Tag: 2016

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) female HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff that work part-time and (b) other HCMTS staff with caring responsibilities will not be negatively affected by planned court and tribunal closures.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Following the closure announcement HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) began a period of staff consultation which includes discussions between all those affected and their management teams. Management teams will support staff in identifying suitable redeployment options taking into account their individual needs.

  • Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will raise with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK the death of Brahim Saika in Gulemin police station on 15 April 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Embassy in Rabat raised the case of Mr Brahim Saika with Morocco’s National Human Rights Commission, CNDH, on 18 April 2016. The Commission had been following the case closely and is preparing its report on his detention and death. We will consider any further action in the light of the Commission’s report.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, whether any of the correspondence cited in the oral contribution of the Lord Patel on 24 February 2015 had been given unredacted to concurrently serving members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority executive.

    Jane Ellison

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Authority would not breach patient confidentiality. The HFEA has previously advised that the relevant expert panel member contacted Professor Grifo in a personal capacity following the third Scientific Review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014.

    The HFEA has also advised that the information in question was provided in confidence to the expert panel convened by the Authority. Members of the HFEA Executive who provided administrative support to the work of the panel have seen this information.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    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 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to participate in the conference about the attacks on Yazidis, Christians and others by ISIS organised by the US State Department in Washington DC on 29 July; if so, who will represent them and whether whilst attending that conference they will explain why they have not supported the genocide declarations passed by the House of Commons and the US Congress.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK will attend the State Department Consultation on Threats to Religious and Ethnic Minorities under Daesh on 28 and 29 July. It will be represented by a senior official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The consultation will be used to discuss what countries are doing to protect minorities under Daesh and what more can be done. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) made clear during his visit to Washington on 21 July, the Government is fully committed to working with international partners to ensure Daesh is held to account for its crimes.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the relationship between the use of (a) illegal drugs and (b) legal high in prisons and incidents of violence against prison staff.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Prisons should be places of safety and reform. Improving safety and decreasing violence is an urgent priority for the Government.

    The increase in psychoactive substances in prisons has contributed to a rise in prison violence, making offenders more volatile and their reactions more difficult to judge and manage.

    We have introduced legislation to restrict the supply and possession of psychoactive substances in prisons, and put in place new penalties for possession of a psychoactive substance in custody. Following a successful trial in 34 prisons over the summer, we have introduced an innovative new programme of mandatory drug testing for psychoactive substances in all prisons.

    We will be setting out our plans for prison safety and reform in more detail, including our plans to reduce prison violence, in a White Paper in the coming weeks.

  • Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Morris of Aberavon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to recent research by Professor Jeffrey Bluestone and others at the University of California on the immune system of those with type 1 diabetes; and whether funding will be made available to diabetes researchers in the UK to keep pace with such developments.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Research relating to immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes is being carried out by researchers at the University of California and at other institutions internationally. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funding research relating to immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes at the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. In addition, the NIHR funds a wide range of other research relating to diabetes.

    The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many academy sponsors are waiting for approval.

    Lord Nash

    As of 29 January 2016, there are currently 66 sponsor applications being assessed by the Department.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to prevent family and legal visits being cancelled in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Selous

    Maintaining family ties, including through visits, plays a vital role in helping prisoners turn away from crime.

    All convicted prisoners are entitled to a minimum of two visits every 28 days and this has not changed since 1992. Extra visits can also be granted.

    The Public Sector Prisons benchmark provides prisons with a core day and staffing resource to deliver all required activities and services. Part of the benchmark provision is the delivery of social and legal visits and there is an expectation that these are critical activities which will not be cancelled.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment on projects which have received funding under the Connecting Europe Facility initiative.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Projects seeking funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) should show that they comply with EU Environmental Policy. The Department will undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment, where it is required to do so, in line with its legal obligations.

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the time taken for patients outside London to receive stroke rehabilitation treatment.

    Jane Ellison

    Although the Government has made no assessment of the time taken for patients outside London to receive stroke rehabilitation treatment, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) has collected data over the last three years on the rehabilitation that stroke patients get in hospital and in the community in England. This data includes information on time to first assessment for rehabilitation and treatment. The SSNAP reports are available at:

    https://www.strokeaudit.org/results/PostAcute.aspx

    “