Tag: 2016

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 116, Slavery in Mauritania.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We welcome the release of anti-slavery activists Biram Dah Abeid and Brahim Bilal Ramdhane following the decision of the Mauritanian Supreme Court. We also welcome the decision by the newly formed anti-slavery court to convict two men on charges of slavery.

    We continue to encourage the Mauritanian government to support the anti-slavery courts in prosecuting cases in full under the 2015 anti-slavery law and to take steps to facilitate the collection of data on slavery to support eradication efforts.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to implement provisions in the European Landscape Convention.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The United Kingdom ratified the European Landscape Convention in 2006. Its principles are reflected in Government and local policies, for example, that local communities are engaged in the setting of priorities and objectives for their local landscapes and that opportunities are sought to align conservation and landscape objectives for designated areas.

    National Park and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plans are an example of delivering on the convention’s principle of stronger alignment of conservation and landscape objectives for designated sites.

    The right of communities to shape development in their areas through the production of Neighbourhood Development Plans, introduced through the Localism Act 2011, delivers on the convention’s principle that local communities should be engaged in the setting of priorities and objectives for their local landscapes.

    The National Planning Policy Framework outlines strong protection of designated landscapes and the duty on decision-makers to consider landscape impacts in plan making and planning decisions. We consider it compliant with the convention.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons her Department collects data on pupils’ nationality and country of birth; and how that data is used.

    Nick Gibb

    The new data on nationality, country of birth and English language proficiency will, for the first time, assist the understanding of the impact of migration on schools. For example, what extra support the Government may need to provide to schools with high numbers of children who do not speak English as a first language. It will also help to plan for enough good school places for every child.

    Without the evidence and data, the Department cannot have a clear picture of how the school system is working. It will ensure that funds are allocated where needed and that no groups of children miss out on the education they deserve.

    The new data on nationality and country of birth is solely for DfE analysts to use for research. This data has not been shared outside the Department.

    To address any uncertainties regarding how this information should be collected or used, an information note is placed in the House Libraries.

  • Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many 18 to 21-year olds in England are (1) in full-time education, and (a) employed, (b) unemployed, and (c) economically inactive, and (2) not in full-time education and (a) employed, (b) unemployed, and (c) economically inactive.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the additional capabilities the Joint Force 2025 will provide to the armed forces.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Joint Force 2025 is about rebalancing our Armed Forces to strengthen the front line and maintain our military advantage. It will ensure that the Armed Forces are able to tackle a wider range of more sophisticated potential adversaries.

    Joint Force 2025 will be able to deploy a larger force more quickly or undertake a large number of smaller operations simultaneously and will include enhanced Counter Terrorism capabilities; more fighter jet squadrons; new Protector armed remotely piloted aircraft; Maritime Patrol Aircraft; increased Carrier capability and readily deployable STRIKE brigades. Joint Force 2025 will also benefit from greater investment in new areas of capability such as cyber and space.

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

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many diabetes specialist nurses are currently employed by (1) each Clinical Commissioning Group area, and (2) each hospital trust, in England.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre provides information on the number of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in the National Health Service in England but it does not separately identify diabetes specialist nurses.

    It is for local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish a draft agenda for the Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in May 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information about the London Anti-Corruption Summit can be found on the summit web pages of the GOV.UK website. Further details about the summit will be announced in due course.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what circumstances the Government can take ships up from trade which are registered with flags of British Overseas Territories.

    James Duddridge

    Any vessel registered in the UK, an Overseas Territory or a Crown Dependency, is a ‘British ship’ and is entitled to fly the British Merchant Shipping flag (the ‘Red Ensign’). The UK remains the flag State for all ships flying the Red Ensign and is ultimately responsible under international law for these ships. The UK has general superintendence over the ship registers in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. This general superintendence derives from the UK’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding ships flying its flag; these obligations have been implemented in domestic legislation.

    Under prerogative powers all British flagged vessels (including those on UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependency registers) can be requisitioned where there is deemed to be a threat to the realm. Conscription of all British flagged vessels is done by Government Order. Such Order is enacted only during national crisis, such as war. The decision to use such Order is decided on a case by case basis by the Government of the day. For example, this Order was enacted during the Falklands War.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase cervical screening rates among (a) women with learning disabilities and (b) women in deprived communities.

    Jane Ellison

    There is a range of work going on to understand the reasons for the decline in cervical screening uptake amongst women aged 25 to 29 and to try to address them. They include:

    a) Data and information – access to data, cleansing, benchmarking for providers, timely and useful information for commissioners;

    b) Behavioural insight – communication with commissioners, providers, patients and public;

    c) Commissioning levers – commissioning contracts in public health (S7a) and primary care;

    d) Partnership work – relationships with commissioners and providers; and

    e) Sharing best practice – what works well, evaluation and how to embed quality improvement

    Public Health England (PHE) is working with colleagues in NHS England and Health and Social Care Information Centre to implement the Accessible Information Standard which is intended to improve access to services for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Through the re-development of cervical Information Technology systems opportunities will arise to review how to help improve uptake.

    PHE supports providers to help meet the Accessible Information Standard through the provision of high quality information for people with learning disabilities or sensory loss. A national group of experts and service users has been set up to oversee this work and will be updating the existing easy read leaflets and developing new materials over the next 18 months.

    PHE is aware that there are a range of factors which may act as barriers in hindering women from attending cervical screening. It is hoped that through the STRATEGIC (Strategies to Increase Cervical screening uptake at first invitation) interventions will be identified to help minimise barriers and assist women to attend screening whilst increasing uptake across all quintiles. The STRATEGIC trial was completed in 2015 and researchers are expected to publish findings later this year.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the relative viability of securing an investigation into alleged acts of genocide by Daesh by means of establishing an independent panel through the UN rather than the International Criminal Court.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We continue to look at every available option to bring Daesh to justice, and to work closely with our international partners and the UN on what can be done to assist the victims and to bring those responsible to justice.