypt and Turkey; and what assessment they have made of whether fair criticism would improve the economy and the quality of government in each country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    More political progress is essential for Egypt’s long-term stability. This includes freedom of the press, as well as freedom of expression in all its forms. We also want to see better protection of Egyptians’ constitutional rights and more space for non-governmental organisations and civil society. Ministers and officials regularly raise our concerns with their Egyptian counterparts. When the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), met President Sisi on 5 November they spoke about the need for political progress in Egypt as the essential foundation for Egypt’s long-term stability. For further details of our assessment I am attaching relevant extracts from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2013 and 2014 Human Rights and Democracy Reports.

    We regularly underline the importance of all fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression,with the Turkish government. The EU’s 2015 Annual Progress Report on Turkey highlighted that the high turnout in elections this year were a clear sign of the strength of Turkish democracy, and that the Turkish economy is well advanced, while recognising that Turkey needs to do more to meet EU standards through continuing to reform, particularly in the areas of fundamental rights and rule of law. Active and credible accession negotiations remain the best way for Turkey to make further progress.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are enough neonatal nurses to enable neonatal units to meet markers of good practice 2.2.5, 2.2.6 and 2.2.7 in the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services, published by the NHS and his Department in October 2009.

    Ben Gummer

    A key standard set out within NHS England’s service specification for specialised neonatal critical care is that hospitals trusts who do not meet the staffing levels recommended by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, must be working towards an agreed plan with their respective Regional Specialised Commissioning Teams to meet and maintain the nurse staffing levels in line with the Department’s Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services.

    The increasing demand for neonatal care has resulted in additional challenges for some trusts in meeting the recommended nurse to patient ratios. However, 71 (54%) of the 131 neonatal critical care services now meet required staffing ratios and NHS England Regional Specialised Services Commissioning Teams continue to work with their respective hospital trusts to improve this situation.

  • Lord Touhig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Touhig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to increase the number of military doctors working less than full-time.

    Earl Howe

    While there are currently no plans to increase the numbers of military doctors, there are plans to provide a limited number of already serving regular medical officers the opportunity to be employed at reduced levels of obligation, for a number of days worked per year for a bounded period of time.

    Applicants will shortly be invited to participate in this Flexible Duties Employment Trial, which is due to commence in early 2016.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to reduce the incidence of disability and long-term health problems among children born prematurely.

    Ben Gummer

    On 13 November, the Government announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injuries in babies by 2030. To help meet these aims, the Government will establish a £2.24 million fund to support trusts to buy cutting-edge monitoring or training equipment to improve safety.

    NHS England commissions Neonatal Care from 165 neonatal units which are organised and supported by 13 Operational Delivery Networks. These Networks have brought tangible benefits in helping to ensure that babies are delivered in the right place to receive specialist care when it is needed.

    To support the provision of safe, high quality care for sick and premature babies and their families, NHS England’s Neonatal Critical Care Service Specification states that providers should ensure that expert and experienced staff treat sufficient numbers of cases to maintain a safe high quality service and move towards national standards. Clinical expertise is a key determinant of outcomes for these babies.

    The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published guidelines in November 2015 on the care of women at increased risk of or with symptoms and signs of preterm labour (before 37 weeks) and women having a planned preterm birth. It aims to reduce the risks of preterm birth for the baby and describes treatments to prevent or delay early labour and birth.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that NHS Improvement ring-fences its activities in relation to NHS Foundation Trusts in order to fulfil statutory provisions, in particular those in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS Improvement will bring together Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority, and patient safety and improvement functions from across the health system, under a single leadership and operating model. These arrangements will not change the current statutory duties of Monitor or any of the other bodies involved.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Disclosure and Barring Service checks for (a) standard and (b) enhanced exceeded the eight week target for issuing in the last 12 months.

    Karen Bradley

    Between 1 November 2014 and 30 October 2015, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) issued over 4.19 million certificates. Of these, 6 per cent of enhanced and 0.1 per cent of standard certificates were issued after eight weeks.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current provision of shelter for homeless people in London.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society. One person without a home is one too many. That is why since 2010 we’ve invested more than £500 million to prevent and tackle homelessness in England. It is for London boroughs to determine what homelessness services are required to best meet the needs of their local area, including provision of suitable accommodation. We have given the Mayor of London £34 million to deliver pan-London rough sleeping services, with an extra £8.5 million for this work in 2015/16. Our measures include supporting the roll-out of No Second Night Out across England through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund, and commissioning the pioneering StreetLink service. In London, two-thirds of rough sleepers in London come off the streets after a single night.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been levied the criminal courts charge for offences (a) under Section 363 of the Communications Act 2003, (b) under Section 1(10) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, (c) under Section 8 of the Disorderly Houses Act 1751, (d) under Sections 1, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 18 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, (e) for deliberate refusal to pay priority debts and (f) for failure to comply with a county court judgement for the payment of non-priority debts.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Data relating to the criminal courts charge for the period April to September 2015 will be published on 17 December 2015.

    Enforcement action is taken against the total amount an offender owes and offenders are often ordered to pay more than one type of financial imposition.

    The cost of enforcing the criminal courts charge cannot be separated from the total cost of enforcing all types of court ordered financial impositions.

    It is not possible to identify how many people have had a criminal courts charge imposed in magistrates or crown courts or for specific offences without carrying out a manual search of all financial imposition accounts which would incur disproportionate costs.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department made of the financial viability of the Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace as a standalone operation without South Bank coke ovens.

    Anna Soubry

    We have made no such assessment. On liquidation of a company, it is the responsibility of the liquidator to sell the free assets of the company. In the case of SSI UK, this was the Official Receiver who is independent. I am informed that the Official Receiver did maintain operations at SSI, including the coke ovens, for a period while he tried to find purchasers for the assets of SSI UK but as of the 12 October, no purchaser had been found and the Official Receiver ceased operations of the coke ovens and blast furnace.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average number of hours worked by Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency staff in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has not made an estimate on the average number of hours worked by its members of staff in each of the last five years.