The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have registered as deaf in 2015.
Alistair Burt
The data requested is no longer collected centrally. On 31 March 2010, 56,360 people were recorded on the deaf register.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice his Department has sought from the Swiss government on best practice in concluding a trade deal with (a) Japan, (b) China and (c) other non-EU states.
Mr David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not sought advice from the Swiss government on these matters.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-05-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the number of people with disabilities who are seeking asylum.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
At present the Asylum Transparency Agenda Data set does not report information on asylum claimants with disabilities nor are there plans for this to be included. In addition we do not currently record this information in a readily accessible format.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that universities offer disabled students levels of support which take account of recent changes to the disabled students’ allowance.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background or mode of learning. In the last academic year we saw record entry rates to higher education, including among those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Higher Education Institutions have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities. They have a clear legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to ensure they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.
To support Higher Education (HE) providers to prepare for the changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances that come into effect from academic year 2016/17, the Department has supported the establishment of a sector-led group ofstakeholders. The group’s focus is to communicate with senior leaders of HE providers, to help provide information about institutions’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students, and to encourage HE providers to develop inclusive learning environments.
In addition, universities expect to spend more than £745 million through access agreements agreed with the Director of Fair Access on measures to improve access and success for students from disadvantaged groups, including disabled students – up significantly from £404 million in 2009.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they will be putting forward to assist in the adoption of a new global framework on refugees at the forthcoming UN High Level Summit on Refugees and Migrants on 19 September.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK fully supported the UN General Assembly’s High Level Meeting on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants on 19 September, and the New York Declaration on refugees and migrants which was adopted at the meeting.
We will work with others following the High Level Meeting to achieve specific outcomes that will be better for migrants, for refugees, and for all countries in the migration chain – source, transit and destination.
In New York, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) argued that alongside stepping up our efforts on humanitarian assistance and development, the international community needs to build a more effective policy approach: addressing the root causes of forced displacement, providing proper protection for refugees, and reducing today’s unmanaged population movement.
At the High Level Meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the principle of providing asylum in the first safe country, thereby discouraging dangerous secondary movements; ensuring clarity in the different protections afforded to refugees and economic migrants; and maintaining the rights of all states to control their own borders.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK solar power market of the proposed 2017 business rate rise for organisations investing in roof top solar power for their own consumption.
Mr Marcus Jones
Business rates policy in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government. In England, business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have proposed a £3.4 billion transitional relief scheme for England to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2016-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to end its review into HSBC.
Harriett Baldwin
The FCA are operationally independent of Government. They are responsible for deciding how to carry out their functions, and for assessing the implication of their actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Krebs on 2016-02-04.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recommendations they have made about what is a safe level of consumption of lead-shot game for children.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has identified the particular risk to children who frequently consume lead shot game. The FSA has advised since 2012 that those consuming high levels of such game should reduce their intake, and that this is especially important for vulnerable consumers such as children and pregnant women.
This advice was widely reported in the media and on special interest group websites when it was published. The FSA reissued this advice last year. This advice is part of wider food safety advice on NHS Choices. The FSA is considering what further action is required to raise awareness of their advice, particularly with vulnerable groups such as parents and carers of young children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds in the last quarter; and what proportion of such applications were successful in (a) the first quarter of 2016 and (b) the second quarter of 2015.
James Brokenshire
Data for Q1 2016 is not yet available. However, in the last quarter for which statistics are publicly available (October – December 2015), 765 people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds and of these 3.9% were successful, however a significant proportion of these cases are pending their final decision and as such the final proportion may be higher.
In Q2 2015 (April – June 2015), 750 people applied to have their circumstances changed to give them recourse to public funds. 735 of those applications had been concluded by the end of the publicly available statistics and 270 had been successful, which equates to a proportion of 36.7%.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the time taken to transfer women from abortion clinics to hospitals in cases of serious complications following abortions; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
In May 2014, the Department published updated requirements (Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy (Abortion)) which the providers of independent sector abortion services must agree to comply with to be approved by the Secretary of State to perform abortions. This includes the requirement to have in place procedures and protocols to deal with emergencies and the transfer to specialist services. A copy of the guidance is attached.