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Tag: 2016

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which EU countries are required by their constitutions to hold a referendum before their governments can agree changes to the EU treaties; and which countries have done so in the past.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    No EU country has an absolute constitutional requirement to hold a referendum before their government can agree to any amendment to the EU Treaties. Indeed, no EU Member State held a referendum on the most recent change to the EU Treaties which came into effect in 2013.

    The following countries have a constitutional requirement to hold a referendum in certain circumstances (e.g. if proposed changes require a revision of a Member State’s constitution or constitute a transfer of competence/sovereignty to the EU):

    • Austria
    • Croatia
    • Denmark
    • Ireland
    • Lithuania
    • Romania
    • Slovakia

    The following countries have previously held a referendum on changes to the EU Treaties:

    • Denmark
    • Ireland
    • France
    • Italy
    • Luxembourg
    • Netherlands
    • Spain

  • Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require private landlords to fit safety devices on blinds to ensure children’s safety.

    Brandon Lewis

    Government has already taken steps to protect children, having worked with various sector bodies and lobby groups to revise the European standard EN 13120 (performance and safety requirements for internal blinds). This means all blinds placed on the market, since February 2014, have to display warning labels on the product, as well as on the packaging, and include safety devices to ensure blind cords are kept out of the reach of young children. It also imposes a maximum cord and chain length where there is a likely hood of young children (0-42 months) being present, which includes residential properties and public places like hotels, hospitals, schools, shops, places of worship and nurseries.

    Local authorities also have powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to inspect properties and where hazards are identified require the landlord to rectify them.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps have been taken by his Department as a result of the recommendations of the Review by Sir Nicholas Blake QC of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four soldiers at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut between 1999 and 2002, published in 2006, relating to statements detailed in the Appendix to that review by civilian staff and recruits of (a) sexual harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) bullying at that base; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    Appendices four and five of Sir Nicholas’ Report refer to allegations made in statements to Surrey Police. The hon. Member would need to contact the Home Secretary to establish what action was taken by Surrey Police in response to individual cases.

    The Government’s response to Sir Nicholas’ Report was published in June 2006, and the Army has already implemented significant changes to the way we train our young people since 1995. We have invested considerably in the provision of welfare support for both those in training and their families. In addition, we now put great priority on training our instructors to ensure that they get the very best from their trainees; our philosophy is very much to ‘train in rather than select out’. Our instructor ratios are now greatly improved and, as a minimum, we provide one instructor per 12 trainees during their initial training. All Armed Forces training sites are now subject to independent scrutiny by Ofsted inspectors and their assessments help us to drive continuous improvement. Ofsted’s recently published report on ‘Duty of Care and Welfare in Armed Forces Initial Training’ found all the establishments they visited to be either good or excellent.

    Underpinning all of these changes, the Chief of the General Staff has a very clear zero tolerance of any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination. All allegations of mistreatment are taken very seriously and we encourage any allegation of unacceptable behaviour to be raised to the attention of the Chain of Command to be investigated accordingly and action taken where appropriate. Any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, must always be referred to the Service Police.

  • Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Staffordshire which was presented to the Chief Executive of NHS England in July 2016.

    David Mowat

    Sustainability and Transformation Plan proposals are currently at a draft stage, but it is expected that all local leaders will be talking to the public and stakeholders regularly as it is vital that people are able to shape the future of their local services. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation. There are longstanding assurance processes in place to make sure this happens. All footprints will submit an updated plan in October, with further formal public engagement and consultation taking place from this point, as appropriate. Many footprints are already publishing patient-facing summaries as part of their engagement programme.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost is of supervising an individual offender in Wales by Working Links for the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Working Links provides individual tailored rehabilitation programmes to the specific requirements of the offender.

    These are unique to the individual and therefore the cost of each rehabilitation programme varies.

    We have given providers the flexibility to use both innovated and mandated programmes to do what works to reduce reoffending, and support offenders.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcome was of the recruitment campaign organised by the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association of Northern Ireland in Summer 2015.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Northern Ireland (RFCA NI) is responsible for an ongoing campaign to recruit adult instructors for the Air Training Corps and Army Cadet Force in Northern Ireland. This is a highly effective campaign which has resulted in full staffing. Further details of the activities of RFCA NI can be found at the following address: http://www.reservesandcadetsni.org.uk/

    The Ministry of Defence is responsible for recruitment into the Reserve Forces. For information on the numbers of Reserve personnel stationed in Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2015 to Question 11478 to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Mr Wilson).

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-12/11478/

    “

  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that local planning authorities maintain high homebuilding standards in large sustainable urban extensions.

    Brandon Lewis

    The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that good design is indivisible from good planning and should contribute to making places better for people. Our planning guidance reinforces this strong focus on design, and provides advice on tools for delivery – including design codes.

    All new homes also have to meet building regulations’ requirements. The Government has introduced new optional building regulations which means that for some requirements such as on access, local planning authorities can apply a higher standard than the national minimum requirements, where justified by need and provided that the viability of development is not compromised. The Government has also introduced a national space standard which local authorities can apply where justified by need and provided that the viability of development is not compromised.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27121, what the implied average annual season ticket fare referred to in that Answer is.

    Claire Perry

    The cost of annual season tickets varies by route. The Department for Transport has access to commercially confidential information which allows us to assess how many season tickets have been sold at which prices, to determine the average season ticket price. This process was originally carried out using 13/14 sales data and then increased in line with regulated fares policy. Because this information is derived from information we are licensed to use, from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), we are not able to share this publically.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allegations that excessive force by the Israeli army has not resulted in investigations in the majority of cases.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about the appropriate use of force by the Israel Defence Forces, as well as the need for Israel to implement the recommendations of the Turkel Commission on improving how the Israeli authorities investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on the Defence and Security Equipment International Conference held in September 2015.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is an important event which supports the UK defence industry seeking to trade internationally and offers valuable defence engagement opportunities with our allies and partners. The support to DSEI 2015 was delivered through the course of normal departmental business and in-line with existing budgetary provisions. Any additional costs were recouped in line with standard practices