Tag: 2016

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that equipment is properly tested before purchase or procurement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department uses Test and Evaluation to support decision making throughout the acquisition cycle to understand the performance of the equipment that we procure.

    Test and Evaluation activities are used to demonstrate that equipment is fit for purpose, safe and compliant with contract requirements. The suitability of these activities is an integral part of our normal acquisition management processes and decision points.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking through its membership of the UN Security Council to achieve (a) democratic sustainability, (b) economic viability and (c) physical security in Libya.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK continues to play an active role in the UN Security Council in supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) as the only legitimate government in Libya, endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council Resolution 2259 (2015). That resolution, drafted by the UK, highlighted the importance of the Libyan State financial institutions, including the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank of Libya, and the Libyan Investment Authority, continuing to function for the benefit of all Libyans, and stressed the need for the GNA to exercise sole and effective oversight over them as a matter of urgency.

    The UK also worked in the UN Security Council for the adoption of Resolution 2278 (2016) on 31 March, which renewed measures against illicit oil exports from Libya, extended the mandate of the Expert Panel assisting the UN Libya Sanctions Committee, and affirmed the Security Council’s readiness to consider changes, when appropriate, to the UN asset freeze at the request of the GNA.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the NHS of the predicted loss of 35 per cent of current clinical pharmacologist consultant posts through retirements in the next decade and the reduction in the number of training grade clinical pharmacologist posts, as set out in the report by the British Pharmacological Society, A Prescription for the NHS: Recognising the value of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that there has not been a reduction in the number of consultant clinical pharmacologists employed in the National Health Service in England.

    As part of its workforce planning, Health Education England (HEE) take account of a range of factors including forecast rates of retirement. HEE has recently undertaken a review of the clinical pharmacology and therapeutics workforce, the findings of which will contribute to future workforce planning for this specialty in England.

    It is for the respective Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to consider workforce planning for their health system.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39933, how much funding has been allocated to anti-beaching initiatives; and which countries have been identified as containing beaching hotspots.

    George Eustice

    The UK Government does not fund ‘anti-beaching’ initiatives. However, it does fund the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, the work of which is crucial in providing us with a better understanding of the general health of cetaceans in UK waters and the issues that affect them.

    We are not aware of any countries identified as having ‘beaching hotspots’.

  • Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much basic pay will increase for each grade under the proposed new junior doctors’ contract.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Pay for Foundation 1 doctors will be 15% higher than the current basic starting salary.

    Pay for Foundation 2 doctors will be 8% higher than the current basic starting salary.

    The new basic starting salary for Specialty Registrars at ST1 will be 19% higher than the current basic starting salary.

    The salary for those at ST3 will be 32% higher than the current pay point for those progressing through training without delay.

    The overall increase for all juniors is over 10%.

  • Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Madeleine Moon on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to respond to the letter sent to him dated 23 February 2015 on prescription charges for people with long-term conditions by the Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Respiratory Health, Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone Disease, HIV and AIDS, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia and Heart Disease.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department responded to the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health’s letter of 23 February 2015 on 2 April 2015.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will discuss with the BBC Parliament channel improving the provision of (a) subtitles and (b) an in-vision interpreter for hearing impaired people.

    Tom Brake

    The audience share for BBC Parliament is below the Ofcom threshold for Access Service provision. However, we have committed to subtitling 100% of live Commons on the channel by 2019. We will reach this figure by increasing the amount of subtitling by 5% each year and this year will subtitle 85% of live Commons sittings.

    The year to date figure for the total provision of subtitling on BBC Parliament against the total broadcast hours of the channel is 12.05%.

  • 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, if he will ensure that any assistance provided to Palestinians in camps in Lebanon is used to encourage reconciliation between Palestine and Israel to take steps towards peace.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The main objective of our support to Palestinians living in camps in Lebanon is to meet their basic human needs, especially food needs. We also support projects aimed at improving governance and life chances for youth and communities.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Brazilian government on illegal gold-mining and its effects on indigenous communities in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We follow closely the issue of indigenous people affected by the extractive industries, including illegal gold mining, through continuous dialogue with human rights defenders in affected areas. Through our Prosperity and Bilateral Fund project work, our Embassy works closely with the Brazilian Government, business and NGOs to improve transparency and governance in the mining sector, this includes assessing the impact on human rights.

    We also work closely with our EU partners in Brazil on human rights issues. The UK acts as focal point for the EU regarding human rights defenders in Brazil. Twice a year the local EU Delegation organises a mission to cities where there are concerns regarding human rights defenders. Later this month representatives from member states will accompany a small EU mission to the northern part of Brazil to show support to civil society involved with indigenous rights concerns. This includes assessing the impact on human rights and indigenous communities.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that businesses and individuals are being adequately protected from the financial impact of cybercrime.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    Through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), we invested over £90 million during the last Parliament to bolster the law enforcement response. As the Chancellor announced in November, this Government has committed to spending £1.9 billion on cyber security over the next five years, including activity to help businesses and individuals protect themselves from cyber crime. The Government is also creating the National Cyber Security Centre, which will open in October 2016, to simplify the current cyber security landscape. This year, we will also publish a second five-year National Cyber Security Strategy which will set out our approach to how we will continue to defend the UK from cyber crime.

    Through the NCSP we are funding the Cyber Streetwise campaign (www.cyberstreetwise.com), which encourages the public and Small and Medium Enterprises to adopt more secure online behaviour. The latest phase of the campaign, launched in September 2015, is focussed on addressing the estimated 80% of cyber crime that could be prevented through the adoption of three simple online behaviours: use three random words to create a strong password; install security software on all devices; and always download the latest software and app updates as soon as they appear.

    We are also clear that banks have a central role in the prevention of fraud and cyber crime. The Home Secretary announced our new Joint Fraud Taskforce on 10 February. The Taskforce is a collaboration of the banks, law enforcement and government, at the most senior levels. Its aim is to protect the public from financial fraud, including cyber-enabled fraud, to reduce the impact of fraud on victims and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters.