The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to have an ambassador and diplomatic presence direct to the EU after the UK implements Brexit, in addition to individual diplomatic missions to the remaining EU member states.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government would expect to retain diplomatic representation both to the EU and to its member states after the UK has left.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken steps to liaise with police and crime commissioners and local authorities on the proposed ban on novel psychoactive substances.
Karen Bradley
On 17 September 2015, the Minister for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims wrote to all chief constables, copied to police and crime commissioners, to inform them of the Psychoactive Substances Bill and to invite them to operational workshops for enforcement partners taking place in February. The Local Government Association, Trading Standards and other law enforcement partners have been engaged through the cross government implementation working group as well as the police psychoactive substances enforcement working group over the last few months in preparation for the commencement of the Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with troika partners Norway and the US to try to bring an end to atrocities against civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan.
James Duddridge
The UK is deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict in Darfur on the civilian population and the recent escalation of violence in Jebel Mara. With our Troika partners, the US and Norway, we are continuing to support the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel’s efforts to bring an end to the violence in Darfur and secure a political settlement.
The UK also actively supports the United Nations/African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). During the last mandate renewal we led efforts to ensure UNAMID remained in all five states of Darfur and also strengthened its mandate to better protect civilians.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timescale is for the UK National Screening Committee Group B Streptococcus review; when the public consultation on that review will open and close; and when he expects the committee to make a decision on the outcomes of that review.
Ben Gummer
In December 2015 the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) commissioned an update review into antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) as per its published process. A public consultation is expected to be held in late 2016 for a three-month period; the UK NSC will then review the recommendation for GBS at the successive meeting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle the increase in human campylobacter cases, caught from infected poultry, which are proving to be resistant to the key antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health concern and a global challenge. The United Kingdom Government has established a 5 year AMR strategy (2013-2018) which sets out our actions to slow the development and spread of AMR. A copy of the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 to 2018 is attached.
The Government supports industry initiatives on the responsible use of antibiotics, such as those implemented by the British Poultry Council, who introduced a voluntary ban on the use of cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones in poultry in January 2012. This action will in the long-term help reduce the development of resistance in bacteria including campylobacter in poultry.
Campylobacter is the leading cause of infectious intestinal disease in people in the UK and poultry meat is considered to be the main source of these infections. To address this, the Food Standards Agency has worked closely with industry in reducing campylobacter levels in chicken and is tackling this issue throughout the food chain; this has included improved biosecurity measures on farm, interventions such as blast surface chilling or additional heat steps during processing, the introduction of leak-proof packaging at retail and advice for consumers on safe handling of raw chickens within the home. These approaches are expected to reduce the number of campylobacter infections in humans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specialist support is provided by his Department to vulnerable adults without family support.
Alistair Burt
The Department does not provide any such support directly.
The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities in England to meet the care and support needs of vulnerable people, carers and their families. Statutory guidance sets out the circumstances and services that a local authority, working with its local partner organisations, may arrange to meet people’s needs. Examples include information, advice and advocacy, care and support at home or in the community, counselling and other types of social work, goods and facilities, domiciliary care and accommodation in a care home or in suitable premises of some other type.
Where a person has substantial difficulty in being fully involved in their care planning or lacks capacity to agree and consent to the care plan and has no family or friends who are able to support their involvement, an independent advocate must be appointed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the collapse of the Dolmabahçe Agreement, whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the proposal by Open Democracy of 15 steps for Turkish–Kurdish peace.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We understand that the Government of Turkey did not commit itself to specific undertakings following the talks at the Dolmabahçe Palace in February 2015. We have been very clear that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) violence must end in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Carbon Plan will outline policies that ensure that the UK meets the emissions limit in the fifth carbon budget of a 57 per cent reduction in annual emissions on 1990 levels.
Mr Nick Hurd
We are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and other government departments in order to meet the shared challenge of moving to a low carbon economy. The Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we will meet our carbon budgets through the 2020s (the period covering the fourth and fifth carbon budgets).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the responses to HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s proposal on the provision of Courts and Tribunal Estate in England and Wales will be published.
Mr Shailesh Vara
All responses submitted to the consultation are being considered. I will announce the outcome of the consultation in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for activation of the full capacity protocol at Warrington Hospital’s A&E department in 2015-16; and what effect (a) inability to access GP appointments and (b) reductions in the availability of social care had on the decision to activate that protocol in each such case.
Jane Ellison
It is for the local National Health Service to manage accident and emergency services to ensure access to high quality, safe services for their local populations.
We are making additional resources available to the NHS to deal with increased demand, by backing the NHS Five Year Forward View with £10 billion a year real terms additional funding by 2020-21, compared to 2014-15, with £3.8 billion real terms growth in 2016-17.
Information on ambulance handovers delayed over 30 minutes was published by NHS England in winter daily situation reports each weekday during winter from 2010-11 to 2014-15. Such information is not being published by the NHS in winter daily situation reports for 2015-16. The data can be found using the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/
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