Tag: 2016

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on steps to secure the release of foreign hostages held by Muslim extremists in the Philippines.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We maintain a close dialogue with our international partners on terrorism and kidnapping, both on a bilateral basis and through international fora. G7 leaders have recently reaffirmed their commitment not to pay ransoms to terrorists, to protect the lives of our nationals, including by reducing terrorist groups access to funding. We do not comment on individual cases.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria were used to select Wales, Hampshire and Greater Manchester as the locations for the early adopter sites for the second phase trials of independent child trafficking advocates.

    Sarah Newton

    The early adopter sites were chosen because they offer a wide geographical coverage across England and Wales with the potential for differing levels and types of referrals, including children who may have been internally trafficked, as well as those that have been trafficked from abroad.

  • 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 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 1 October 2016 that people with long-term degenerative conditions will be exempt from repeat work capability assessments, if he will set out those medical conditions a diagnosis for which will provide such exemption.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There is no condition based entitlement to Employment Support Allowance.

    We will be working over the coming months with medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop functional criteria that will help us identify those with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, for whom repeat work capability assessments can be stopped.

    Rather than a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria will be based on identifying claimants with the most severe health conditions or disabilities where it would be unreasonable to expect the individual to undertake any form or amount of work or work-related activity. This change will only apply to those placed in the Support Group and UC equivalent.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings and communication Ministers and senior civil servants have had with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long-term flood prevention since June 2010.

    Rory Stewart

    Ministers and senior civil servants have not met or communicated with Ruimte voor de Rivier regarding long term flood prevention since June 2010.

    The Environment Agency has a good and highly valued relationship with the Dutch flood agency, Rijkswaterstaat, and has been actively engaging with them for many years on coastal, and asset management issues. This has been both bilaterally and through mutual networks. There is a strong exchange of knowledge between our organisations, supported by a non-legal Memorandum of Understanding. This also supports mutual cooperation during an incident, where appropriate.

    The Environment Agency was also grateful for the wider Dutch support offered during the 2013/14 flooding in the UK, with support from Dutch pumps and levee inspectors.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the national recommendations outlined in NHS England’s report on the death of William Mead are implemented.

    Ben Gummer

    The (NHS England South) Regional Quality Surveillance Group is responsible for ensuring that all the national recommendations outlined in NHS England’s report on the death of William Mead are implemented.

    The Department will be keeping track of progress on this front.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Syrian refugees resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme is included within the Government’s priority group for victims of sexual violence, the elderly, victims of crime of torture and the disabled.

    Richard Harrington

    All refugees resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement scheme must meet at least one of the agreed vulnerability criteria. Many individuals will meet more than one of the criteria, for example an individual may be a survivor of violence or torture and have ongoing medical needs. They may also have dependants who would meet one or more of the criteria in their own right if they were applying separately.

    While the Home Office records the primary reason for referral of the lead applicant we do not record any secondary reasons or those of dependant family members. Therefore, the data we have would not give a complete picture of the number of resettled people who would be included under each of the vulnerability groups listed.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.205 of the Budget 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on insurance policy take-up of an increase in the standard rate of insurance premium tax.

    Harriett Baldwin

    As part of the costing process for all taxes, we looked at any behavioural changes.

    Where insurers pass on the rate increase, the increase may have a small impact on individuals and households purchasing insurance which is not exempt from IPT. This is not likely to lead to any significant change in take-up of insurance.

  • Angela Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is committed to tackling wildlife crime. The UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, which is part-funded by Defra, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities, including those relating to badger persecution and poaching, which are UK wildlife crime priorities. The Unit also provides assistance to police forces when required.

    Court proceedings data for 2015, including those for the offences listed above, are planned for publication by the Ministry of Justice in due course.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to increase the provision of respite and replacement care for carers in England.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government recognises the invaluable contribution made by unpaid carers and the importance of supporting them in their carer roles. This includes provision of and access to respite and replacement care.

    The Department has provided £400 million to the National Health Service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. The carers breaks funding of £130 million is now included in the Better Care Fund in 2016/17. The Department has also provided £186.6 million of funding in 2016/17 to local authorities for improved carers’ rights, as established in the Care Act 2014.

    The Care Act 2014 duty for local authorities to undertake carers’ assessments also provides an opportunity for the local authority and the carer to look at the support they need and the outcomes that they wish to achieve, including providing them with a break or taking up work, educational and leisure opportunities if they wish.

    The Department is committed to continuing to improve support for carers and is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government national carers’ strategy, due to be published by the end of 2016. We are currently consulting widely with a range of stakeholders and carers themselves to inform the development of the strategy.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with people from other EU countries living in the UK since the EU referendum on their right to live in the UK after the UK’s exit from the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Government Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders.

    The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals here. The only circumstances in which that would not be possible are if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return.