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Tag: 2015

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from his Israeli counterpart on the recent violence in that region; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As I said in my statement of 13 October, the UK Government remains extremely concerned by the violence that we have seen across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories so far this month. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) also made a statement on 9 October condemning the violence.

    Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to the Israeli government, urging them to de-escalate the tensions.

    On 16 October, the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser spoke to Israel’s National Security Adviser and reiterated the need for both sides to do everything in their power to calm the situation. On 19 October, the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spoke to the Israeli Chargé D’Affaires to London, including about the recent violence.

    Our Embassy in Tel Aviv receives regular updates from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 19 October, our Ambassador to Tel Aviv raised our concerns on the recent violence with the Israeli Cabinet Secretary. Most recently, our Defence Attaché to Tel Aviv received a briefing from the Israeli Defence Forces on 21 October on the number of attacks they have so recorded in this latest outbreak of violence.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is offering to families of British people killed or injured during the 2015 Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    No British nationals were killed or injured in the Hajj crush in Mina on 24 September 2015. However, three British nationals died in a separate incident prior to the Hajj when a crane collapsed in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on 11 September. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided consular assistance to all British nationals affected.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Wollaston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans for the Public Health Outcomes Framework to continue to give a comprehensive picture of children’s school readiness, when the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile becomes non-compulsory in September 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The consultation on updating the Public Health Outcomes Framework was published on 3 September and closed on 2 October. We are considering the responses and intend to publish our proposals early next year.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rushanara Ali – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on patients’ safety of removing working hours safeguards from junior doctors’ contract.

    Ben Gummer

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made clear his strong commitment to ensuring safe working in the National Health Service to support his ambition for the NHS to become the safest health care system in the world.

    This includes guaranteeing that a new contract for junior doctors will not impose longer hours and that contractual safeguards will be strengthened – so that some junior doctors work less. For example:

    – No junior doctor will be contractually required to work more than an average of 48 hours a week;

    – The provisions of the Working Time Regulations will continue to apply, and even those who choose to opt-out (legally allowing them to work longer) will be limited to an average of 56 hours a week;

    – Maximum of 72 hours in any week (lower than the current 91 possible under legislation;

    – No shift rostered to exceed 13 hours;

    – No more than five long shifts consecutively (long=more than 10 hours);

    – No more than four night shifts consecutively (where at least three hours fall between 11pm and 6am; and

    – No more than seven consecutive on-call periods.

    To further support safety, a system of agreed work scheduling and reviews will be introduced which will give junior doctorsa contractual right to report exceptions where his or her day-to-day work varies from the work schedule. This includes concerns about hours spent in work (including rest breaks), or the agreed working pattern (including time made available for educational opportunities).

    The contract will require the employer to assess any issues as they arise, and make timely adjustments through a ‘work schedule review’. In exceptional approved circumstances, doctors would be compensated for hours worked outside their work schedule.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the rise in cases of domestic violence in London.

    Karen Bradley

    Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government.

    The Office for National Statistics has ascribed national increases in police recorded violent crime to improvements in police recording.

    The Government is providing £10 million to fund specialist domestic and sexual violence services and national helplines up to April 2016, including part-funding to 23 Independent Domestic Violence Advocates and eight Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Coordinators in London. New guidance for the police has been published by the College of Policing, new training has been piloted and for the first time police are collating domestic violence data against a national standard.

    The Government recognises that local areas are best placed to meet local need.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is his policy to make available proposed new powers to regulate bus networks to local authorities that do not have a metro mayor.

    Andrew Jones

    Local Authorities already have the powers to regulate their bus networks through the Quality Contract Scheme process set out in the Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008.

    We have now signed ground-breaking deals with Greater Manchester, Cornwall, and Sheffield, in which we committed to providing them with powers to franchise their bus services. The Buses Bill will be introduced later in the first session and will provide the powers for local transport authorities to regulate their local bus networks through a franchising process subject to agreement from government.

    Government has real ambition to improve public transport in other areas too, and our devolution plans go beyond Manchester, Cornwall and Sheffield. If other places want to come forward with attractive devolution deals that include bus franchising we will consider them.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) London and (d) England receive tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    The latest information on Child and Working Tax Credits statistics is available on the Gov.uk website. Link provided below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-provisional-awards-geographical-analyses-december-2013

    “

  • 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 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have so far been involved since recruitment into the 100,000 Genomes Project began.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Almost 10,000 people have been involved in the 100,000 Genomes Project so far,with more joining through the NHS Genomic Medicine Centres each day.The Project will sequence 100,000 whole genomes from around 70,000 people.Cancer patients have their genome and the genome of their cancer sequenced. Rare disease patients have their genome sequenced as do two of their blood relatives.

    As at 12 October 5,234 whole genomes had been sequenced and added to the data centre.Substantial progress has been made across all aims of the project including the establishment of 11 NHS Genomics Medicine Centres who are actively recruiting participants and the first rare disease patients being diagnosed.

    Regular updates on the 100,000 Genomes Project including the total number of genomes sequenced are published on Genomics England’s website:

    www.genomicsengland.co.uk

    “

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 19 October (HL2605) concerning the government of the Republic of Ireland and recent talks at Stormont, whether the government of the Republic of Ireland has been represented in any way at any discussions under section 1 of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

    Lord Dunlop

    As noted in response to Written Question HL2605, a commitment always to uphold the three-stranded approach in cross-party talks was contained in the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election. The involvement of the Irish Government is in accordance with this established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British military personnel (1) have been sent to train Syrian opposition fighters since January 2015, and (2) are currently engaged in training Syrian opposition fighters.

    Earl Howe

    A total of 34 British military personnel have been involved in training Syrian opposition fighters since January 2015. There are currently 21 British military personnel deployed for the purposes of training.