Tag: 2016

  • 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 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28770, on social security benefits: mental health, who has commissioned the evidence review of supported housing; who will be conducting that review; when that review will be concluded; and whether that review will be made public.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) jointly with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) commissioned an evidence review on the shape, scale and cost of the supported housing sector. The review is being conducted by Ipsos-MORI in partnership with Imogen Blood and Associates and the Housing and Support Partnership. The review report will be published this year.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of Govia Thameslink’s ability to safely transport disabled passengers; and if he will make a statement.

    Claire Perry

    We expect Govia Thameslink Railway to demonstrate its ability to carry all passengers safely through its safety management system. The Office of Rail and Road issues safety certificates for passenger operators in its capacity as safety regulator and carries out any enforcement necessary for safety issues.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 January 2008 (WA 28), 21 April 2008 (WA 234) and 12 May 2008 (WA 109–10), what assessment the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has made of the recently published research in Nature (DOI: 10.1038/nature17948) and Nature Cell Biology (DOI: 10.1038/ncb3347); and whether in the light of that research it has changed its conclusion that outgrowing human embryos cultured in vitro for more than 14 days could no longer be considered to be live human embryos as a matter of principle.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has not made a formal assessment of the recently published research in Nature (Deglincerti A. et al. 2016 and Shahbazi MN. et al. 2016). The HFEA has also advised that it is not expected that this research will lead to a change in the Authority’s assessment of embryonic masses, which form when embryos outgrow their structure. However, this research will be drawn to the attention of the HFEA’s Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee at its meeting in June.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time trade specialists are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    There are 40 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) China, (b) USA, Canada and Hong Kong, (c) Australia, (d) Brazil, (e) India, (f) South Korea, (g) Japan, (h) Mexico and (i) South Africa on negotiating trade deals with the UK.

    Greg Hands

    Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when HPV vaccinations are planned to be available at sexual health clinics to men who have sex with men.

    Jane Ellison

    In November 2015, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, advised that a targeted human papilloma virus vaccination programme should be undertaken for men who have sex with men up to 45 years of age who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. They noted that this should be subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price.

    The Department is considering the JCVI’s advice and will confirm its plans in due course.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have an agreement or understanding with the IRA that there will be no attempts to stop or bring to court its members on charges relating to tax fraud or tax terrorism in South Armagh.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Genomics England is familiar with the Broad Institute’s database and it is one of a number of data sources that will be included in their clinical interpretation process.

  • Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Crawley on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HMRC’s current pilot of the Codentify system takes account of any known weaknesses of Codentify for the purpose of authentication.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes the restrictions in the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously. These require that the development, implementation and enforcement of tobacco policies as part of public health policies should be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.

    Codentify is a system, developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. The trial HMRC is undertaking is to see whether these existing codes could help officers in the field to authenticate products and help tackle illicit tobacco. No other companies currently provide such codes.

    The use of Codentify by HMRC is not part of an exercise to evaluate the wider use of potential tools available on the market. Any such exercise would be undertaken in the context of the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive track and trace security feature requirements, which will be implemented by May 2019 for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.

    The European Commission is still considering, with Member States, proposals for new pan European security features and track and trace systems, and has yet to determine any technical specifications. HMRC are not evaluating Codentify as a track and trace tool or potential security feature; the aspects of the system being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.

    The use of Codentify is not a formal pilot and there will not be reports or results to publish. Instead the trial will identify the strengths, weaknesses and usefulness of using Codentify to HMRC as an authentication tool in the field. HMRC will review this later in 2016. Some resource has been spent providing access to the system and training officers in the use of the tool. However, this has been minimal and has not been separately identified. The Department of Health leads on public health policy and has been consulted on this initiative. HMRC sees no conflict between its current use of the Codentify system and FCTC requirements.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many prosecutions have been undertaken by the Financial Investigation Unit within the Child Maintenance Group in each financial year since 2012; and how many civil actions have been taken by the Financial Investigation Unit in cases where there is not sufficient evidence to justify a criminal prosecution to recover funds owed to Parents with Care in that time.

    Priti Patel

    Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) was established on 1 April 2014.

    During the year 2014/15, the FIU initiated 65 criminal prosecutions and also enabled civil enforcement action on 1,697 cases, collecting a total of £528,201.

    During the year 2015/16, the FIU initiated 70 criminal prosecutions and also enabled civil enforcement action on 1,424 cases, collecting a total of £581,217.

  • 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 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Misoprostol is approved for usage in obstetrics and gynaecology in the UK, and if so, for what specific purposes.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Misoprostol is used in adults for the medical termination of developing intra-uterine pregnancy, in sequential use with mifepristone, up to 49 days of amenorrhoea. It is taken as a single 400 microgram oral dose 36 to 48 hours after taking a single 600 milligrams oral dose of mifepristone.