Tag: 2016

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to purchase drones to detect mines and improvised explosive devices.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The merits of the use of drones to detect mines and improvised explosive devices have been recognised by the UK’s Armed Forces and there are a number of ongoing research projects which seek to refine possible techniques.

    While a number of technical challenges remain in integrating more complex detectors and sensors onto Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), there is potential for a UAS to be procured in future which could be used to detect mines and improvised explosive devices.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Government funding has been allocated to the research of Type 1 Diabetes in each of the last 10 years.

    George Freeman

    The information requested is not available.

    The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) was established in 2006 to increase the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, drive faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and develop and support the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR spent £30.8 million on research relating to metabolic and endocrine disease in 2014/15 (the latest available figure). Most of this investment (£24.4 million in 2014/15) is in infrastructure for research in metabolic and endocrine disease where spend on specific disease areas such as type 1 diabetes cannot be separated from total infrastructure expenditure. This infrastructure including NIHR biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.

    The NIHR funds a wide range of research relating to type 1 diabetes and in 2014/15 the NIHR CRN supported 49 studies in this disease area.

    The NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme is currently seeking to commission research on immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes.

  • Mark Pawsey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Pawsey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were in the care of the local authority in (a) Warwickshire and (b) Rugby constituency in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

    Edward Timpson

    There were 1,010 children looked after by Warwickshire local authority during the year ending 31 March 2014, and 995 during the year ending 31 March 2015. This information is published in table LAB1 of the statistical release, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015. Information on the numbers of children looked after on the 31 March of each year is published in table LAA1 of the same release. There were 695 children looked after in Warwickshire on 31 March 2014 and 690 on 31 March 2015. Figures for the year ending 31 March 2016 will be published on 29 September 2016.

    Numbers of looked after children are not available at a constituency level.

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  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to undertake tooth checks for incoming unaccompanied child refugees.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Secretary’s statement on Calais on 24 October (Column 55) referred to the proper safeguarding, age assessment and security checks we carry out, working closely with local authorities and social workers in the UK, to ensure that the children transferred here are eligible to come and it is in their best interests to do so.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20367, what the educational basis is of adults adopting safer online behaviours; and under what cost headings the Cyber Streetwise campaign spent its funds in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

    Mr John Hayes

    Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign, developed by private and public stakeholder partners and coordinated by the Home Office’s Research, Information and Communications Unit. It is designed to measurably make the UK a safer place to interact and do business online by increasing individual and SME adoption of safe online behaviours.

    The impact of Cyber Streetwise on behaviours is evaluated via regular quantitative tracking research. Since its launch in January 2014, it is estimated that 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them. Cyber Streetwise has spent its funds in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 under the following categories:

    • Media spend and production

    • PR, partnership and social

    • Research

    • Website

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to extend childcare support to cover the school holidays.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government is fully committed to ensuring that sufficient, flexible provision of childcare is made available to support hard working parents.

    All childcare providers are able to offer the existing 15 hour free entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds during the school holidays, and a number of providers already do so. We will be consulting on proposals with regard to the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare, including how this offer can be made more flexible for working parents. We will work closely with the Local Government Association, local authorities and childcare providers to identify and remove barriers to flexible provision, including offering childcare during the school holidays.

    In addition, my Rt. Hon friend the Sectary of State announced on the 6 October 2015 that parents will be granted a new ‘right to request’ wraparound and / or holiday childcare at their school. Childcare providers will also be given the right to request use of school sites outside school-hours to provide this care. The consultation on the ‘right to request’ opened on the 7 December and closes on 29 February 2016.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of people employed by fire and rescue services who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in recognised shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold.

    Data of the number of people employed in specific regions of the United Kingdom is not available. The Home Office holds individual records showing the working location of Tier 2 (General) migrants, but centralised records show the registered address of the Tier 2 Sponsor, which is normally that organisation’s Head Office.

    The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This includes the impact on the top ten occupations and is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30801, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to introduce a requirement on local authorities to ensure that home-schooled children are being educated to the same standard as schooled children.

    Edward Timpson

    The standard to which home schooled children have to be educated is already the same as for those attending school. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 requires parents to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitudes, either by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. ‘Education otherwise than at school’ includes elective home education, and therefore, although methods may differ, the overall requirement is the same.

    Section 136 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 deals with the inspection of local authorities by Ofsted and would not be an appropriate method for imposing a new duty on them.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to healthcare systems in countries affected by the Zika virus.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department for International Development is working with the Department for Heath, who are leading the UK government’s response to Zika, and Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation in galvanising an effective international response.

    DFID is adapting ongoing health programmes to focus on preparing for Zika. DFID has active health system strengthening programmes in many of our partner countries. DFID provides support to the health sector in a number of countries in South East Asia and the Commonwealth Caribbean.

    These programmes aim to build the capacity of health systems to prevent, detect, and treat communicable disease outbreaks. These countries already respond to dengue, which is transmitted through the same vector as the Zika virus.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on (a) ending the role of GPs in (i) assessing eligibility for bus passes, parking badges, housing and gym membership and (ii) other non-NHS work and (b) ensuring that such work is commissioned from other sources by the requesting organisation.

    Alistair Burt

    General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms, such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients.

    Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. Whether or not to provide these services is a matter for individual GPs. They may decline to provide them or charge a fee for doing so. Where GPs intend to charge for services to patients, the British Medical Association advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.