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Tag: 2015

  • 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 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation the Government has made available to road and rail freight and passenger operators affected by the ongoing disruption at Calais.

    Andrew Jones

    We are clear that the disruption caused to passengers and operators by the disruption in Calais is unacceptable.

    That is why we are working hard to find a long-term solution to Operation Stack, and closely with the French Government to minimise the causes of disruption.

    There are no specific provisions for compensation by Her Majesty’s Government in the circumstances where disruption does occur.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Leader of the House, if he will bring forward proposals to allow the online tabling and signing of Early Day Motions.

    Chris Grayling

    This issue was considered in the last Parliament by the House of Commons Procedure Committee in its first report of Session 2013-14 (HC189). The Committee considered whether to recommend the adoption of an e-tabling system, but concluded that it was not appropriate for EDMs to be tabled electronically unless significantly stronger authentication than was then required for parliamentary questions could be guaranteed. However, it did recognise that there might be benefits in allowing MPs to add their signatures to EDMs electronically.

    Following the closure of the savings programme, the House authorities continue to consider how they can improve effectiveness and drive innovation, including in the area of electronic delivery of services.

    I suggest that the Honourable Gentleman raises the issue with the Procedure Committee.

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of accommodation and support available to vulnerable migrants in Calais; and what steps she is taking to ensure such migrants are appropriately cared for.

    James Brokenshire

    The provision of humanitarian assistance for people on French soil is a matter for the French authorities. However, both Governments are committed to identifying and helping those people who are especially vulnerable or potential victims of trafficking. This is why the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to increase observation in the camps to identify those people; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system. The project will assist with our commitment to tackle the organised criminal gangs who facilitate human trafficking, and we are working together with French law enforcement partners to identify and target these gangs to prevent this occurring in the first place. The UK has contributed almost £550,000 towards this project as part of the Joint Fund announced in September 2014. The 2015 Joint Declaration also commits the UK to a further financial contribution of £3.6 million per year for two years to support the French Government in a range of activities to reduce the numbers of migrants in Calais and the incentives for them to stay there.

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) economic and (b) health effects of the provisions of the Housing and Planning Bill on people who receive housing benefit and who are subject to the benefit cap in each of the next five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government will continue to assess the impacts of the Housing and Planning Bill as it progresses through Parliament. We will publish our assessments on Parliament’s website at:

    http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/housingandplanning/documents.html.

    These will be updated as further assessments are undertaken.

  • Crispin Blunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Crispin Blunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessments his Department has made of the Successor submarine and Trident missile renewal programmes; and whether a further such risk assessment is planned to inform a final main gate decision.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Ministry of Defence and Treasury officials are involved in scrutinising and assuring the costs and the levels of risk within the Successor submarine and Trident D5 missile life extension programmes, including before major investment decisions.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the difference between step-free access to trains and step-free access to platforms means in the context of plans for different Crossrail stations.

    Claire Perry

    Step-free access to trains provides direct access for a passenger from street level to the train via the use of ramps and lifts. Step-free access to platforms provides passengers with direct access from street level to platform via the use of ramps and lifts and further assistance with a ramp is required for those that require it to access the train.

    In the context of Crossrail, all stations between Paddington and Abbey Wood will have step-free access to train. This means that these stations will have ramps or lifts from the street to the platform, and only a very small gap between platform and train allowing for level boarding when getting on and off a train. Heathrow Airport’s stations at Terminals 1-3 and Terminal 4 will also have step-free access to trains.

    Those stations that Crossrail will serve on the existing network between Stratford and Shenfield and between Acton Mainline and Reading (not including Heathrow Airport) will have step-free access to platform. This means that there will be ramps or lifts from the street to the platform, but there will not be level access to the train without the aid of a ramp deployed by staff.

    All Crossrail stations will be staffed for the entire period that train services are operating, so there will be staff on hand to assist passengers who need to board and alight using platforms ramps.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Iran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Our assessment of human rights in Iran can be found in the FCO Human Rights Report, which was updated in July.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of amputations caused by diabetes (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The attached table gives the number of finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a primary or secondary procedure of amputation for (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire based Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 provisional.

    NHS Gloucestershire CCG and its provider partners have established a Diabetes Footcare Group in order to further analyse local amputation rates and ensure that the appropriate service improvements are made to reduce unnecessary complications of diabetes-related vascular disease such as lower limb amputations.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he made of the effect of NHS England taking over responsibility for commissioning health services within the immigration detention estate in England on the adequacy of health provision within that estate.

    Ben Gummer

    In 2014 Health and Wellbeing Needs Assessments were carried out at all Immigration Removal Centres to ascertain the needs of the detainees, which in turn informed the quality and standard of services commissioned by NHS England, from 1 September 2014, to meet those needs.

    National standards have been developed, against which health care providers are measured as part of contract management. A suite of indicators of performance are now in place to support this and to provide national data to demonstrate improvements in service delivery and outcomes.

  • Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas personnel the RAF plans to recruit or loan from other countries’ armed forces for each year up to 2020.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The RAF has no plans to recruit from non-UK armed forces. However, if individuals choose to apply to join the RAF their application will be considered on a case by case basis.

    The number of personnel on loan to the RAF from non-UK armed forces is based on the availability of opportunities and requirement at the time. Therefore there are no projected figures up to 2020.