Tag: 2016

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

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines on levels of alcohol intake which recommend significant changes to those levels.

    Jane Ellison

    Before the publication of the new Chief Medical Officer’s alcohol guidelines, the guidelines had not been revised for over 20 years; the up to date evidence used to update the low risk guidelines does not support a gender difference.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths by suicide have been recorded in England among children aged under 18 within one month of being released from youth custody in each year since 2010.

    Nicola Blackwood

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will meet his counterparts in the Qatari government to discuss the human rights situation and working conditions of foreign workers assisting that country in building stadia for the 2022 World Cup.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), last spoke to Qatar’s foreign minister on 7 September about preparations for the World Cup. He offered continued UK support in partnering with Qatar to deliver a successful event in 2022. We continue to raise the issue of workers’ rights with the Government of Qatar; most recently on 15 September to offer UK expertise in addition to support we already give. I am meeting my Qatari counterpart in Doha later this year and will raise this issue again then.

    We support the steps that the Qatari Government has taken to respond to concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and we welcome the Government of Qatar’s commitment to the ongoing, systematic reform of Qatar’s labour laws.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the welfare of children in prisons in Israel run by G4S.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities concerning the welfare of children in specific prisons in Israel run by G4S, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention with the Israeli Chief Military Prosecutor on 23 November 2015.

    We continue to push for further measures to ensure that international standards are upheld in regards to the treatment of Palestinian children detained.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the extent of radicalisation in the Palestinian Territories.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We condemn all violence and all incitement to commit violence. We are concerned by reports of radicalisation, which may, in turn, encourage violence in the region. We have seen reports referring to Hamas. Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. We have also received reports on the role school textbooks play in this area. An extensive study, conducted by a joint Israeli and Palestinian research team in 2013, found the need for textbooks on both sides to do far more to promote a more positive portrayal of each other, reflecting the principles of co-existence, tolerance, justice and human dignity.

  • Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Crawley on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to match the initiative of the government of Germany in providing special counselling, care and other medical support to Yazidi women who have suffered sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Islamic State.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In the last few years, the UK has led the world on tackling sexual violence in conflict, working with international partners such as the UN, EU and Red Cross. In the Middle East we are supporting vulnerable women and girls through our role in the international humanitarian relief effort. The more than £2.3 billion we are providing in response to these crises is the UK’s largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    We recognise the plight faced by vulnerable women and girls in the region, and particularly those women, including Yazidis, who have escaped following enslavement by Daesh. That is why we have funded the establishment of three community centres in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which provide them with psychosocial and legal support, and the provision of two UN technical experts who will continue to improve the coordination of the humanitarian response to gender based violence in Iraq. Through the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund we are also providing life-saving maternal and specialised support for escapees of Daesh terror.

    The British Government is also funding a project which aims to improve the documentation of sexual violence and other gender based cases in a victim sensitive way. We also co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution mandating the UN to investigate and report on Daesh abuses.

    Ultimately, the only way to protect civilians, including Yazidi women, from Daesh is by defeating this terrible organisation, which in turn requires, amongst other things, ending the conflict in Syria. The UK has been at the forefront of these efforts. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), set out the Government’s comprehensive strategy for dealing with Daesh and the conflict in Syria in his response to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 26 November 2015.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) written and (b) other contacts he or Ministers of his Department had with senior executives at (a) AXA UK, (b) Ageas UK, (c) General Insurance, (d) Direct Line Insurance and (e) Admiral Insurance between 1 September and 26 November 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and representations with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

    Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

    www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials of his Department have had with external bodies on reintroducing a national clinical director for liver disease.

    Jane Ellison

    The appointment of national clinical directors (NCDs) is a matter for NHS England. It has recently reviewed these roles and is now supported by 18 NCDs, although there is no specific NCD for liver disease. However, NHS England advises that clinical advice relating to gastrointestinal and liver disease will be sought from a variety of sources, including: experts at Public Health England for alcohol related issues; the NCD for obesity and diabetes for issues relating to obesity induced fatty liver disease; and through the Clinical Reference Group for Hepatitis C and the Medical Royal Colleges.

    The full list of NCDs can be found at:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/whos-who/ncd/

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of contracts for sexual health services that include requirements to provide ongoing education and training.

    Jane Ellison

    The continuing professional development of doctors and nurses is the responsibility of individual employers. Health Education England has a role in ensuring employers remain committed to continuing professional development and in developing the overall strategy for workforce skills and development in their areas.

    Education and training needs are highlighted in the model Integrated Sexual Health Services: National Service Specification A suggested service specification for integrated sexual health services. The model is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210726/Service_Specification_with_covering_note.pdf

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public protection orders or other legal instruments are available to prevent adults without violent or sexual convictions working with children in non-governed extracurricular sports or activities.

    Sarah Newton

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is able to bar individuals who pose a risk from working in certain roles with children, regardless of whether they have committed an offence. In addition, individuals working with children are eligible for Enhanced DBS certificates which, alongside criminal records information, disclose any non-conviction information that a chief officer believes to be relevant, for example Sexual Risk Orders.

    The Government introduced Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) to protect the public from those who pose a risk of sexual harm but have not been convicted. The key elements of a SRO are that it may be made by the magistrates’ court on application by the police or National Crime Agency where an individual has done an act of a sexual nature and, as a result, is considered to pose a risk of harm to the public in the UK.

    An SRO can be applied to any individual who poses a risk of sexual harm in the UK or abroad, even if they have never been convicted. An SRO may prohibit the person from doing anything described in it and any prohibition must be necessary for protecting the public in the UK from sexual harm. The Home Secretary has issued statutory guidance in relation to the orders to the police and the National Crime Agency.