Tag: 2016

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what pressure, if any, they have placed on Health Education England to penalise NHS Foundation Trusts in respect of the funding of training places if they do not implement the junior doctors’ contract consistently.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has not pressured Health Education England to penalise National Health Service foundation trusts. The emphasis of the letter sent by Health Education England’s Chief Executive, Professor Ian Cumming OBE, to all trusts on 15 February this year, was clear on the need for consistent implementation to ensure that patients get the care they need where they need it and junior doctors get the training they need across the whole of the NHS:

    “A single national approach is essential to safeguard the organisation and delivery of postgraduate medical training to ensure all doctors can secure the professional development they require to complete their training programmes. We are not prepared to see a system where a competition based on a local employer’s ability to offer different terms is part of the recruitment process. The recruitment process should be based on patient and service need and quality of training as it always has been. Therefore implementation of the national contract will be a key criterion for Health Education England in making its decisions on our investment in training posts.”

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current proportion of women on the Board of the British Olympic Association and on each winter and summer British governing body of sport represented in the Olympic and Paralympic movement, and how they intend to achieve their declared objective of requiring the proportion of women on each governing body to be at least 25 per cent by 2017.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The government’s recently published sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ states that UK Sport and Sport England, along with the other Home Nations’ Sports Councils, will agree a new UK Sports Governance Code by September 2016 to strengthen existing commitments, including the ambition for all sports’ boards to have at least 25% female representation by 2017.

    UK Sport and Sport England are already working with funded NGBs and partners to ensure best practice is adhered to when constructing job descriptions and writing adverts, and are working with expert organisations such as Sporting Equals and Women in Sport to ensure a more diverse range of people are aware of vacancies within the sector as they arise.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons are for his policy on withholding categories of information relating to UK special forces from the public; when that policy was last reviewed as to its operational necessity; and whether he plans to review that policy.

    Michael Fallon

    UK Special Forces (UKSF) are a world class force capable of conducting short notice, high risk operations in the most challenging environments around the world in support of UK interests and the safety and security of our people. In order to maintain their ability to conduct these types of operation it is critical that the security of personnel, equipment and tactics, techniques and procedures is maintained. The long standing policy of not commenting on UKSF has been upheld by successive Governments and is reflected in legislation in the form of the Freedom of Information Act. I have no intention of changing this policy.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission to refuse the Home Office the right to deport six individuals, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, to Algeria; and what is their current assessment of the total cost implications of complying with that ruling without further appeal.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government is disappointed by the 18 April 2016 decision of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission which relates to cases dating back over ten years.

    There are no separately identifiable costs for complying with that ruling.

  • Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Colleen Fletcher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Colleen Fletcher on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) homeless people and (b) rough sleepers in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to tackle homelessness. We have protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, which will amount to £315 million by 2020, to help them provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help. We are also exploring options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless in the first place.

    We have also increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs.

    Statistics for each of the last five years on statutory homelessness acceptances, homelessness prevention and relief and rough sleeping are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics.

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department has taken to ensure first-time offenders entering the prison system are (a) made aware of gang culture in prisons and (b) discouraged from becoming involved in that culture.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Safety in prisons is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans. We do not tolerate violence or bullying in prisons and take appropriate action against victimisation of any kind.

    Gang membership and youth violence cause serious harm to those involved and their communities. The Government is committed to reducing the likelihood of young people joining gangs, and to responding effectively when they do.

    Many young and vulnerable people come into contact with the criminal justice system as a result of their involvement with gangs.

    Prison gives young people the opportunity to leave gangs behind and lead safe and productive lives in their communities. Prison staff work with the police to tackle gang related activity in prison, and to provide new opportunities for young people.

    All offenders entering prison participate in induction programmes designed to help them make the most from their time in that prison. Some prisons have appointed a gangs officer, and prison staff work closely with the police to respond where gang members are coming into prison.

    The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will shortly issue guidance to all prison staff to help them identify gang members, take action against gang related violence and help them use their time in prison to leave gangs behind. The Identity Matters programme is specifically designed to help prisoners disengage from gangs and stop offending.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what documents set out current arrangements with the government of Cyprus regarding responsibility for refugees and asylum seekers arriving at the UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus; and how much has been paid as a result of such arrangements.

    James Brokenshire

    The Refugee Convention places no obligation on the UK to consider asylum claims made outside its immediate territory. Since 2003, under a Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Republic of Cyprus, anyone seeking asylum will have their claim processed by the Cypriot authorities on behalf of the The Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus (SBA). The SBA is responsible for payment of any associated costs.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 21777, if he will publish or summarise the outcome of the operational assurance audit of Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company completed in June 2015 and any remedial actions required as a result of that audit.

    Andrew Selous

    Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company has put in place an action plan to remedy shortcomings identified. We monitor the performance of all Community Rehabilitation Companies closely, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and deliver value for money to the tax payer. Operational assurance audit results are commercially sensitive, so will not be published.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for International Development, Mr Desmond Swayne on 10 February (HC25684) on recent demolitions by the Israeli authorities of properties funded by the EU and international donors, what action they intend to take in response.

    Baroness Verma

    We have discussed the recent demolitions in South Hebron with our EU counterparts. The EU is proposing to reassess their position on seeking compensation from the Israeli Government in the context of the ongoing structured dialogue. The UK government remains extremely concerned by reports that there have been nearly 300 demolitions since the start of 2016, representing more than a trebling of demolitions compared to the monthly average in 2015. The Embassy in Tel Aviv have recently raised demolitions with the Israeli authorities and will continue to raise this at the political level.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, what target she has set for the (a) number of enterprise coordinators to be appointed and (b) timeframe for those coordinators to be put in place.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has made excellent progress in its work to transform the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people.

    The CEC is aiming for Local Enterprise Partnerships to recruit 50 Enterprise Co-ordinators and 300 volunteer Enterprise Advisers between September 2015 and March 2016. The Department for Education is in the process of agreeing the CEC’s funding and targets for the forthcoming financial year.

    The number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed by the CEC is 18. Further recruitment will depend on the funding available to the company and its objectives for future years.