Tag: 2016

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the number of people joining terrorist groups from the Palestinian camps in Lebanon in the last five years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of extremist elements within the camps, and that there have been reported links between some individuals within the camps and terrorist groups. As with many aspects of Lebanese stability, we monitor this issue closely through project work and our engagement with the Lebanese Government seeks to ensure that security is maintained and the influence of extremist and terrorist groups is diminished.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31489, what the date was of the most recent meeting at which the use of cluster munitions was raised with the Saudi Arabian government since the Convention on Cluster Munitions came into force on 30 May 2008.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The issue of Cluster Munitions was raised with the Saudis by Sir Alan Duncan, the Government’s Envoy on Yemen during his visit to Riyadh on 6 April 2016. In line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, we continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS is excluded from the current Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership draft documents, and whether they will publish the legal advice they previously commissioned, in full or in summary, regarding the risk to the NHS of litigation by US private health companies.

    Lord Price

    It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the temporary removal of the Saudi-led coalition from the UN’s list of states and armed groups that violate children’s rights during conflict on the integrity and effectiveness of UN Security Council measures on children and armed conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    [This question was tabled before the sad death of the Honourable Lady but the subject remains important and the Government’s response ought to be placed on the public record.]

    The UN Secretary General’s annual report on Children in Armed Conflict was published on 2 June. The report includes a section outlining the impact of the conflict in Yemen on children.

    The conflict in Yemen has had a significant impact on children, in terms of the numbers of child casualties, the recruitment of children as soldiers, and attacks on hospitals and schools.

    We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and Saudi Arabia on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter. A political solution remains the best way to bring this conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people to an end. The UK Government continues to support the work of the United Nations on Children and Armed Conflict.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on hire cars by each constabulary in the North West in 2015; and what steps are being taken to reduce expenditure on such cars.

    Brandon Lewis

    Based upon the third party Spend data provided by North West Forces for April 2015 to March 2016; the following was detailed as being spent on Hire Cars (all costs are ex VAT);

    Cumbria Constabulary – £164,302

    Cheshire Constabulary – £209,474

    Greater Manchester Police – £87,411

    Lancashire Constabulary – £529,285

    Merseyside Police – £206,084

    The Government continues to support forces to drive down procurement expenditure and to encourage greater collaboration between police forces and with other public sector bodies and emergency services. We believe that significant savings can be achieved through shared or collaborative procurement.

    The police-led Collaborative Law Enforcement Procurement (CLEP) programme is supported by the Home Office and focused on improving procurement in the categories of goods and services on which the police spend most money to help save up to £350 million in real terms by the end of this Parliament.

    As part of the recent price comparison exercise published on police.uk on 24th August, the Home Office published the prices paid by all Forces for 1 day and 30 day hire cars.It showed a wide variation of pricing which we are working with Forces to address as part of CLEP via the Strategic Police Procurement Board and the National Police Procurement Executive (NPPE). The NPPE is developing a strategy over the autumn which will look to aggregate their requirements nationally and regionally utilising crown Commercial Frameworks.

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the biometric passport chip reading facilities have been deactivated (a) in the UK, (b) at each port and (c) at each airport in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    For the period for which figures are available, biometric chip reading facilities were deactivated 7 times in 2013, 3 times in 2014 and 3 times in 2015.

    These figures should be considered against the background of the overall volume of transactions which are currently running at over 100 million per year.

    Deactivation of the chip reading function by Border Force staff is routinely monitored. The occasions reported above have been thoroughly investigated and none has given rise to concerns about officer integrity. We are also satisfied that there has been no risk to the border as a result. An investigation is ongoing with the system supplier to ascertain whether a technical issue may have caused these incidents.

    A further breakdown of locations cannot be given for border and national security reasons.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make the new natural form of IVF treatment available on the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    It is for clinical commissioning groups to determine the provision of local fertility services based on local need and the best evidence of clinical effectiveness, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. ‘Natural in vitro fertilisation (IVF)’ would be subject to individual clinical decision-making if the patient’s circumstances indicated such an approach was appropriate.

    Women considering ‘natural IVF’ should discuss treatment options with their clinician and have regard to the relevant pages of the website of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority:

    http://www.hfea.gov.uk/natural-cycle-ivf.html

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the lung cancer drug Zykadia to be available on the NHS.

    George Freeman

    Zykadia (ceritinib) is licensed for use in the treatment of Zykadia (ceritinib) in the United Kingdom.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising Zykadia for previously treated anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

    In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 28 January 2016, Official Report, column 426, on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, how many (a) arms export licences have been awarded to Saudi Arabia and (b) reviews of arms sales to Saudi Arabia have been conducted in 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government is satisfied that extant licenses for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria. The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms exports control regimes in the world.

    Information on military and dual use export licences is published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls which are all available to view on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination (including Saudi Arabia). The statistics include the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. Information covering the period 1 October to 31 December 2015 will be published on 19 April 2016. The 1st quarter results for 2016 covering the period 1 January to 31 March 2016 will be published on 19 July 2016.

    Since the outset of the conflict in Yemen, the Government has kept all extant licenses and new licensing to Saudi Arabia under continuous review, and has exercised special caution and vigilance in granting new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia, handling each on a case-by-case basis.

  • Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Willoughby de Broke – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Payments Agency will receive a bonus payment this year before payments to eligible farmers have been completed.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Senior Civil Servants (SCS) who are moderated as top performers at the end of the performance management year are eligible to receive a bonus payment.

    The performance management year for the SCS runs from 1 April to 31 March. Performance markings for 2015/16 will be determined by the end of May 2016. Only then will the eligibility of SCS for bonus payments be known.