Tag: 2016

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s business case for its Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s business case will be published following conclusion of all the pre-implementation activities, including, but not limited to, the consultation process, negotiations with relevant Trade Unions and communications with staff, customers and stakeholders.

  • 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 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to increase the number of healthcare professionals in (a) primary and (b) community care trained to fit intra-uterine methods of contraception.

    Jane Ellison

    No specific discussions have been held about the training of healthcare professionals to fit intra-uterine methods of contraception. 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.

    Funding and commissioning of contraceptive services outside of the GP Contract is the responsibility of local authorities though the ring-fenced public health grant. Local authorities are mandated to ensure the provision of open access contraception services that enable reasonable access to a broad range of contraceptive substances and appliances (including intra-uterine methods) and advice on preventing unintended pregnancy. While not directly comparable because of changes in data collection, intra-uterine contraception fitted in sexual and reproductive health services increased from 65,300 in 2004/05 to 121,900 in 2014/15.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect that the Government’s Troubled Families programme has had on meeting its objectives related to underprivileged communities.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Troubled Families Programme has an important role to play in tackling disadvantage and poverty through its focus on families affected by complex, multiple problems in England. The programme encourages services to consider the overlapping nature of problems which families face – tackling the root causes rather than responding to each problem in isolation. It promotes a new way of working, with services coming together – typically through one dedicated worker – working with and understanding the needs of the whole family instead of constantly reacting to their individual problems.

    Through the original programme, launched in 2012, over 116,000 families had their lives ‘turned around’ using the criteria of the first programme, with children back in school; youth crime and anti-social behaviour significantly reduced; and over 18,000 adults from troubled families into work. The new expanded programme now aims to support 400,000 families with multiple, complex problems by 2020, and transform for the long term the way that public services work with families facing multiple disadvantages.

  • David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time for a final decision on a spouse visa application was in each of the last five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The average processing time for resolving spouse visa applications in each of the last five years is contained in the attached table:

    Year Resolved

    Average Days to Resolved

    2011

    40.97

    2012

    41.47

    2013

    45.59

    2014

    60.41

    2015

    34.91

    Visit visas defined as those endorsements in the endorsement categories Family Partner and Family Partner Immediate Settlement.

    Data only includes applications with a destination of UK or UK(BIVS).

    Data extracted on 19 October 2016.

    These statistics have been taken from a live operational database. As such, numbers may change as information on that system is updated. The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 53 of the Statement of Funding Policy 2015, who the recipients of expenditure on broadcasting and media bodies were in 2015.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The recipients of expenditure on broadcasting and media bodies in 2015 were: Ofcom; BFI; S4C; and the National Film and Television School.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in personal independence payment award rates between October 2014 and October 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is continuing to roll out in a safe and steady manner and as such there will be a variety of cases, and case volumes, within the system at any one time. Correspondingly, variation in PIP award rates and amounts is to be expected in a live system of this scale as cases are assessed on an individual basis.

    There are no targets for the numbers who are in receipt of PIP.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5646), when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority changed its practice; what the reasons were for doing so; and how that change in practice had previously been communicated publicly.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) cannot confirm when this practice changed. Making provision for interested members of the public to make their views known, whilst not a legal requirement under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, was part of the HFEA’s past practice although very few applications attracted a response. This change was not communicated publicly.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken in response to the Resolution of the House of 11 February on conservation of sea bass and the effect of related EU measures on the UK recreational fishing industry.

    George Eustice

    The Government has noted carefully the points of the Resolution of the House, which have informed the ongoing development of UK policy on bass as we continue to work to improve the sustainability of the stock at both national and EU level.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has commissioned or is funding into wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    A number of private UK interests are actively undertaking research, including TRL who are a partner in the EU’s 7th Framework Programme £7m ‘FABRIC’ project (Feasibility analysis and development of on-road charging solutions for future electric vehicles). This follows their successful completion of a Highways England commissioned study into the feasibility of implementing dynamic wireless power transfer systems on the UK’s strategic road network (http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/publications/1902/).

    “

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications to her policies of the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief’s report entitled, Fleeing Persecution: Asylum Claims in the UK on Religious Freedom Grounds, published in June 2016; and what plans she has to implement the recommendations of that report.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

    Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a UNHCR endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.

    We are currently carefully considering the APPG report and it’s recommendations and will provide a response in due course.