Tag: 2016

Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether members of the security forces who served in Northern Ireland are entitled to parity of esteem on the same basis as those from Northern Ireland.

Lord Dunlop

As I have made clear in previous answers on this subject the UK Government is committed to affording due respect and parity of esteem to all the people in Northern Ireland as underpinned by the 1998 Belfast Agreement, and in accordance with the obligations on the Government to promote equality and prevent discrimination across the United Kingdom.

January 1, 2023
Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect on patient care and safety of planned reductions in NHS funding for community pharmacies.

Alistair Burt

Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.

We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, other pharmacy bodies and patient and public representatives on our proposals.

January 1, 2023
Lord Clement-Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Clement-Jones on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, under the new Cancer Drugs Fund, what steps will be taken to secure early patient access to cancer medicines with Promising Innovative Medicines designation that have successfully passed through the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency’s Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has advised that, under the proposals considered and approved by NHS England’s Board on 25 February 2016, the new Cancer Drugs Fund will provide access at drug launch for drug/indications which have a draft National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation for use including those drugs that have successfully been through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

January 1, 2023
William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for the Middle East peace process.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We remain focused on steps which will secure progress towards a two-state solution. We continue to believe that the best way to achieve this is through negotiations. We are in close consultation with international partners about what kind of renewed process might lead to progress.

January 1, 2023

Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2016 to Question 35019, on social fund, for what reasons management information is only held from 2013.

Justin Tomlinson

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2016 the information previously provided was extracted from the current live Operational Activity Based Management Information System.

The information from 2010 until 2013 is not readily available as it is archived. However we have now been able to extract the historical data which is displayed in the table below.

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Bereavement Benefit	145	130	116	106	94	84	78
Maternity Allowance	108	82	77	75	70	66	72
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit	309	243	241	226	192	166	148
Social Fund	4321	2480	1968	1552	798	411	349

Notes: The table above shows average Full Time Equivalent for each financial year from April to March.

Source: Jobcentre Plus Activity Based Management System (L1A) and Operational Activity Based Management Information System (L1A)

January 1, 2023

Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of flights in the UK North Sea oil and gas sector were undertaken by (a) Airbus EC225 and (b) AS332 helicopters airframes in each year since 2007-08.

Mr Robert Goodwill

As the independent aviation safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), only records information on flights above a certain weight threshold.

The CAA data below includes the number of departures and arrivals on both AS332 SUPER PUMA and EUROCOPTER EC225 (H225) aircraft operated between UK airports and Oil Rigs in each year since 2007.

	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
AS332	38200	29855	23360	18269	16614	15867	19960	10551	2866
EC225	7785	10238	12008	14942	18154	14191	1183	12458	15418

January 1, 2023

Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Access to Work scheme and (b) its administration.

Penny Mordaunt

Access to Work continues to support over 36,000 people per year take up or retain employment. Last year the scheme helped people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and young people in larger numbers than ever before.

On 2 September 2016 we launched the Access to Work Digital Service in response to customer feedback requesting a more convenient, accessible and quicker process. This transformation will also enable staff to administer the scheme more efficiently as we look to increase the number of disabled people who could be helped into or remain in work as part of the Government’s ambition to halve the disability employment gap.

The Spending Review announcement confirmed we’re increasing the capacity of Access to Work through a real term increase in spending starting in 16/17. Funding will reflect the numbers of applicants and their needs, and recognises expected increases in demand of around 25,000 extra customers by the end of the Parliament.

To support this we have been working with jobcentres, businesses and local organisations to promote the Access to Work Scheme. We have also promoted Access to Work as part of the Disability Confident Campaign and are currently looking at further marketing and promotion of the Access to Work programme.

January 1, 2023
Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-10-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for the funding of agri-environment projects in receipt of EU funding signed after the Autumn Statement.

Mr David Gauke

On October 3, the Chancellor confirmed that funding for agri-environment schemes signed after Autumn Statement will be guaranteed by the Treasury. The guarantee will apply to all new agri-environment schemes signed before the point of exit from the EU as long as they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic priorities.

These conditions will be applied in such a way that the current pipeline of committed projects are not disrupted, including agri-environment schemes due to begin this January.

January 1, 2023
Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to declare ISIS’s actions against Christians and Yazidis a genocide.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government has received a number of recent representations on these issues from Parliament and members of the public and is responding in writing.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians, Mandeans, Yazidis, and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population who continue to bear the brunt of Daesh’s brutality. The UK has led efforts within the UN to tackle and condemn Daesh and on the protection of civilians more widely. For example, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution mandating the UN to investigate and report on Daesh abuses.

It is a long-standing Government policy that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred are a matter for the international judicial system rather than governments or other non-judicial bodies.

Ultimately, the only way to protect Christians, Yazidis and other minorities in the region from Daesh is by defeating this terrible organisation, which in turn requires, amongst other things, ending the conflict in Syria. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), set out the UK’s comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and finding a political settlement to the Syria conflict in his response to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 26 November 2015.

The joint Office of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect (the Office) are engaged with these issues and publish much of their activity online, including statements in relation to the situation of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq. Our officials maintain regular contact with officials from the Office to discuss issues related to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. The Government provides funding for the Office, including for their work with religious leaders and faith based organisations in the Middle East and North Africa region, aimed at the prevention of incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes.

January 1, 2023
Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many weapons of which type have been confiscated from visitors to prisons in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

January 1, 2023