The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular soldiers he plans to maintain in each of the next three years.
Mark Lancaster
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 20 July 2015 to Question number 7353 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to lay a copy of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review before the House.
Michael Fallon
The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review are cross Government reviews led by the Cabinet Office. They will be closely aligned with the 2015 Spending Review and are expected to be published towards the end of the year.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadhim Zahawi on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on (a) processing farmers’ 2015 Basic Payment Scheme applications and (b) tackling the challenges of getting information supplied by farmers in paper form back onto an online validation process; and what resources have been committed to carry out this work to date.
George Eustice
Good progress is being made on processing Basic Payment Scheme 2015 applications including capturing changes that were made on the paper forms along with any new requirements of the scheme onto the Rural Payments IT system. We currently have access to around 800 people to perform this processing work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s aims are for the state visit of President Xi Jinping in October 2015.
Mr Hugo Swire
The State Visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping on 20-23 October will set the tone and agenda for our relationship with China for the next decade, to develop a global partnership responding to the opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century. The visit will deliver major economic benefits for Britain through business deals, science and innovation co-operation, and enhanced links in education and culture. It will highlight the strength of the relationship in several areas: our openness to business links, our aim to make our economies fit for the future, and our response to important global issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on human rights abuses in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The British government regularly raises its human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities at the highest levels through Ministers, our Ambassador, and the Embassy team in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign & Commonwealth Office country of concern because of the human rights situation in the country, particularly on the use of the death penalty, restricted access to justice, restrictions on women’s rights, as well as on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. We regularly make our views well known including through the UN Universal Periodic Review process and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people referred for talking therapies received cognitive behaviour therapy in each of the last five years.
Alistair Burt
Information on the proportion of people referred for talking therapies who received cognitive behavioural therapy during 2013/14 is given on the attached table Proportion of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) referrals that finished a course of treatment between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2014, for selected therapy types, England. Information for previous years is not available centrally. Information on 2014/15 will be published in November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the level of unmet demand for palliative care beds for patients in the last six months of their lives.
Ben Gummer
The Department has not undertaken an assessment of unmet demand for palliative care beds for patients in the last six months of their lives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual investigations the National Crime Agency has conducted into County Line operations; and how many prosecutions have resulted from such investigations.
Karen Bradley
The National Crime Agency’s remit relating to ‘county lines’ does not focus on the conduct of individual investigations and prosecutions. Individual investigations and prosecutions remain the responsibility of local police forces. Information on the number of investigations and prosecutions relating to county lines specifically is not collated centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications made by Syrian nationals in each of the last three years were refused on the grounds that the applicant could be returned to a safe third country.
James Brokenshire
In the last three years, the numbers of Syrian nationals (main applicants only) refused asylum on third country grounds were as follows:
26 in 2012
99 in 2013
66 in 2014
The Home Office publishes annual and quarterly data on asylum applications and initial decisions; this is available in Table as_01 (Asylum data tables Volume 1) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.
A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April – June 2015, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the ongoing de facto blockade of Yemen by the government of Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition on (a) aid and (b) commercial supplies to that country.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The conflict in Yemen has resulted in severe restrictions on imports of humanitarian and commercial supplies into the country, including essential fuel, food and medicines. According to the UN, since April, Yemen has received 2.1 million metric tonnes of food (90% through commercial imports and 10% through humanitarian aid) but only 25% of its estimated fuel needs.
The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate unimpeded and immediate humanitarian access to all people in need in Yemen, and to lift any restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping.
The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis in Yemen and has announced £75 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, focused on the most urgent life-saving needs. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response.