Tag: 2016

  • Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sheikh on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to promote stronger educational and cultural links between the UK and Sudan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Council already has a number of projects in Sudan which aim to strengthen cultural and educational relations. They have over 200 partner schools, engage with over 250,000 people in a national English teacher training programme and have provided English language training to 500 leading journalists. Sudan has also been added as a priority country for the British Council’s new £30m Cultural Protection Fund, and the British Council office in Khartoum is in discussion with a range of partners to develop proposals. Our Embassy in Khartoum also oversees the Chevening scholarship programme for highly talented Sudanese with leadership potential to pursue masters degrees in the UK.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of Access to Work; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) deafblind people and (b) people with complex needs receive the appropriate levels of support to help them into work.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Government wants all disabled and people with a long term health condition to fulfil their potential and achieve their aspirations. Every individual should to have the opportunity to work and share in the economic and health benefits that work brings, regardless of their health condition or disability.

    Deafblind customers and customers with complex needs are not recorded separately in Access to Work data, so it is not possible to assess the scheme’s performance with them. However, Access to Work has specialist teams to provide a dedicated service to particular groups of customers including both deaf customers and customers with a visual impairment. People who are deafblind are normally assisted by the Visual Impairment team

    Last year, Access to Work helped over 36,000 people to take up or remain in employment. Access to Work figures may be subject to change. Official Statistics have recently been subject to a detailed methodology review which identified some technical issues. We will release a revised publication once these issues have been resolved.

    We will soon publish a Green Paper on work and health and conduct a consultation aimed at disabled people, their representative organisations and a wide range of other stakeholders, who all have an important part to play in making the transformative changes needed.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what remuneration is provider to the Chair of the Office for Tax Simplification.

    Mr David Gauke

    Angela Knight has been appointed as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification, and will be paid £400 a day, in line with other public appointments.

    In 2011, the Treasury Select Committee held a post-appointment hearing for the Chair and Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification, and has done so for appointments to other bodies. Angela Knight is appearing before the committee, in her role as the new Chair, on 12 January.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific engagement they have had with the besieged people of the Syrian town of Madaya.

    Baroness Verma

    The "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference was held on 4 February last week, and more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    On 11 January, the UN, Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed aid convoys had arrived in the hard to reach towns of Madaya, Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys have since arrived. These convoys are expected to enable 40,000 people inside Madaya, and 20,000 people inside Foah and Kefraya, to survive. UK funding to UN agencies directly supported these convoys with food parcels and medicine. This is part of the UK’s ongoing support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria.

    The UN, the Red Cross Movement and NGO partners are best placed to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. They have the mandate, expertise and capacity to assess needs and deliver an appropriate, timely response. We continue to press for them to be granted full access to all areas in need.

    We will not stop in our efforts, whether through hard work on a political solution that will deal with the root cause of the problem or through humanitarian efforts, which provide immediate, life-saving relief. The shocking situation in hard to reach and besieged areas underlines the vital work of aid agencies and shows how important it is that they have the assurance of knowing that they have the resources to keep going.

  • Corri Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Corri Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people recovering from cancer have appealed (a) an employment and support allowance award and (b) a disability living allowance or personal independence payment award decision in the last five years; and how many such appeals were successful.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20339, how a longstanding mental health condition is taken account of in assessing whether a claimant is eligible for an advance payment of universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    When a work coach assesses a claimant’s financial need they will take into account all of the claimant’s circumstances including any health conditions and any vulnerabilities. The Work Coach is trained to maintain an on-going conversation with the claimant about their financial capability and build up a relationship of trust with the claimant over time.

  • Oliver Heald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    Oliver Heald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to his Answer of 3 March 2016, Official Report, column 1102, when he expects the review of English votes for English laws procedures to take place.

    Chris Grayling

    The Government has committed to reviewing the procedures for English votes for English laws after they have been in place for twelve months and after the Procedure Committee completes the technical evaluation which it is currently undertaking. As part of the review we will also take account of the recent report published by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason his Department decided not to proceed with the launch of a public consultation on pre-exposure prophylaxis; and when that decision was taken.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is in the process of reconsidering its decision in relation to the commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by the end of May. The outcome of the decision will be communicated by NHS England with stakeholders following the meeting and will determine whether NHS England will then conduct any form of public consultation on the commissioning of PrEP.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths have been caused by air pollution in each of the last 10 years.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prioritise the sourcing of UK-made components and materials for the construction of Hinkley Point C.

    Jesse Norman

    The Department has been clear with EDF as the developer of Hinkley Point C, as well as all other potential new nuclear developers in the UK, that we expect substantial involvement of UK industry in their projects. Government has taken steps through the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, with the support of Nuclear Industry Association and the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, to develop UK skills and capabilities, and to identify manufacturing opportunities. This has contributed to UK firms being in a good position to supply components and materials for new nuclear construction. The UK content figure has steadily increased as we have worked with the UK supply chain to help them succeed in winning contracts and EDF now expects 64% of the value of Hinkley Point C to be spent in the UK.