The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to educate consumers about the welfare risks of certain breed characteristics in cats so that consumers can make informed decisions when considering a purchase.
George Eustice
The Government would be happy to work with key stakeholders to discuss health problems associated with pedigree cats
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.
Lord Freud
From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.
In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.
Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has (a) received and (b) made on eye health services at Birmingham City Hospital.
David Mowat
A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one written representation received between 1 April 2016 and 11 October 2016 about eye health services at Birmingham City Hospital.
The Department has made no representations on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which conclude that there is a correlation between early direct maternal care and adult stability.
Lord Nash
Research, such as the Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and the January 2013 WAVE Trust report on early years, suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.
The Department has extensively assessed the impact of formal early education compared to home care, through its longitudinal research programme Effective Pre-School, Primary & Secondary Education Project (EPPSE). EPPSE followed both groups of children through preschool and school ages, examining their cognitive and social behavioural development up to their AS and A Level exam results in 2015. The EPPSE results show that young children benefit from formal childcare, go on to have better GCSE results and, as a result, are more likely to enter A Level exams.
In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the action they and their allies can take to enable the UN agencies in Syria to carry out their mandates fully and freely.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has played, and will continue to play, a leading role in ensuring that UN agencies are able to carry out their mandates in Syria. Through our membership of the UN Security Council and as part of the International Syria Support Group we helped generate a mandate for the UN Special Envoy for Syria to launch intra-Syrian peace negotiations this month. We have also co-sponsored a series of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) on humanitarian issues, including most recently UNSCR 2258 on cross-border humanitarian access. These resolutions provide a mandate for the delivery of aid into Syria.
We are deeply concerned about the restrictions placed on UN agencies to deliver these mandates, particularly the obstructionism and lack of response from the Syrian Regime to repeated requests from the UN for humanitarian access to towns and regions across Syria. We regularly raise these issues in the UN Security Council.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with dependants who have been granted leave to remain in the UK had a no recourse to public funds condition attached to their leave in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.
James Brokenshire
Home Office systems cannot be interrogated in a way that will provide any meaningful response to the question. A manual review of all applications submitted within the stipulated timeframe would be needed in order to provide an accurate response and this would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has instructed the deportation of any nationals of other EU member states on public protection grounds in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office seeks to deport EEA nationals or their family members on grounds of public policy or public security where that person’s conduct repre-sents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.
The table below shows the number of EEA nationals deported on the basis of a criminal conviction, where their presence in the UK is not considered conducive to the public good.
|
Year |
EEA FNO Removals (1)(2)(3) |
|
2011/12 |
1,275 |
|
2012/13 |
1,727 |
|
2013/14 |
2,306 |
|
2014/15 |
3,026 |
|
2015/16 (up to end of Q3) |
2,584 |
|
(1) A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case on the Home Office’s Case Information Database, and may include individuals with asylum cases. |
|
(2) Quarterly Foreign National Offender (FNO) removals are published as National Statistics and available in table 7 of latest the published "Immigration Statistics release" https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015 |
|
(3) Total FNO removals figures relate to those cases that have been deported, administratively removed or voluntarily departed from UK. |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in countries on the UN Security Council on referring crimes by Daesh to the International Criminal Court.
Mr Philip Hammond
I frequently discuss Daesh, including the atrocities it has committed, with my international counterparts from countries who are on the UN Security Council. The Government is committed to working with our partners on the Security Council in the wider international community to ensure that Daesh is held to account for its appalling crimes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what services are provided by the Government for UK citizens who are imprisoned abroad.
James Duddridge
The UK Government supports British nationals abroad through the FCO’s network of consular staff. The assistance we provide to British nationals detained overseas is primarily concerned with supporting their welfare. Consular officers keep in regular contact with British nationals who request our assistance, either by visiting, by telephone or by letter. The frequency of visits will depend on local prison conditions and the circumstances of the case. Staff will visit more frequently if they think it necessary. With consent, we will provide updates to families, ensure that medical problems are brought to the attention of the local authorities, take up allegations of mistreatment, and consider approaching the local authorities if we believe a British national is not being treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-07-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are supporting the government of Rwanda in its work to provide reproductive health choices to women and girls in Rwanda.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
DFID is supporting the Rwandan Ministry of Health to implement a Girls Empowerment Programme which is enabling 92,000 girls over three years to meet in safe spaces across the country. This programme is closely aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s own Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy. Girls are mentored and guided through a curriculum that includes sexual and reproductive health, prevention of violence and guidance on staying safe and healthy. The programme also includes ‘learning journeys’ during which girls have the opportunity to visit local health centres and to learn about the services that are available to support them, in particular around adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Interim findings show that the programme is successfully building girls’ knowledge around sexual and reproductive health, as well as giving them the confidence and awareness of how to access more information and services.