Tag: 2016

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) her international counterparts, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) toiletry companies on the provision of women’s health and sanitary products to refugee women and girls.

    James Wharton

    DFID is working with our partners to ensure that sexual and reproductive health needs of girls and women affected by crises are prioritised. This includes their right to experience menstruation with dignity. In 2015 alone, UK funding to UNFPA supported their efforts to distribute almost 60,000 menstrual hygiene kits to women and girls living in conflict situations. The UK has committed that, in humanitarian crises, DFID calls for proposals will require the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls to be considered. The UK also supported a joint statement led by UNFPA, highlighting the importance of sexual and reproductive rights in crises, at the World Humanitarian Summit in May this year.

    DFID is working globally with a network of civil-society organisations, private sector companies, donors, academics, and international agencies to address stigma and increase access for all women and girls to the education, support, products and services they need to manage menstruation with dignity.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints her Department has received regarding services provided under contract by Clearsprings from (a) service users and (b) external parties in each of the last six years.

    James Brokenshire

    Within the terms of the contracts for asylum accommodation the accommodation provider is required to respond to and address complaints from service users and external parties in the first instance. Where a service user or external party is dissatisfied with the response or the measures taken to address their complaint, the complainant may escalate the issue to the Home Office.

    In the years 2010 to 2015 the Home Office has received 60 complaints in total regarding services provided under contract by Clearsprings Ready Homes, broken down by each of the last six years as follows:

    Year No. of complaints

    2010 0

    2011 0

    2012 0

    2013 1

    2014 0

    2015 59

    The complaints have not been categorised to distinguish whether the complainant was a service user or external party.

    On receipt, each complaint is considered, investigated and addressed. If after investigation the Home Office determines that a complaint demonstrates a failure of the contractor to comply with the required standards and the contractor fails to address the complaint there are a range of contractual sanctions that the Home Office can and do impose.

    The Home Office is working with contractors to undertake profiling and trend analysis of complaints, including why there was an increase in 2015. The Home Office is also assessing whether the existing channels are sufficiently capturing service user and external party concerns.

  • Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 11 January (HL4782), what assessment they have made of the terms of reference, composition, duration and cost of the Chilcot inquiry.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Chilcot Inquiry was set up by the Labour Government following consultation with other political parties and with the support of Parliament. The Government looks forward to the publication of the Inquiry’s report in June or July, in accordance with Sir John Chilcot’s most recent letter to the Prime Minister.

  • Biography information for Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Biography information for Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Department of Health mandate to NHS England, which requires it to ensure that the new commissioning system promotes and supports participation by NHS organisations and NHS patients in research funded by both commercial and non–commercial organisations”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department formally holds NHS England to account on its delivery against the research objective in the NHS Mandate, a process which will be rolled forward during 2016/17.

    Progress has been made in the areas of participation of National Health Service organisations in research, with 98% of NHS trusts recruited into National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies during the course of 2014/15, and 78% of NHS trusts recruiting to commercial contract studies in the same year. In addition, recruitment of participants into such studies increased in 2014/15 compared to the previous year to 618,453 participants. Recruitment into commercial contract studies is at an all-time high, with 34,885 participants in 2014/15; a 35% increase from 2013/14.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what procedures his Department had in place to monitor any changes in estimates of the cost of the Successor submarine programme during preparations for his Budget statement in March 2016.

    Greg Hands

    The Treasury maintains a regular and frequent dialogue with the Ministry of Defence over the costs of all significant elements of defence spending, including the Successor programme.

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have had with (1) the Howard League for Penal Reform, (2) The Children’s Society, (3) Barnardo’s, (4) the NSPCC, (5) other children’s charities, and (6) the police, about the number of children in care who become entangled in the criminal justice system, and what action they are taking to reduce that number.

    Lord Nash

    The Government remains committed to ensuring that children in care avoid criminality. As of 31 March 2015, there were 69,540 looked after children. Of the 31,820 10-17 year olds who had been in care for a year or more, 5% had been convicted of an offence or were subject to a final warning or reprimand (Department for Education Statistical First Release – 34/2015).

    To improve residential care, Sir Martin Narey has been asked to undertake an independent review of children’s homes. As part of this, Sir Martin will consider how to reduce any inappropriate criminalisation of children in children’s homes. As part of his review of the youth justice system, Charlie Taylor has consulted a wide range of organisations, including about children in care who offend. He will report this summer with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in the youth justice system. The National Offender Management Service has also established a National Care Leavers’ Forum which brings together stakeholders from a range of internal and external bodies, including the Care Leavers’ Association.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many small and medium-sized businesses bid for a public contract in each region in the last five years.

    Ben Gummer

    In 2014-15, Central Government spent over £12 billion (27.1%) with small and medium sized businesses, which shows a continued year on year increase in SMEs winning public procurements.

    The Government is determined to deliver its new target of one third of spend with SMEs by the end of this Parliament and we have appointed Emma Jones as the new Crown Representative for SMEs to help us achieve that.

    We do not hold information on the number of public sector contracts won by small businesses or on the number of companies bidding.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the structures in the West Bank funded through aid provided by her Department have been demolished by Israeli forces in 2016 to date.

    Rory Stewart

    No structures that the UK has funded bilaterally in the West Bank have been demolished. A number of structures funded by the EU’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office (ECHO) have been demolished in recent months.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to make global mental health a priority of her Department.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK’s health focus in developing countries is on improving the provision of basic health services for the poor by supporting health system strengthening, health worker capacity and access to essential medicines. Increasing coverage, equity, access and quality will strengthen health services to address all health problems including non-communicable diseases, like mental disorders and dementia.

    DFID is helping countries to make fairer, transparent and evidence-based decisions about how to set priorities and allocate resources in health. We are also funding programmes that are directly supporting work on mental health, such as under our Health Partnership Scheme and to Ghana’s Health Sector Support Programme. In addition we support research on mental health through our PRIME (Programme for Improving Mental health carE) programme.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to providing support for the estimated 2.5 million children being brought up by parents who are heavy alcohol drinkers.

    Lord Nash

    We are clear that all children at risk of abuse or neglect – including those children who may be a risk because of their parent’s alcoholism – must be identified early, have timely and proportionate assessments of their individual needs, and have the right services provided at the right time.

    That is why the Government has put in place a range of cross-Government programmes and funding to support children and families, including children of alcoholics. We have invested more than £8 billion to help councils put services in place to protect children at risk of abuse or neglect, including from alcoholic parents. We have encouraged councils to find new ways to tackle problems through our £100m children’s social care Innovation Programme. And we have expanded the Troubled Families programme launched in April 2015, which offers support on health issues to up to 400,000 families, including for alcohol and drug misuse.