Tag: 2016

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what reports she has received from (a) the Metropolitan Police and (b) other police forces of delays in processing Disclosure and Barring Service applications; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides a formal monthly performance report to the Home Office and Home Office Ministers. This includes updates on the performance of police forces in meeting the Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards for the time taken to complete local disclosure checks.

    The DBS monitors the performance of all police disclosure units and works closely with any force, including the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), not meeting its targets. An MPS Gold Group is overseeing the recovery plan in place at the MPS and Home Office officials maintain a close oversight of the progress being made by assessing weekly reports and through regular attendance at the Group.

    It is a priority of the MPS, DBS and the Home Office to see improvements as quickly as possible and I will continue to monitor the situation closely.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve (a) awareness training of staff, (b) support and advice for staff and (c) appropriate facilities and provisions for passengers relating to mental health in (i) airports and aviation sector, (ii) roads infrastructure, (iii) freight, (iv) taxis and (v) shipping and maritime.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport is preparing a revised Accessibility Action Plan (AAP).

    The AAP will set out how we aim to support all operators so they can improve the quality of the disability awareness training and the travel assistance they offer to meet the needs of passengers with mental health issues across all modes.

    We plan for the AAP to be ready for wider consultation in the summer and that it will be published by the end of the year.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what defence technology research and development programmes the Government is cooperating with other EU member states.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    As stated in National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cmd 9161), as part of being international by design, we will participate in future international collaborative programmes in both the defence and security sectors where we have the right technology, skills and industrial capabilities, and where we can reduce our costs and share technology to mutual benefit, strengthening our defence relationships.

    We will work closely with, learn from and invest in joint research programmes with our allies and partners, many of whom are pursuing similar innovation initiatives. France has important technology programmes, especially in aerospace, maritime and space capabilities. We will also build on our important security relationships with partners, and with multilateral forums, including NATO.

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of Christian churches that have been destroyed in Nigeria since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

    James Duddridge

    In Nigeria, the right to freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution. Boko Haram seeks to undermine this right by attacking Nigerians of all faiths who do not subscribe to its extremist views. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on the number of churches that have been destroyed in Nigeria, but it is clear that Boko Haram has caused immense suffering in both Christian and Muslim communities. We assess that the majority of their victims are Muslim.

    We are providing a substantial package of intelligence, military, development and humanitarian support to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, including training and advice on counter insurgency and £5 million of support to a regional military taskforce.

    Nigeria also faces the challenge of inter-communal conflicts between farmers and herdsmen over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water. Through our development assistance, the UK supports initiatives to reduce these conflicts and build bridges between communities.

    We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

  • 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 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote integrated care in the NHS.

    Alistair Burt

    In 2014, NHS England published the Five Year Forward View, which included an account of five new care models designed to promote integrated service provision. 50 Vanguard sites are currently implementing a new care model, with the support of NHS England and the Department, and with a view to spreading lessons and best practice throughout the health system.

    In order to deliver the best outcomes for service users, integration within the National Health Service must be accompanied by integration with social care. The Better Care Fund (BCF), first implemented in 2015/16, is continuing in 2016/17 and requires local government and the NHS to create pooled budgets in every area in England, bringing local leaders and clinical experts together to plan how to spend a portion of their shared resources to provide a more integrated health and care system for local people.

    The BCF has laid the foundation for integration across the country, but the Government wants to go further, faster. The Autumn 2016 Spending Review set out the ambition that every area in England should integrate health and social care by 2020, with a plan for this in place by 2017. Achieving better integration within the NHS will be a key element of the broader ambition to integrate across the health and care system as a whole.

  • Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on the electrification of the railway line in South Wales.

    Paul Maynard

    Progress is being made on the Severn Tunnel autumn works which run from the 12 September until the 21 October. This will enable works to be carried out to electrify the tunnel which is the key link into South Wales.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47818, what the Government’s policy is on changes to the rights of UK universities and their students and staff from other EU countries.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We want to continue to attract the brightest and the best to the UK after exit. UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects, with the certainty that any funding will be guaranteed by the UK Government for the cycle of the programme. The government has recently announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course. The Prime Minister has been clear that during negotiations she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in excess winter mortality rates in North East England in the winter of 2014-15.

    Jane Ellison

    The increased excess deaths in 2014-15 coincided with the circulation of a strain of flu, A(H3N2), that particularly affects older people. Cold snaps and other respiratory infections may also have contributed to an increase in excess mortality. There was evidence also that the flu vaccine provided reduced protection due to some drift of the circulating A(H3N2) virus.

    These observations were not unique to the United Kingdom, with 14 other European countries also reporting an increase in excess mortality. Throughout the last decade, there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate, highlighting the importance of flu vaccination for at risk groups, including older people and also the childhood flu vaccine programme, which when rolled out, aims to provide protection for both children, but also the general population.

    Public Health England has no such data available for North East England.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent new psychoactive substances being used among the prison population.

    Andrew Selous

    We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison and there are already a range of robust measures in place to detect drugs, including the use of search dogs and intelligence-led searches.

    We recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. We are piloting mandatory drug testing for new psychoactive substances from this month, and intend to roll it out to all prisons by April 2016.

    Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.

  • Lord Hamilton of Epsom – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hamilton of Epsom – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hamilton of Epsom on 2016-02-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether EU citizens can enter the UK for the purposes of seeking employment.

    Lord Bates

    All European Union citizens may enter the UK on production of a valid passport or identity card and have an initial right to reside for three months. Those who wish to stay longer can do so as a jobseeker for a further three months, providing they have a genuine prospect of work. After that period, they must be exercising a Treaty right as a worker, a student, or a self-employed or self-sufficient person, or be liable for removal.

    The new EU settlement negotiated by the Prime Minster also confirms that we do not have to pay Universal Credit to EU nationals who come to the UK as jobseekers.

    In line with the transitional controls imposed through the Accession of Croatia (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations, Croatian nationals, who are subject to worker authorisation, have no right to reside in the UK as jobseekers.