Tag: 2016

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek assurances from the government of Iran that Nazanin Ratcliffe will be granted access to a lawyer and due process rights.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly lobby the Iranian government on all of our consular cases; requesting consular access for our officials, and to ensure that they have access to lawyers and are receiving appropriate medical care. Most recently the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the issue with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 May, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the subject with the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in London on 18 May. The Iranian government do not recognise dual nationals of any country, therefore we cannot gain direct access to dual nationals held in custody.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what preparations have been made for the UK having its own representative at the World Trade Organisation.

    Greg Hands

    The UK has been a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in its own right since the establishment of the WTO in 1995. The UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO is currently Julian Braithwaite.

  • 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 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the levels of the use of (a) illegal drugs and (b) legal highs in prisons in the UK in each of the last 5 years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

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

    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.

    Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) figures for prisons in England and Wales are published by financial year on gov.uk. MDT for psychoactive substances began in September 2016 and figures will be published in due course.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20640, how many miles of track will be electrified by the end of Control Period 5 under the timetable for project delivery contained in Sir Peter Hendy’s review of the rail upgrade programme.

    Claire Perry

    Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20640, we remain committed to our modernisation programme of over 850 miles of electrification.

    Sir Peter Hendy’s review of the rail upgrade programme details that the vast majority of programmes and projects will go ahead for delivery by 2019 (the end of Control Period 5).

    However, some schemes are more immature in their development and, whilst schemes in this category will have significant delivery within Control Period 5, these schemes will span more than one control period.

    Electrification provides long-term efficiencies for the railways, but it is just one element of a wider set of railway upgrades to provide better journeys for passengers and freight users.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the UK’s naval obligations are under the Five Powers Agreement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Under the Five Power Defence Arrangements, the five powers (Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK) undertook to consult "immediately" in the event or threat of an armed attack on Malaysia or Singapore for the purpose of deciding what measures should be taken jointly or separately in response. There is no specific commitment to intervene militarily.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training staff in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West who handle NHS 111 calls receive other that the mandatory training covered by the NHS 111 Commissioning Standards.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not held centrally and is a matter for the local providers and commissioners.

    The NHS 111 commissioning standards issued in June 2014 state that all staff involved in handling NHS 111 calls must comply with the Licensing Requirements of the Clinical Decision Support Software used (NHS Pathways). Staff must also undertake training on: how to interact with urgent care services; the use of local Directories of Services; NHS Values; delivering excellent customer services; and safeguarding.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what research his Department is undertaking on the use and effects of psychoactive substances on the prison estate.

    Andrew Selous

    We do not tolerate drugs in prison. There is a wide-ranging programme of work being undertaken by NOMS and its partners to better understand and to tackle the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), which have a particularly destructive effect in prisons.

    In April we will introduce widespread drug testing of prisoners for NPS, we are training sniffer dogs to detect NPS, and we are also working with Health partners and others to provide appropriate information, guidance and support to offenders and those working with them in prison. We have a comprehensive range of security measures in place to detect drugs, and to prevent smuggling into prisons.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the effectiveness of the public service obligation for regional airports.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government plans to update its Aviation Policy Framework this year. As part of this update the Government will consider the role that public service obligations can play in serving regional airports.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the midwifery workforce to train that workforce to counsel and to insert intrauterine contraceptive devices immediately post-partum.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The insertion of contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) during the post-partum period of between ten minutes and 48 hours following childbirth is not supported by the Royal College of Midwives. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines do not recommend the insertion of post-partum IUDs before four weeks following childbirth.

    This Government supports the current practice of providing contraceptive information and advice in the antenatal period to support an informed decision by women. When the chosen contraceptive is an IUD, this is normally offered at the six weeks postnatal check-up by a doctor, if the woman has fully recovered from childbirth. In light of this, the Government has no plans to increase and train the midwifery workforce to undertake the insertion of post-partum IUDs.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-07-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks to individual and public health of significant numbers of individuals accessing generic versions of Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis online from overseas.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It would not be possible or practical to monitor how individuals choose to access medicines or services outside of the National Health Service or to assess the impact on that individual. Registered pharmacies that operate online and that may supply drugs for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are the responsibility of the General Pharmaceutical Council. We are aware that some local authority commissioned sexual health services are offering monitoring of the pharmacological efficacy of generic PrEP however this is a matter for local decision.