Tag: 2016

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the rollout of digital infrastructure in rural areas as part of the move to deliver public services through digital technology.

    Ben Gummer

    I meet Cabinet colleagues regularly to discuss a range of issues. My officials in the Government Digital Service work with the Department of Culture, Media & Sport on digital inclusion and engagement. Government is working in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors to ensure that everyone in the UK has the basic digital skills needed to benefit in the digital age. To date, more than 90 organisations, including EE, Vodafone, Age UK, the LGA, Tinder Foundation, Microsoft, Shelter and Google have signed up to the Government’s Digital Inclusion Charter to develop initiatives that reach as many people as possible. We are committed to ensuring every UK citizen who can be online will be by 2020.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to respond to the terrorist bombings in Jakarta in January 2016.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK and Indonesia are already working closely together on a broad range of issues, including counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. We continue to provide support and assistance to the Indonesian government as it works to defeat those who plan and perpetrate acts of terror.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all mental health practitioners and providers receive training on the revised Code of Practice relating to the Mental Health Act 1983 in all 57 mental health NHS trusts as recommended by the Care Quality Commission’s sixth annual report, HC483, published on 14 October 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice, which came into force in April 2015, provides statutory guidance on how functions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) should be carried out. All providers of mental health services under the Act have a duty to abide by both the provisions of the Act and the detailed guidance on how implement those provisions contained in the Code of Practice. That includes the duty of all such mental health providers to ensure their staff know and understand their responsibilities under the Act.

    Empowerment and the involvement of patients are key principles underpinning the Act, and the Code of Practice is clear that detained patients must be informed of their rights; that it is the responsibility of those treating them to ensure that patients understand their rights; and that patients are aware that they are entitled to ask for the assistance of an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) to help them understand this information.

    The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual report Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2014/15 indicates that CQC have already taken action where providers are failing to effectively monitor the Act, train staff and support patients and recommends that services use the findings of that report to make sure staff have the right skills and knowledge and decide what action needs to be taken to improve the care and support available for patients.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what applications for unitary authority status his Department has received in the last year.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Whilst we understand a number of local areas are considering moving to unitary structures, we have over the last year received no applications for unitary status, which in future will be considered under the provisions of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were refused chemotherapy on the basis of their immigration status in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department does not hold this information.

    National Health Service hospital treatment is free to those people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, or those exempt from charge under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended. Anyone else should present a European Health Insurance Card, S1 or S2 form or pay direct for their NHS care. Those who need care and treatment urgently will still receive it even if they are chargeable and cannot pay straight away.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government is ensuring accountability for (a) abuses of the ceasefire and (b) breaches of international law by all parties of the conflict in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We encourage all parties to respect the ceasefire that began on 10 April and worked closely with the UN to achieve this. The commitment of the parties to continue the work of the Coordination and De-escalation Committee, established at the talks in December, is positive and we encourage all parties to work towards a sustainable peace. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military coalition and continue to engage with them on this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what powers the National Cyber Security Centre will have to ensure that key infrastructure providers act on the advice it gives.

    Matthew Hancock

    The National Cyber Security Centre will be a unified source of advice for business, including owners and providers of critical national infrastructure. The Centre will work with lead government departments and regulators who are responsible for ensuring that the risks against our critical national infrastructure are appropriately managed by those running it.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed for the purposes of working in the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

    Ben Gummer

    Further to the question asked by the Hon Member of 7 September 2016, Official Report, Column 321, I would add that my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Derbyshire Dales, is a Minister of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. He will attend a number of Cabinet Committees, which will be published in due course, and has duties directly related to the Duchy of Lancaster. The List of Ministerial Responsibilities will also be published in due course. He does not receive a Ministerial salary from public funds. Details of Private Office staff will be accounted for as part of the regular transparency data on gov.uk. The Government publishes on a quarterly basis details of Ministerial visits overseas. All Ministers have access to the Government Car Service for official travel.

    My Rt Hon Friend also serves as the Party Chairman of the Conservative Party. Such arrangements are no different from the likes of Charles Clarke, Ian McCartney and Hazel Blears, all of whom held the posts of Minister Without Portfolio and Labour Party Chair under the last Labour Government.

    I would also observe that under the Thatcher and Major Governments, senior figures such as Norman Tebbit, Kenneth Baker and Chris Patten served as both Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will order a serious case review of allegations of abuse at Medway Secure Training Centre.

    Andrew Selous

    Kent Police and Medway Council’s child protection team have launched an investigation into the allegations made about Medway Secure Training Centre (STC). It will be for the Local Safeguarding Children Board to decide whether to undertake a serious case review. The Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board will do everything we can to assist and support the investigation underway. Last week, HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted have also visited the STC since the allegations were made.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the amendments to the Child Poverty Act 2010 in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill are included in the welfare clauses referred to in the Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Order 2015.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 does not include any reference to the Child Poverty Act 2010.