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Tag: 2015

  • Keith Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Saudi Arabian authorities on pursuing a negotiated solution to the conflict in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government is in regular contact with the Saudi authorities about the situation in Yemen through our Embassy in Riyadh and our Yemen Office based in Jeddah. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 29 September in the margins of the UN General Assembly. He underlined the importance of a political solution to the current crisis as soon as possible and reinforced the necessity of compliance with international humanitarian law. I also chaired a high level meeting at UNGA focused on pursuing a political solution.

  • Lucy Allan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lucy Allan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Allan on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the NHS Trust Development Authority collaborates with the NHS Future Fit process in Shropshire to make a decision regarding future emergency care for that county; and if he will take steps to ensure that population growth and the level of health inequality are taken into account in the process of making that decision.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population, taking into account projected population growth and seeking to reduce health inequalities. Proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are (i) support from general practitioner commissioners (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

    It is right that reconfiguration is led by the local NHS, working closely with the support of national bodies including NHS England, the NHS Trust Development Authority and Monitor.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether doctors performing surgical abortions are prohibited from altering the procedure (a) in order to maximise the amount or quality of fetal tissue obtained for research and (b) for other non-clinical reasons.

    Jane Ellison

    In England and Wales, medical research using fetal tissue requires the consent of the woman who donates the tissue and is subject to the requirements of the Human Tissue Act 2004. It should be conducted in accordance with the Codes of Practice published by the Human Tissue Authority,which contain specific guidance on consent to the use of fetal tissue in Code of Practice 1, Consent.

  • Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the (a) National Crime Agency and (b) SOCA have declined a request by a police force to investigate a suspected County Line on grounds of the age of suspects.

    Karen Bradley

    The National Crime Agency have confirmed they, and previously the Serious Organised Crime Agency, have not, and would not decline a request by a police force to support an investigation on ‘County Lines’ based on the grounds of the age of the suspects.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    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 applications for family reunion made by Syrian nationals have been (a) received, (b) decided, (c) granted and (d) refused in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The numbers of applications for family reunion visas from Syrian nationals received, decided, granted and refused in each of the last five years is set out in the table below.

    ReportYear

    Applications

    Issued

    Refused

    Withdrawn

    Lapsed

    2010

    44

    26

    6

    0

    0

    2011

    56

    45

    8

    0

    2

    2012

    250

    134

    45

    4

    0

    2013

    930

    619

    64

    12

    0

    2014

    1172

    980

    209

    16

    3

    Source: PRAU 14.10.15

    Footnote: Applications may be decided in subsequent periods and therefore do not equal the total of issued, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed. For example some applications in 2014 may be decided in 2015.’

  • Stephen Gethins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Gethins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that all parties involved in the conflict in Yemen allow unimpeded humanitarian access (a) into and (b) within the country to reach people in need.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered 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.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of UK (a) domiciled and (b) trained seafarers to the shipping industry.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department provides support for seafarer training through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme, the budget for which was increased by 25% to £15million in September 2013. A company or group which elects for the Tonnage Tax is required, each year, to recruit one new officer trainee for every fifteen officer posts in its fleet. We have additionally introduced an option, from 1 October 2015, which allows companies or groups in Tonnage Tax to recruit and train three Able Seafarer ratings each year in place of one trainee officer.

    The industry and the Government are working together to encourage and support the next generation of seafarers and are developing a range of apprenticeships for maritime occupations at sea and ashore. We support the work of the Merchant Navy Training Board and SeaVision in promoting maritime careers, and we collaborated with Maritime UK in the production of an “Open for Maritime Skills” pamphlet. However, the recruitment and training of merchant seafarers is principally a matter for the shipping industry itself.

    The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans, was published on 7 September 2015 and contained a number of recommendations for government and industry on skills, including to help maintain the UK’s future supply of seafarers. The Government will formally respond to the Study by the end of the year.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of anonymising job applications in tackling discrimination in the jobs market.

    Priti Patel

    The department has made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of anonymising job applications in tackling discrimination in the jobs market.

    Early discussions are currently taking place between DWP and large employers through employer roundtables about the scope for reforming recruitment policy through anonymised applications.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on the incomes of those spending more than 21 hours per week in education and who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

    Justin Tomlinson

    A person in full time education will normally not meet the basic conditions for Universal Credit. There are however exceptions to this condition for some people; including people with limited capability for work, those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, and people with care of dependent children.

    There is no entitlement to Carer’s Allowance for people in education 21 hours or more a week because in order to be eligible they would need to be providing care for a severely disabled person for 35 hours a week.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce earlier forms of diagnosis of pancreatic cancer on the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    The independent cancer taskforce published its report Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 in July 2015, which recognised early diagnosis as a key priority for improving cancer outcomes. Recommendation 21 in particular refers to Wave 2 of the Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme, which specifically aims to speed up and improve diagnosis of cancers with non-specific but concerning symptoms through the use of a multidisciplinary diagnostic centre.

    NHS England is working with partners across the health system to consider how best to take the recommendations of the report forward.