Tag: 2016

  • Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of attacks on schools in Syria on children’s education in that country.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    We are deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict on Syrian children and young people. Children continue to be killed, injured and recruited by parties to the conflict. According to the UN, 35 schools were attacked in 2015 alone, with one quarter of all Syrian schools now closed, damaged or destroyed. Consequently 2.1 million children inside Syria are out of school. This will have profound implications for years to come if it is not urgently addressed.

    That is why the UK helped to launch and mobilise international support for the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI). As part of this support, we have allocated £115 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. As a result, more than 308,000 children have been reached with child protection initiatives inside Syria, mainly in the form of psychosocial consultations and child-friendly spaces. In addition, almost 228,000 children have received formal and informal education inside Syria, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time.

    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 include education for an additional 1 million children.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the custody nurse vacancy rate was in (a) total and (b) each London borough in the Metropolitan Police area on 1 January of each year since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The provision and commissioning of police custody healthcare services including custody nurses is the responsibility of individual Police and Crime Commissioners, and healthcare staffing levels are an operational policing matter in conjunction with the custody healthcare service provider. Information on these issues is not held centrally by the Home Office.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps has he taken to monitor the conduct of charities when marketing commercial products.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    This is a matter for the Charity Commission which, as independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, issued a regulatory alert on this topic on 29 February 2016 reminding charity trustees of their legal duties. The alert was published and sent to the 1,700 charities that the Commission identified to have some form of commercial arrangement. It made clear that trustees should review existing commercial arrangements and that failure to meet the relevant requirements could result in regulatory action.

    Engaging in commercial activities can be a valuable way for charities to raise funds or generate awareness of its cause. It is the responsibility of the trustees to ensure that where a charity engages in commercial activity, either through a trading subsidiary or through a commercial partnership, they follow the legal framework, they have effective oversight and ensure this activity in the best interests of the charity. This includes protecting the charity’s name and reputation which are valuable assets.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the security of airports of security scanning all bags before they are allowed into an airport building.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We regularly assess all threats to aviation security along with appropriate response measures. Following the recent attacks at Brussels Airport, measures were put in place to enhance the protection of public areas at UK airports. We do not currently assess that requiring all bags to be scanned at the entrance to airport building would be an effective and proportionate response, but we will continue to work with airports and the police to keep this and other possible measures under review.

  • 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 2016-05-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the arrest of 13 Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints in the West Bank between 12 and 18 May.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have no plans to raise these arrests with the Israeli authorities.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle obesity in (a) the North East and (b) England.

    Nicola Blackwood

    We launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action on 18 August. A copy of the plan is attached and is available at:

    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf

    “

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is investigating allegations that the Saudi-led coalition deployed UK manufactured cluster munitions; and whether UK military personnel or UK aircraft were involved in the deployment of such munitions.

    Sir Michael Fallon

    We are aware of reports, including from Amnesty International on 6 June 2016, of the alleged use of UK-supplied cluster munitions in the Saudi-led coalition campaign in Yemen. We take this allegation very seriously, have analysed the case carefully and raised the issue with the Saudi-led coalition.

    The UK is not a member of the coalition and there are no Royal Air Force aircraft in coalition operations. British military personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen or in the targeting process.

  • Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund for relief payments for recent flooding.

    Rory Stewart

    We will consider all forms of support for those affected by the recent floods.

    However, the EU Solidarity Fund would not compensate for private losses. It would take several months to receive the majority of the funds, and only provides for a fraction of the total costs of assessed damage. The Government’s priority has been to act quickly and deal with the urgent needs of those affected.

    This is why the Government is providing nearly £200 million of additional aid to support those affected by the floods in England.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any members of the (a) National Tactical Response Group and (b) Tornado Teams have been injured during a call out in the last two years.

    Andrew Selous

    The number of National Tactical Response Team (NTRG) members who have been injured during a callout over the last 2 years is set out in the table below

    No central records are held in respect of any injuries to Tornado staff, and this information cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

    2014

    2015

    Members of NTRG who have been injured during a callout

    2

    2
  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hostage incidents in which a (a) prison officer and (b) prisoner was taken hostage have taken place in each prison establishment since January 2010.

    Andrew Selous

    Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. These figures demonstrate that the Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary are right and out prisons badly need reform.

    We are already trialling the use of body worn cameras in prisons, training sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances and have made it an offence to smuggle new psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively rehabilitate offenders.

    Hostage incidents are rare occurrences. The table attached provides details of hostage incidents, broken down by establishment and victim type.

    Note: These figures have been drawn from the NOMS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last case the figures may not be accurate to that level.