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Tag: 2016

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made against its targets set out in the Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy of April 2014 on reducing the number of people who are digitally excluded.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, created under the last Government, sets out a series of commitments and digital inclusion targets for government and the private and voluntary sectors.

    Since the Strategy was published, ONS data has indicated a reduction in the proportion of adults who have never used the internet, from 13% in 2014 to 11% in 2015. However there are still a significant proportion of the UK population that lack basic digital skills, which is why work must continue across all sectors to increase digital engagement and motivate people to get online and make the most of the internet.

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

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) capacity of and (b) skills and knowledge of local mainstream advice and advocacy services in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority area to be able to meet the support needs of local people living with HIV following implementation of the proposed reduction in specialist HIV support services.

    Jane Ellison

    Support services for people living with HIV are commissioned by local authorities.

    We are advised by NHS England that the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham are currently consulting on a new service model, under which advice and advocacy, counselling and assessment and signposting services for people living with HIV would be provided by local non-HIV specialist services.

    We understand that the consultation exercise commenced on 9 May 2016 and is due to end on 28 June.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the effect that the changes to plug-in grants from March 2016 have had on the take-up of electric vehicles.

    Mr John Hayes

    Many consumers brought forward their orders of new plug-in vehicles to before March to take advantage of the higher grant rates. The effect of this sales spike is still being felt with some vehicles ordered in February still to be delivered. This impact of the grant change will become clearer after the new registration plate in September. Registrations of ULEVs have continued to grow since the grant change.

  • Baroness Hamwee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Hamwee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hamwee on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any medical evidence, including psychiatric and psychological evidence, of the relationship between the trauma and other harm suffered by a victim of torture and the identity of the perpetrator.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The definition of torture adopted for the “adults at risk in immigration detention” policy is in line with that set out in the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) although, for the purposes of the policy, it has been extended to cover serious harm inflicted by terrorist groups exploiting instability or civil war to hold territory.

    The Government adopted this definition as it most accurately reflects the need to protect those who are most likely to be adversely affected by detention – that is, those who have been harmed by the state, or by an organisation exercising similar control, and for whom detention is most likely to be redolent of the harm they have suffered.

    In order to be consistent, the same definition was applied to the reporting system in rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 under which doctors working in immigration removal centres are required to report concerns that a detainee may have been the victim of torture. This has no effect on the requirement also in rule 35 for such doctors to report where a detainee’s health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention or the conditions of detention.

  • 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 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the status is of the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation into G4S over fraud in the prisoner tagging contracts.

    Andrew Selous

    The Serious Fraud Office investigation relating to G4S prisoner tagging is ongoing.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Preventing Suicide in England strategy, published on 10 September 2012, is being monitored for its impact on reducing suicide; and how the commitment to people who had been identified as being especially vulnerable due to social and economic circumstances is being delivered.

    Alistair Burt

    The cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) is monitored by the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, which meets regularly to monitor progress on the shared areas for action and objectives outlined in the National Strategy. The Department publishes an annual report of progress against the National Strategy, which highlights developments in suicide and self-harm prevention and emerging trends.

    The Department also commissions the Office for National Statistics to analyse and publish annual data on suicide rates.

    The Department works closely with colleagues in other Government departments and arm’s length bodies to take forward actions within the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This also includes working with a range of stakeholders including the Samaritans and Network Rail to deliver specific suicide prevention activities and provide advice and guidance on suicide prevention.

    The Department provides financial support to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance which brings together a number of suicide prevention organisations to work towards achieving the aims of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

    The All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention raises awareness within Parliament and encourages discussion and debate of all issues involved in suicide and self-harm prevention.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26305; what estimate his Department has made of the total number of licenses granted for houses of multiple occupation which are in use in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    I have nothing to add to my earlier reply.

  • Corri Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Corri Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel who have made a claim under the Mercantile Marine Scheme as part of the War Pension Scheme have stated that their injury or illness was a result of deployment to Operation Granby whilst working in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2015 (the latest data available), there were 20 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel who made a claim under the Mercantile Marine Scheme as part of the War Pension Scheme. None of these personnel stated that their injury or illness was a result of deployment to Operation Granby.

    In line with Defence Statistics’ rounding policy, all figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest five.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for Sir Nick Weller’s report into transforming education across the Northern Powerhouse.

    Nick Gibb

    Our White Paper, Education Excellence Everywhere, sets out the range of support we will offer to schools across England.

    Where schools are failing, Regional Schools Commissioners will identify a suitable academy sponsor to turn them around. In areas where there are too few sponsors, we will recruit new sponsors, including high-performing schools and more sponsors from business, charity and philanthropy. We will also encourage existing sponsors to expand, increasing incentives and minimising barriers, learning from the investment we have already made through the Northern Sponsor Fund.

    For other struggling schools, we will ensure there is nationwide coverage of system leaders (teaching schools and National Leaders of Education), who will be expected to work with weaker schools to support them to improve. To help achieve this, we will improve how we designate system leaders by introducing a more sophisticated approach based on timely and accurate data rather than relying heavily on Ofsted judgements. We will also partner schools with the potential to become strong system leaders with existing teaching schools and National Leaders of Education.

    Through the Department’s strategy for Achieving Excellence Areas, we will target our existing programmes to secure sufficient high quality teachers, leaders, system leaders, sponsors and members of governing boards on the areas of greatest need. At the Budget, the Government announced that we will invest an additional £20 million a year to build on this strategy to raise education standards across the Northern Powerhouse. The allocation of this funding will depend on the identified need and will be reassessed each year, based on the evidence.

    For the additional funding announced in the budget, decisions on how the funding will be allocated for the 2016-17 financial year will be made by the autumn of this year and will be informed by the emerging findings of the review by Sir Nick Weller. We will be publishing the terms of reference for Sir Nick Weller’s review shortly.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office publishes monthly spending data for non-payroll staff. This information is available online, and can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2016