UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to meet the UK’s international obligations to refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria, other than by supporting countries in that region.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister’s consistent focus has been on providing a comprehensive solution to the refugee crisis. He has reiterated the need for the EU to deal with the root causes of the crisis, not just respond to the consequences. The UK has committed more than £1.1 bn – the largest ever UK response to a humanitarian crisis. This goes to those in need inside Syria and the region. The Prime Minister announced on 8 September that the UK would resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years. This will build on an existing scheme for Syrians designed to support refugees based on their vulnerability. The UK has provided financial assistance (£3.6 million/€5 million per year for two years) to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the migrant camps in Calais. We continue to provide practical support to frontline Member States (particularly Greece), including to support them in securing the EU external border. The Department for International Development announced a £5 million package to the Start Network, a group of humanitarian organisations, to provide emergency relief supplies for refugees and migrants in Greece, Serbia and Macedonia. Overall funding to the Europe wide response, which is not allocated to specific countries is £6,050,000. Of this £550,000 is allocated to International Federation of Red Cross and £500,000 to the Civil Protection Mechanism.

  • Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) apprentice ratings and (b) officer cadets the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has trained in each year since 2009-10.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) started an Apprentice scheme with Ratings in 2015 and so far 50 apprentices have started training.

    The numbers of Officer Cadets the RFA has trained in each year since 2009-10 are as follows:

    2009-10

    25

    2010-11

    25

    2011-12

    25

    2012-13

    25

    2013-14

    25

    2014-15

    25

    2015-16

    30 (to date)

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist health facilities for children with cerebral palsy.

    Jane Ellison

    The commissioning of health services generally, including provider facilities, is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). When considering what services should be commissioned we would expect CCGs to take account of best practice and guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on the management of spasticity in under 19s, and the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need.

    Children with particularly complex needs may also be eligible for continuing care, commissioned by the CCG to meet the needs of children or young people which cannot be met through universal services. The continuing care framework is currently being updated following a public consultation, to ensure it provides the right guidance on assessing and planning for needs.

    Specialised services are commissioned by NHS England. For cerebral palsy it has commissioned Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedures as part of its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) programme.

    CtE schemes run in areas where the current evidence base on clinical and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment is insufficient to support routine funding, and where further research is unlikely to be forthcoming. In these circumstances, NHS England identifies funding for a CtE scheme to gather and support a review of the national clinical commissioning policy position.

  • Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department’s timetable is for the implementation of the provision of postgraduate student loans of up to £10,000.

    Joseph Johnson

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ UIN 18668.

    “

  • Phillip Lee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Phillip Lee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phillip Lee on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential efficacy of introducing restrictions on the advertising of foods high in saturated fats, sugars and salts on television before 9pm in reducing rates of childhood obesity.

    Jane Ellison

    There is a total ban in place on the advertising of foods high in fat, sugars and salt during children’s television programmes, on dedicated children’s broadcast channels and in programmes of particular appeal to children under the age of 16.

    We have noted Public Health England’s recent assessment of evidence on the impact of marketing to children as set out in their report Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action. We are considering this advice, along with other areas of potential action, as part of our plans to bring forward a childhood obesity strategy in the new year.

    Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action is available at:

    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470179/Sugar_reduction_The_evidence_for_action.pdf

  • Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Bill Wiggin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many single farm payments were issued by the Rural Payments Agency on 1 December 2015; and how many of those payments were calculated incorrectly.

    George Eustice

    The Secretary of State and I have regular meetings and discussions with the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The Chief Executive of the RPA also attends the department’s weekly Executive Committee.

    Around 33,000 Basic Payment Scheme claims were paid promptly and accurately on 1st December, the first day of the payment window that runs through to 30 June.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) safeguarding interventions arose from Operation Notarise.

    Karen Bradley

    Operation NOTARISE is an ongoing, NCA-led, UK-wide operation which has identified and taken law enforcement action against indiviuduals viewing indecent images of children (IIOC). Currently, there have been 745 arrests under NOTARISE with 518 children being safeguarded or protected.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2015 to Question 12819, if he will provide an update on plans to introduce independent medical examiners to the death certification process.

    Ben Gummer

    Following the Spending Review, further work on the reforms to death certification will be subject to confirmation of spending priorities through the normal business planning cycle. We will provide an update on the implementation plans and timetables as soon as we are able.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to relax immigration rules on the reunification of families and allow members of a refugee’s extended family to join them in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status – that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin – to reunite with them in the UK.

    We have no plans to widen these criteria, which are fully compliant with our international obligations and enable thousands of people each year to be reunited with their families in the UK.

    We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the forms on her Department’s website is available in Welsh.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office currently provides 336 forms in total on GOV.UK, of which 5 are published in the Welsh language, representing 1.5% of the total.