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Tag: 2016

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of carers aged 16 and under looking after a relative in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 166,000 young carers in 2011.

    The Government has changed the law so that all young carers have been entitled to an assessment of their needs for support since April 2015, regardless of who they care for, what type of care they provide, or how much time they spend caring. Around 60%, of young carers are thought to be eligible for free school meals, and those who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years will attract pupil premium funding to the schools that they attend.

    We do not specifically estimate the amount of financial support provided to young carers.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve the training available to medical practitioners on the treatment of people with chronic diseases.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    It is the responsibility of the professional regulators, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in the treatment of people with chronic diseases.

    Higher Education Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the regulators upon graduation.

    The Royal Colleges, for example the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Surgeons, also have responsibility for developing curricula for doctors and nurses, in particular postgraduate curricula.

    In England, Health Education England works with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients, including those with chronic diseases.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement his Department’s plans on childhood obesity.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Department is confident our world leading plan, Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action, will make a real difference to obesity rates in this country.

    The Government is currently consulting on the soft drinks industry levy and a broad sugar reduction programme has been launched.

    The Department will continue to work with the National Health Service, local authorities and other partners as we move into the delivery phase of the plan.

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what forecast he has made of the number of young people that will participate in the National Citizen Service in each year from 2015 to 2020.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Over 200,000 young people have benefitted from the National Citizen Service (NCS) since 2011. In 2014 57,789 young people took part. The figure for 2015 will be made available after an independent evaluation later this year.

    The Prime Minister has announced the ambition to expand the programme to 60% of all 16 year olds by 2021 and this is the target we aim to deliver.

    The funding for NCS was announced in the autumn statement and spending review. More than £1billion has been committed to the expansion of NCS in this parliament.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to assist vulnerable Syrian minorities register with the UNHCR who have not done so due to fear of persecution.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict. This is the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees. Any person claiming refugee status is able to avail themselves of UNHCR’s global protection mandate where UNHCR has a presence. They can directly approach UNHCR and register with them, or be referred to UNHCR by a third organisation, or UNHCR can ask them to register. The UK has allocated £115 million to UNHCR’s operations in Syria and the surrounding region, of which a proportion is used for registration.

    Over time, many previously unregistered refugees have sought UNHCR’s assistance and protection services as their resources have dwindled and coping mechanisms become stretched. Some minority groups may not see a need to register either due to their own resources or due to reliance on community/social networks.

    DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all minorities’ rights are protected and our aid reaches those in greatest need.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Le Bureau d’Enguetes et d’Analyses report into Andreas Lubitz, published on 13 March 2016, if his Department will bring forward proposals to enable airlines to access mental health records of pilots within their employment.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK has a long held, well-established and robust process for certifying the ‘fitness to fly’ of pilots.

    The General Medical Council (GMC) has guidelines for doctors which give UK doctors an ethical duty to report concerns about a patient to the relevant authority if that condition presents a risk to public safety and the patient hasn’t reported it.

    Medical requirements for commercial pilots are determined by European Legislation. In response to the Germanwings crash in March 2015, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing a European aeromedical data repository system which will be deployed by December 2016. This repository system will contain the current fitness to fly status of all European pilots. It is important that this repository is implemented on a European-wide basis, as many pilots who work in the UK or work for UK airlines are not resident in the UK, are not British nationals and have medical certificates that are overseen by other European States.

    It is in the UK’s interests for all pilots flying in Europe to be subject to a high standard of medical fitness and common legislation, in the interests of aviation safety.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the contribution by the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 23 February 2016, Official Report, when the fully accessible public register of beneficial ownership in UK Crown dependencies will be complete.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon. Member to the Oral Statement given by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) on 11 April 2016, Official Report, column 23.

    https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-11/debates/1604111000001/PanamaPapers#contribution-1604116000104

    “

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has her Department undertaken on the effect of the use of increasing levels of yeast and yeast extracts in food.

    George Eustice

    Historically Defra has funded research on yeast under the Food LINK Programmes in relation to its use in brewing, in food and drink spoilage and to develop predictive food microbiological modelling tools. Since 2010 we have engaged with Innovate UK on collaborative R&D with industry supporting a range of issues on food quality.

  • David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications have been issued in England and Wales for financial provision for the children of unmarried parents under schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 in each year since 2000.

    Dr Phillip Lee

    A parent is entitled to apply for an order under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 regardless of marital status. Information on marital status is not collected in relation to Schedule 1 applications. Applications can also be made by a person who is a special guardian for the child or by a person with whom the child is living under a child arrangements order. The number of all applications issued under Schedule 1 over the period is set out in the table below.

    YEAR

    No. of Applications

    2000

    556

    2001

    604

    2002

    585

    2003

    599

    2004

    675

    2005

    677

    2006

    637

    2007

    702

    2008

    615

    2009

    507

    2010

    529

    2011

    472

    2012

    504

    2013

    467

    2014

    588

    2015

    650
  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was to complete an investigation into the alleged presence of an unreported adult in the household of a tax credit claimant in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, the average time taken to complete a tax credit undeclared partner investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from the point at which they first write to the customer to closure, was 51.27 days. During the same period, Concentrix acting on behalf of HMRC took an average of 65.34 days.

    Where an alleged presence of an unreported adult occurs, claimants are given 30 days to contact HMRC or provide the relevant information. If after 30 days HMRC has had no contact, tax credit payments are either suspended or reduced. HMRC then gives the claimant a further 30 days to contact HMRC before making a decision on the household composition and tax credits award using all the available information.