The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on releasing the Tibetan blogger Druklo.
Mr Hugo Swire
We plan to raise the case of Druklo (also known as Shokjang) at the next round of the UK-China human rights dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England is operating a moratorium on the opening of new mental health beds in the areas of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and eating disorders; and if he will make a statement.
Nicola Blackwood
At present, annual expenditure on in-patient facilities for children and young people with mental health problems is £280 million this includes the expenditure on beds for those with children and young people who have eating disorders.
In 2014, the Government provided £5 million in 2014/15 to open an additional 56 beds, bringing the total to 1,442. Whilst there is no moratorium on the opening of new mental health beds , NHS England is currently undertaking a re-procurement of all Children and Young People’s Mental Health beds, so that services are commissioned which meet the needs of children and young people who require in-patient care and ensure that they are located appropriately.
The major £1.4 billion programme of investment over five years to transform children’s mental health services will increase the opportunities for earlier intervention in the community. This investment includes £150 million over five years to develop community eating disorder services for children and young people in every area of the country, as the evidence indicates that those with eating disorders recover better with this model of care.
NHS England will continue to work with clinical commissioning group commissioners to build integrated pathways of care that ensure that children and young people are only admitted to inpatient beds when it is clinically appropriate, and are discharged as soon as possible, with any appropriate follow-up care in place. For eating disorders, this will include the development of dedicated teams which will in time reduce the need for inpatient beds and shorten lengths of stay.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-10-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the political situation facing UK companies contemplating investing in Turkey.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
UK companies are active in a range of sectors in Turkey, and the UK is consistently among the country’s top sources of foreign investment. The failed coup in Turkey on 15 July and its aftermath has had some short term impact, and the political situation remains challenging. The Turkish economy is well under-pinned and offers significant opportunities for investors in the medium and long term, particularly if the government proceeds with planned structural reforms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID has 2 HQ buildings in the UK, one in Whitehall and the other in East Kilbride, Glasgow. Each building has one defibrillator and all staff who are trained in first aid have had the appropriate training to use the equipment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Grey-Thompson on 2016-02-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of operating wheelchair services in England in the last year for which figures are available.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Information on the cost of operating wheelchair services in England is not available centrally. Such information as is available is from reference costs, which are the average unit costs to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services to patients. The total cost of operating wheelchair services reported in 2014-15 reference costs was £143.4 million.
NHS England advises that as clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning wheelchair services, it does not collect data on how much is spent on the purchase of wheelchairs. NHS England is however supporting improvement in wheelchair services and has just established a new national data collection. This will enable tracking at local and national levels of issues such as the number of wheelchair users, the costs of services and the length of time people have to wait.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the Government plans to provide to each local authority to meet the costs of the apprenticeship levy.
Mr Marcus Jones
All new Government policies which impact on local government are assessed for whether they will represent a new burden on local authorities, against the criteria published in the New Burdens guidance. The New Burdens doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-burdens-doctrine-guidance-for-government-departments.
In setting the future funding settlement for local government at the Spending Review in November 2015, the Government took account of a wide range of factors, including some which fell outside the New Burdens doctrine but nonetheless represented new costs for local authorities such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to change (a) the points awarded to individual descriptors under the personal independent payments (PIP) and (b) other elements of the PIP assessment process system.
Justin Tomlinson
As confirmed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 21 March, the proposed changes to PIP will not be going ahead.
We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions her Department has had with external organisations on the development of the new cyber security strategy.
Andrea Leadsom
The new National Cyber Security Strategy is being developed by Cabinet Office in close cooperation with DECC and other Government Departments. Stakeholders from across the public sector, industry and academia have fed in their views. The strategy will set out how the Government will work in partnership to strengthen the UK’s defences, enhance our capabilities and develop the cyber security sector. DECC continues to engage with external stakeholders on a range of issues and as part of our contribution to this strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will re-assess the business case for the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong spur of the second phase of High Speed 2 to take account of the decision to place the train depot at Crewe rather than Golborne.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport have been analysing route and station options in light of responses received following the Phase Two consultation. It would not be appropriate to go into detail on any individual location before a route decision has been taken. A route decision is planned for autumn 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marion Fellows on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s policy is on the granting of visas to Syrian passport holders to enter the UK on a short term basis.
Mr Robert Goodwill
It is not Home Office policy to refuse an application for a visa on the basis of an applicant’s nationality. All visa applications are considered on their merits, in accordance with the Immigration Rules.