Tag: 2016

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether China has met all of the technical Market Economy Status criteria as set by the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    According to the latest assessment by the European Commission China has not met all of the technical criteria for awarding Market Economy Status. However, these criteria were designed to inform decisions in the event that the EU decided to seek to award China MES before the end of the 15 year transition period specified by China’s protocol of accession to the WTO. As the transition period ends in December, the question facing the European Commission now is a legal one about the interpretation of article 15 of China’s protocol of accession to the WTO and whether it requires that China must now be granted MES.

  • 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 training his Department has given to the Cyprus National Guard in each of the last five years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Details of training provided to the Cyprus National Guard personnel by British Forces Cyprus or wider UK Defence capabilities, incorporating joint training activities, are as follows:

    May 2012 – Crisis response and joint Search and Rescue (SAR) training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    May 2013 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    October 2013 – Public Order training with Sovereign Base Areas Police

    May 2014 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    June 2014 – Joint SAR training with 84 Squadron RAF and the Republic of Cyprus SAR Squadron

    October 2014 – Range administrative training

    February 2015 – Small arms firing and range administrative training

    May 2015 – Crisis response training and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT

    July 2015 – Joint SAR training with 84 Sqn RAF and the Republic of Cyprus

    November 2015 – Joint medical (clinical study) training

    February 2016 – Joint Counter-Terrorism (CT) training on Exercise CHAMELEON

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent report by the Sri Lankan Centre for Policy Alternatives that more than 12,500 acres of land in the Northern Province remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military; what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on the restitution of land and reparations; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Since President Sirisena came to power in January 2015, the Sri Lankan Government has made efforts to return some military occupied private land to civilians. The UK has welcomed this. However, as the CPA report sets out, much more remains to be done. In January 2016, during my second visit in a year to Sri Lanka, I raised land returns in my meetings with the Government and reaffirmed our readiness to help it implement its commitments on reconciliation. I also met resettled families in the north, seeing for myself the progress that has been made as well as the challenges that remain. We will continue to encourage further land returns, a process the UK is contributing to through our support for demining in the north of the country.

  • Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times in the three years since 1 May 2013 the maternity unit at Peterborough City Hospital has closed its doors to women about to give birth.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This information is not available centrally. This information may be obtained from Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Robert Hughes, Chair of the Trust, informing him of the noble Lord’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for its Triennial Review of the Coal Authority; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The next review of the Coal Authority will take place towards the end of the current Parliament at a time to be confirmed. It will be based on guidance for tailored reviews of public bodies published in March 2016 that contains the terms of reference and supersedes the Triennial Review guidance. A copy of the guidance can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tailored-reviews-of-public-bodies-guidance

    “

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that regular health monitoring is in place to address the health care needs of people diagnosed with autism.

    David Mowat

    NHS England has been working with NHS Digital to develop reporting from the new Mental Health Services Data Set. This mandatory data set includes provision for the diagnosis of autism to be recorded, and reporting on these data has been prioritised. Experimental data reports on the number of people diagnosed with autism are expected to be published by the end of 2016.

    The National Health Service is taking action to increase the health checks and cancer screening programmes for people with learning disabilities, including those who also have autism. In 2015, NHS England commissioned the world’s first Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme to support local areas to review deaths of people with learning disabilities and to use the information to improve service provision so that physical and mental health problems can be identified and addressed. Information from the programme will help with what more can be done to support regular health monitoring to address the health care needs of people diagnosed with autism.

    In 2015, the Department reviewed and updated the autism statutory guidance for the NHS and local authorities in England. In line with this statutory guidance, local authorities and the NHS should be providing autism awareness training to all frontline staff in contact with adults with autism.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 11 January 2016, Official Report, column 238WH, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of unsuccessful applicants for nursing training courses who met the entry criteria.

    Ben Gummer

    Information relating to the number and proportion of unsuccessful applicants is not collected by the Department.

    The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service collect and publish figures on the number of applications and the number of applicants accepted by subject for full-time undergraduate courses. However this data does not provide information on how many of the unsuccessful applicants to nursing would meet the entry criteria.

    The existing cap on the number of student places imposed by Health Education England means universities are limited to only offering places made available within the cap, plus a percentage above this to account for applicants offered places choosing other universities. Universities cannot accept more candidates who may meet entry criteria places as the number of places is capped.

    As part of the reforms to health higher education we are abolishing this cap, enabling universities to recruit as many eligible applicants as they choose.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on proposed changes to the contracts of Experts by Experience.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and adult social care. The CQC is responsible for its own staffing requirements, including any decisions on contracts around the supplying of experts by experience for its inspections of providers.

    In line with Cabinet Office approvals processes, the Department:

    • gave approval for the CQC to invite tenders for the Experts by Experience programme; and
    • having sought and received clarification of the business case from CQC, approved the business case, to enable the CQC to proceed with finalising new contracts for Experts by Experience.
  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to reduce carbon emissions from wood stoves.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Directive 2009/125/EC established a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. In April 2015 Commission Regulation 2015/1185 was published, which provides minimum standards for efficiencies of wood burning stoves placed on the European market from 2022 that will reduce their carbon emissions.

    Wood burning stoves that have a back boiler attached are supported through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The scheme applies only to Great Britain.

    Wood burning stoves are treated as having zero emissions for most inventory purposes, given that the biomass combustion releases the carbon captured during the trees’ lifetime; and that this loss of carbon from the forest is already recorded in the forestry section of the emissions inventory.

    Different carbon emissions figures are used for lifecycle analysis of biomass – but these often relate to the transportation of the fuel and fuel preparation. Evidence to date suggests the fuel used in wood burning stoves, such as logs, is frequently sourced very locally with minimal preparation, and therefore has a relatively small footprint.

    A tool is also available from Ofgem for calculating carbon emissions from biomass. It can be found on the Ofgem website at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/uk-solid-and-gaseous-biomass-carbon-calculator .

    “

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic has sufficient resources to protect civilians and fulfil its mandate.

    James Duddridge

    The UK contributed £31.8 million to the UN Peacekeeping Budget for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in 2015/16.

    The operation is focussing on restoring stability, preventing human rights abuses, and promoting reconciliation. The UK will work closely with UN Security Council partners to ensure that the protection of civilians remains a priority in the renewal of the mandate, and that the Mission has sufficient resources to fulfil it.