The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 15306, tabled on 6 November 2015, on his Department’s public expenditure.
Caroline Dinenage
I refer the honourable member to the answer which I gave in PQ 15306, answered on 17th February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance is issued to (a) mental health professionals and (b) GPs on the relationship between vitamin B12 and depression-like symptoms.
Alistair Burt
The issuing of clinical guidance to healthcare professionals is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the relevant Royal Colleges and professional associations.
General practitioners (GPs) are usually the first health professional an individual will see when in contact with health services. GPs should be familiar with the signs, symptoms and complications, including psychiatric abnormalities, of vitamin B12 deficiency and with the methods for diagnosing and treating it. Guidance is available from sources commonly consulted by GPs, including Clinical Knowledge Summaries and Patient.co.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to promote good mental health among teachers and students.
Mr Sam Gyimah
Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for this Government. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to students and staff, along with good teaching to support pupil attainment. We want schools to be able to decide on the best way to do this given their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach. We have taken a range of actions to support them.
We have recently revised and updated our counselling guidance which provides practical, evidence-based advice, informed by experts on how to ensure school based counselling services achieve the best outcomes for all students, including vulnerable children and young people. Having this provision in schools also provides support for teaching staff as they are able to easily and quickly get advice from the counsellor about issues that they are concerned about.
We have also provided schools with other resources including: guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE; guidance on mental health and behaviour; and MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them.
We are providing opportunities to help young people support each other effectively. We recently launched a suite of peer support activities, which includes a call for evidence for stakeholders, children and young people and funding of up to £1.5m. This includes a new digital innovation fund to develop online reliable, engaging and trusted advice to help young people understand their own and their peers’ mental health.
In addition we are contributing to a £3m joint pilot with NHS England which is testing how single points of contact in CAMHS and schools can secure effective mental health support to pupils.
We are also working closely with the Department of Health on a national campaign to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues amongst parents and children, which includes resources for schools.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria he plans to use to ensure sales of Government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland maximise value for the public purse.
Harriett Baldwin
The first sale of Government shares in RBS was conducted in August 2015 and raised £2.1 billion for the taxpayer. This was an important first step in returning the bank to private ownership, which is the right thing to do for the taxpayer and for British businesses: it will promote financial stability, lead to a more competitive banking sector, and support the interests of the wider economy.
The government will conduct further sales of RBS shares subject to market conditions, and in doing so will maximise value for the taxpayer. The returns on the government’s interventions in RBS will be determined by the success of the whole of the selling programme, rather than the terms achieved on the first few disposals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-05-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 27 April (HL7738), what assessment they have made of the impact of their representations on the government of Israel with regard to house demolitions, in the light of the number of deaths and injuries caused during such incidents in the first three months of 2016.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government remains extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. We are not aware of any deaths which have resulted from demolitions. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to regularly raise our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities. As a result of these representations, the UK’s humanitarian and legal concerns on demolitions have been made clear.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-06-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 May (HL39), what discussions they have had with the National Trust about badger culls; what was the outcome of those discussions; and whether they will publish the results of those discussions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra officials have regular conversations with the National Trust about the Government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB) in England. The National Trust has published its view on badgers and TB on its website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Queen’s Speech 2016, if her Department will publish detailed plans to create the right for every household to access high speed broadband.
Matt Hancock
Following the Queen’s Speech, the Digital Economy Bill has been introduced which includes measures to enable the Government to implement and review a new broadband Universal Service Obligation. We have asked Ofcom to undertake a detailed technical analysis on a range of factors that will impact on the design of the USO. Once we have considered Ofcom’s report, we will consult on the detailed specifications for the USO which will be set in secondary legislation once the Bill has received Royal Assent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she is adopting to select refugees from the camp in Calais for resettlement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The EU’s Dublin Regulation clearly sets out the criteria for transferring asylum claims between Member States. The Government wishes to reaffirm that migrants in Calais have not yet been determined as refugees, and furthermore, the Dublin Regulation is the EU’s mechanism for transferring asylum claims, rather than a resettlement route. Section 67 of the Immigration Act sets out that ‘unaccompanied refugee children’ will be relocated to the UK. In respect of Calais, the Government has been clear that unaccompanied children will be prioritised if they meet the Dublin criteria.
We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin Regulation. All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the NGO France Terre D’asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.
Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Where we believe someone is significantly over 18, they will be refused. The Home Office does not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum as they have been described by the British Dental Association as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical.
Since June the Home Office has been working closely with local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK to ensure that we have the structures in place to support the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children, both within the UK and from Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that the manufacturers of electric and hybrid cars which utilise charging points adopt a common charging connection for all such vehicles; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
Industry has been slow to deliver pan-European standardisation on chargepoint connectors with different vehicle manufacturers advocating their own preferred standards. However there are signs that this is now changing. The recent EU Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure will standardise provision of connectors for rapid chargepoints across Europe. In the UK we have already sought to address this by requiring that all government funded rapid chargepoints must work with all available types of ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV). All Government-funded slower chargepoints must also have a Type 2 inlet on them – no other sockets are permitted. This position is supported by the vehicle manufacturers, all of whom agree that Type 2 is the most appropriate standard for public charging in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission an assessment of the effect on victims of domestic abuse and their families of the use of common entrances at family courts for both the perpetrators and victims of that crime.
Mike Penning
Every family court has a system to support vulnerable court users. Protective measures are put in place whenever a court is aware that an individual involved in a case may be violent. These can include separate waiting areas, additional security and the use of separate entrances where appropriate.
Information on the number of children or women injured by a perpetrator of domestic violence after a Family Court decision relating to child contact is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by manually checking case files in criminal and family courts and matching records.
The family court takes the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously. Where domestic violence or abuse is admitted or proven, any child arrangements order put in place must protect the safety and wellbeing of the child and the parent with whom the child is living, and not expose them to the risk of further harm. In particular, the court must be satisfied that any contact ordered with a parent who has perpetrated violence or abuse is safe and in the best interests of the child.
Where the court does conclude that direct contact is safe and beneficial for the child, it can impose conditions such as supervised contact to protect the child.