Tag: 2016

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many Daesh fighters have moved from Iraq and Syria to Libya; and what implications this has had on UK defence and security policies.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware that Daesh has called for Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) to travel to Libya and that there is a significant FTF contingent among the Daesh forces there, including individuals from Syria and Iraq.

    We are monitoring the situation closely and working closely with international partners to develop a comprehensive approach to defeat Daesh in Libya. This will be a priority for our discussions with the new Libyan government.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans not to make a final decision on resettlement of the Chagos Islanders until after the Supreme Court judgement on the 2008 decision of the House of Lords.

    James Duddridge

    The public consultation on a potential resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory concluded on 27 October 2015, and the summary of its responses was published by the Government on 21 January 2016. The Government is now considering all the relevant material, including these responses, and the recent independent feasibility study published in February 2015. The consultation is now closed and it is for the government to now make a decision.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

    Jane Ellison

    No jobs with the core Department have been abolished or relocated from East Cheshire and none will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire by 2020.

    The information about non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, and other accountable statutory bodies is not held centrally by the Department and the information for all those organisations has been provided by those bodies. This has resulted in a ‘nil return’, on both aspects of the question, from each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies operating within East Cheshire.

  • 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 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make public decisions on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis taken at the meeting to consider the commissioning specialised services on 31 May 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England’s Specialised Services Commissioning Committee have considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, work on PrEP is on-going and up to £2 million will be invested in a pilot programme to target those at highest risk over the course of two years.

    Public Health England is working to identify the most effective locations for the introduction of this pilot. The Department will be discussing future commissioning with stakeholders.

    Our £2.4 million national HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion Programme also gives those at highest risk the best advice to make safer choices about sex.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the planning inspector of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport schemes visited any European city operating trolley bus systems to ascertain whether its system could be emulated in Leeds, and if not, why not.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    I can confirm that as part of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport Scheme the Inspector did not visit any European city operating trolley bus systems to see if its system could be emulated in Leeds. The Inspector had regard to all the evidence put to the inquiry, this may have included information about other trolley bus schemes in the world, however the Inspector’s remit was to look at the scheme for Leeds specifically put forward by the Applicant, having regard to the evidence submitted by all parties to the case.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have applied for spouse visas to marry a UK citizen from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh, (d) Nigeria, (e) Australia, (f) New Zealand and (g) Jamaica in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that small and micro-employers are able to comply with automatic enrolment for workplace pensions.

    Justin Tomlinson

    5.81 million people have already been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by 78,789 employers

    We are focused on making compliance with automatic enrolment duties as straightforward as possible –especially for small and micro employers, to continue to build on this success.

    As part of this, the Pensions Regulator has launched a new, simplified and much shorter ‘Step by Step’ guide on their website. This interactive Step by Step guide will help employers easily find out what they will need to do to comply by way of an easier to navigate, personalised journey. The number of steps an employer now has to take has reduced from 11 to just 5. This is designed to meet the specific needs of smaller employers who may well not have pensions experience, including those with just one or two staff. In addition, The Regulator provides online content for business advisers who play an important role in supporting smaller employers to meet their legal duties.

    The Regulator has simplified and tailored all letters and guides to ensure that their guidance is easy for small employers to follow; and is working with the key providers in the automatic enrolment market to ensure that employers are offered a consistent automatic enrolment journey.

    The Regulator’s website also provides guidance on what to consider when choosing a scheme and includes the list of independently audited, high quality ‘master trusts’ pension schemes. This will make scheme choice (one of the biggest challenges for small employers) easier.

  • Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will produce quality standards based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network regarding the management of chronic pain.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it has been asked to develop a quality standard on pain management in young people and adults.

    The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guideline 136 on the management of pain has been identified as a possible development source alongside existing NICE guidance on pain management.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of respite care and support for family carers.

    Alistair Burt

    The Short and Long Term (SALT) Care data collection for 2014-15 show the number of cared-for people receiving respite or other forms of carer support;

    (a) England – 55,735

    (b) Birmingham local authority area – 635

    (c) Swindon local authority area – 160

    The data include other forms of support as well as emergency respite places; a precise figure for emergency respite places is not available. We are working with councils to improve data in this area for future iterations of the SALT Care data collection.

    The Government recognises the invaluable contribution made by unpaid carers and the importance of supporting them in their caring roles. That is why we continue to support implementation of the improved rights for carers enshrined in the Care Act 2014. This includes a right to an assessment on the appearance of needs for support. These assessments cover carers’ wellbeing and what support they may need in their caring role.

    The Department has provided £104 million of funding to local authorities for these improved carers’ rights in 2015/16. We have also made an additional £400 million available to the National Health Service between 2011 and 2015 to provide carers with breaks from their caring responsibilities to sustain them in their caring role. The equivalent annual allocation of £130 million for carers breaks is now included in the Better Care Fund.

    The Department is also leading the development of a new cross-Government National Carers Strategy that will look at what more we can do to support existing carers and future carers.

  • Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has provided support to developing countries to formulate regulations on mobile financial services.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Work to support formulation and improvements to regulations on mobile financial services is a key part of DFID’s portfolio of financial sector programmes around mobile financial services across Africa and Asia. The UK is also an active advocate at the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), including as co-chair of the key subgroup on regulation and standard-setting bodies.