Tag: 2016

Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to assist vulnerable Syrian minorities register with the UNHCR who have not done so due to fear of persecution.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict. This is the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees. Any person claiming refugee status is able to avail themselves of UNHCR’s global protection mandate where UNHCR has a presence. They can directly approach UNHCR and register with them, or be referred to UNHCR by a third organisation, or UNHCR can ask them to register. The UK has allocated £115 million to UNHCR’s operations in Syria and the surrounding region, of which a proportion is used for registration.

Over time, many previously unregistered refugees have sought UNHCR’s assistance and protection services as their resources have dwindled and coping mechanisms become stretched. Some minority groups may not see a need to register either due to their own resources or due to reliance on community/social networks.

DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need.

January 1, 2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Le Bureau d’Enguetes et d’Analyses report into Andreas Lubitz, published on 13 March 2016, if his Department will bring forward proposals to enable airlines to access mental health records of pilots within their employment.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The UK has a long held, well-established and robust process for certifying the ‘fitness to fly’ of pilots.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has guidelines for doctors which give UK doctors an ethical duty to report concerns about a patient to the relevant authority if that condition presents a risk to public safety and the patient hasn’t reported it.

Medical requirements for commercial pilots are determined by European Legislation. In response to the Germanwings crash in March 2015, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing a European aeromedical data repository system which will be deployed by December 2016. This repository system will contain the current fitness to fly status of all European pilots. It is important that this repository is implemented on a European-wide basis, as many pilots who work in the UK or work for UK airlines are not resident in the UK, are not British nationals and have medical certificates that are overseen by other European States.

It is in the UK’s interests for all pilots flying in Europe to be subject to a high standard of medical fitness and common legislation, in the interests of aviation safety.

January 1, 2023
Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the contribution by the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 23 February 2016, Official Report, when the fully accessible public register of beneficial ownership in UK Crown dependencies will be complete.

Matthew Hancock

I refer the hon. Member to the Oral Statement given by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) on 11 April 2016, Official Report, column 23.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-11/debates/1604111000001/PanamaPapers#contribution-1604116000104

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January 1, 2023
Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has her Department undertaken on the effect of the use of increasing levels of yeast and yeast extracts in food.

George Eustice

Historically Defra has funded research on yeast under the Food LINK Programmes in relation to its use in brewing, in food and drink spoilage and to develop predictive food microbiological modelling tools. Since 2010 we have engaged with Innovate UK on collaborative R&D with industry supporting a range of issues on food quality.

January 1, 2023

David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications have been issued in England and Wales for financial provision for the children of unmarried parents under schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 in each year since 2000.

Dr Phillip Lee

A parent is entitled to apply for an order under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 regardless of marital status. Information on marital status is not collected in relation to Schedule 1 applications. Applications can also be made by a person who is a special guardian for the child or by a person with whom the child is living under a child arrangements order. The number of all applications issued under Schedule 1 over the period is set out in the table below.

YEAR	No. of Applications
2000	556
2001	604
2002	585
2003	599
2004	675
2005	677
2006	637
2007	702
2008	615
2009	507
2010	529
2011	472
2012	504
2013	467
2014	588
2015	650

January 1, 2023

Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-09-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was to complete an investigation into the alleged presence of an unreported adult in the household of a tax credit claimant in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

Between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, the average time taken to complete a tax credit undeclared partner investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from the point at which they first write to the customer to closure, was 51.27 days. During the same period, Concentrix acting on behalf of HMRC took an average of 65.34 days.

Where an alleged presence of an unreported adult occurs, claimants are given 30 days to contact HMRC or provide the relevant information. If after 30 days HMRC has had no contact, tax credit payments are either suspended or reduced. HMRC then gives the claimant a further 30 days to contact HMRC before making a decision on the household composition and tax credits award using all the available information.

January 1, 2023
Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable people are prioritised in the provision of settled accommodation.

Mr Marcus Jones

Under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996, households that include someone who is vulnerable, for example because of old age, physical or mental disability or any other special reason, have a priority need for accommodation. Housing authorities must ensure that suitable accommodation is available for anyone if they are in priority need, are eligible for assistance and unintentionally homeless.

January 1, 2023
Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of prison governors have received (i) diversity training since 1 January 2012 and (ii) no such training; and what proportion of such training included transgender issues.

Andrew Selous

This information is not collected centrally. Equality and diversity training has been available to all NOMS staff via Civil Service Learning since its launch in 2011.

January 1, 2023
Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what savings they estimate will derive from their courts closure programme; and how much, and over what period, they plan to invest in technology to reduce the demand for court facilities in the justice system.

Lord Faulks

The Impact Assessment published alongside the consultation document outlines estimated savings of £170m over a 10-year period.

The Government is committed to modernising the way in which justice is accessed and delivered. We are investing over £700m over the next 4 years to update the court and tribunal estate, installing modern IT systems and making the justice system more efficient and effective for modern users.

January 1, 2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Local Transformation Plans in improving the scale, quality and effectiveness of therapeutic support available to children who have experienced abuse.

Alistair Burt

Support for vulnerable groups, which includes children who have experienced abuse, is key to the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services as set out in Future in mind. To assess the effectiveness of Local Transformation Plans (LTPs), NHS England’s Local Transformation Plan Guidance included a tracking template that all clinical commissioning groups had to complete. It set out local progress milestones and financial spend.

This tracker will be used as the basis for assurance assessment in 2015/16, and from 2016/17 onwards progress on local transformation will become part of the mainstream planning assurance process to ensure the successful delivery of the transformation of children and young people’s mental health.

NHS England has also commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the LTPs, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. LTPs will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas, that align with Future in mind principles. This includes vulnerable groups.

January 1, 2023