Tag: 2016

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the Sellafield workforce reform initiative.

    Andrea Leadsom

    A new model, part of a suite of changes designed to increase efficiency in the business, is being put in place at Sellafield to deliver savings. There is no additional cost to the public purse from implementing this model change.

    Details of the change programme are available at http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts-and-competition/sellafield-model-change-programme/.

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  • Jonathan Djanogly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jonathan Djanogly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Djanogly on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to undertake consumer information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has no plans to undertake consumer facing information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the revised Tobacco Products Directive’s (TPD) requirements.

    The TPD introduces a number of new product, labelling and reporting requirements for businesses supplying tobacco products, herbal products and e-cigarettes. The Department has and will continue to engage with businesses to make them aware of the new requirement and has recently held training sessions on the new legislation for enforcement officers. The Department will work alongside enforcement officers to build compliance over the transition period set out in the Regulations.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the employment rate is for (a) the general population and (b) people experiencing enduring and severe mental health issues who are being supported by specialist mental health services.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds within the UK is 74.1 per cent; this is based on the latest available figures from the Labour Force Survey covering the period of November 2015 to January 2016.

    A measure of those people in contact with mental health services who are ‘experiencing enduring and severe mental health issues’ is not available as a description to identify this group is not currently defined.

    On 15 February, the Prime Minister announced that tens of thousands of people with mental health conditions will be supported to find or return to work. Action will be taken across government, the NHS and private companies to treat potentially debilitating mental health conditions early on through improved access to care and to help those already struggling with mental health issues to find or return to work.

    The new approach is based on recommendations from the Mental Health Taskforce which set out a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem and which recognised clear links between work and good mental health and the need for more people to be able to access treatment early on so they can avoid long-term unemployment.

    DWP secured over £115m, including at least £40 million for a health and work innovation fund to pilot new ways to join up across the health and employment systems, in addition to existing £43m for a range of mental health trials.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and others who live for part of the week in Northern Ireland can avail themselves fully of parity of esteem, and if not, what parts of the concept of parity of esteem they are unable to avail themselves of.

    Lord Dunlop

    This Government understands the concept of parity of esteem, as set out in the 1998 Belfast Agreement, as placing a general obligation on the UK Government to treat people of different traditions in Northern Ireland fairly and with equal respect. In the Agreement it is clearly expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland.

    As a general obligation there is no definition of particular circumstances in which it does or does not apply.

    As I have set out in previous replies to the Noble Lord, this Government is firm in its commitment to the protection of people against any form of discrimination, and the promotion of opportunity for all, across the whole of our United Kingdom.

    In respect of the Noble Lord’s question about those who might march wearing army uniforms but who are not members of an army, the concept of parity of esteem clearly does not absolve people from upholding the law. This Government has made clear many times that we will never accept any form of equivalence between members of the security forces and those who engage in terrorism or other forms of paramilitary activity.

  • Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sheikh on 2016-07-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the positive contributions made by Sudan, particularly in regard to combatting terrorism and radicalisation.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As part of the strategic dialogue with Sudan, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Africa Director Neil Wigan visited Khartoum in March to discuss a range of issues, including tackling extremism. We welcome the Sudanese Government’s interest in cooperating on such issues of mutual concern.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the mandate to Health Education England for 2016-17; and whether he plans that that mandate will reference the strategic review of the cancer workforce recommended in the England Cancer Strategy.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Health Education England mandate 2016-17 was published on 13 October 2016. A copy of ‘Delivering high quality, effective, compassionate care: Developing the right people with the right skills and the right values’ is attached.

    The mandate sets Health Education England an objective to continue to take forward the relevant recommendations set out in the Independent Cancer Task Force report, ‘Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: a strategy for England 2015 – 2020’, including working with partners to develop a vision for the future shape and skills mix of the workforce required to deliver a modern, holistic patient-centred cancer service.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will hold a formal public consultation on proposed extremism disruption orders which makes reference to issues of free speech before bringing such proposals to the House.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government has engaged widely on the Counter-Extremism Strategy and will continue to do so. This includes on any proposals to prevent and disrupt extremist activity.

    The Government will continue to protect freedom of speech and the right to practice any faith or none. These are two of the values that the Counter-Extremism Strategy is designed to uphold.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, further to her Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015, HCWS 409, to which areas her Department plans to extend the badger cull in 2016; and what the evidential basis is for selecting those areas.

    George Eustice

    Farmers in a number of areas have signalled their intention to submit applications to Natural England for licences to conduct badger culls this year. Licence applications will need to meet Natural England’s licensing criteria, and applicants will have to demonstrate that they will be able to deliver safe and effective culls in order to be authorised to proceed.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27391, on asylum: deportation, whether her Department plans to collect data on the number of failed asylum seekers who are admitted to prison.

    James Brokenshire

    Following referral by the National Offender Management Service, the Home Office conducts immigration status checks on all Foreign National Offenders serving a custodial sentence. This involves checks of electronic and paper files. Therefore the specific data requested, which would include foreign nationals on remand who are not routinely referred to the Home Office, is not aggregated in national reporting systems. To provide the information would require a disproportionately expensive manual case search.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of users of e-cigarettes who will return to smoking tobacco (a) in the year ending May 2017 and (b) in each year between May 2017 and the end of this Parliament as a result of the introduction of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    No such assessment has been made; the Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before making legislation using standard government methodology. These Impact Assessments are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument.

    An assessment of the impact of the provisions introduced by the EU Tobacco Products Directive will be published alongside the implementing Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 in spring this year. The expected health benefits from improved smoking quit rates have been estimated at around £13 billion.