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Tag: 2015

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department’s summary of its work in Indonesia 2011-15, published in June 2013, how many hectares of natural forest have been saved since the programme to protect forests in that country started.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Our programme with Indonesia helps it to achieve low carbon growth and reduce poverty by managing its forests, land and natural resources in a sustainable way, and assists the country to meet its emissions targets. As part of this the UK supported the development of a Provincial Spatial Plan in Papua which was agreed in 2013. The spatial plan commits to preserving 90% of forest cover by 2100. The UK is providing support to the Papua Provincial Government to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the Spatial Plan. If this target of 90% is realised, the spatial plan will preserve around 28 million hectares of natural forest. As with all projects, performance against indicators is published on an annual basis. Multilateral forest programmes, which the UK supports through the World Bank, and a centrally-managed programme, which assists the Indonesian government to tackleillegal logging, also contribute towards efforts to halt deforestation in Indonesia.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the air to air refuelling capability is of the P8 MPA with the UK Voyager fleet; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 3 December 2015 to Question 17840.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on proposed fixed cost regime change to the civil procedure rules; and what consequences the proposed changes will have on his Department’s policies.

    Dominic Raab

    My officials are supporting the Department of Health in its consideration of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims. The Government remains supportive of the principle of extending fixed recoverable costs and we continue to consider areas in which implementation might be appropriate and workable.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will add further sites for the development of small modular reactor technology in the UK in addition to those identified in the 2009 strategic site assessment.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government is currently undertaking a techno-economic assessment of SMRs which will provide a detailed analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing SMRs. The recent announcement by my Rt. Hon Friend Mr Chancellor of a competition to identify which SMR would offer the best value for development in the UK is a further demonstration of the Government’s commitment to exploring the potential of SMRs for the UK. As Government develops SMR policy further, we will address the issue of site identification for SMRs. No potential sites or siting criteria specifically for SMRs have currently been agreed.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. Department of Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance- Family Test Guidance

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. As a result potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are considered as part of the normal process of agreeing policy and any outcomes will be incorporated into the impact assessments published on legislation.gov.uk.

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  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Saudi Arabia on the death sentence for Ashraf Fayadh.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of, and concerned about, the case of Palestinian national Mr Ashraf Fayadh. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and strongly support freedom of expression in every country. We regularly make the Saudi Arabian authorities aware of our views, and will consider suitable opportunities for raising our concerns over this case.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Crabb

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

  • Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS England are taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (a) children and (b) adults meet NICE guidance (a) in Halton and (ii) nationally.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department issued new statutory guidance in March this year for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update. This sets out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies.

    The Department has also discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. The Quality Standard, which applies to children, young people and adults, recommends that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the NHS to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

    We understand that NHS Halton CCG is working on improvements to the paediatric neurological pathway which incorporates children with autism. This will see the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Halton become a single access point of assessment for the most complex children. It is expected that the CDC will ensure that the first appointment for a child referred to them is well within the three months recommended by NICE.

    The service commissioned by Halton CCG will also comply with NICE guidelines by ensuring that the appropriate mix of clinicians is available for a multi-disciplinary assessment, which also includes Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

    In regard to adults, NHS Halton CCG is currently meeting its statutory requirements with autism by purchasing a diagnostic service on a cost per case basis from our provider of mental health services, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The CCG is working with other partners who receive the same service from the same provider with a view to pooling resources to commission a diagnostic and post diagnostic service.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions Health and Safety Executive inspectors from the Energy Division and predecessor divisions issued improvement notices to operators of offshore oil and gas installations in each year since 2005-06; and what proportion of those notices were served in relation to maintenance issues in each such year.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The number of Improvement Notices served on offshore operators by Energy Division and predecessor divisions in each year since 2005/6 comprises:

    YEAR Total Maintenance
    2005/6 36 6
    2006/7 53 14
    2007/8 29 3
    2008/9 48 11
    2009/10 30 5
    2010/11 41 9
    2011/12 30 6
    2012/13 12 1
    2013/14 27 4
    2014/15 33 7

    Please note that the rationale used for answering the question is as follows:

    • The question specifies Improvement Notices, and so Prohibition Notices have not been considered;
    • The total includes all notices served in respect of the offshore oil and gas industry, and includes pipelines and diving where relevant;
    • Offshore windfarms, withdrawn notices, and notices currently under appeal, or where an appeal has been upheld have been excluded;
    • Maintenance has been taken to include notices in relation to maintenance systems, failures to maintain (includes work equipment and fabric integrity), and maintenance backlogs (generally criteria for deferring maintenance of Safety Critical Elements etc);

  • Neil Gray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Neil Gray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people who died by suicide were social security claimants in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    The data requested is not collected centrally.