Tag: 2016

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes are being made to funding streams in her Department’s budget to help assist refugees close to or in their countries of origin.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to assist refugees close to their countries of origin. The UK has increased its response to the Syria crisis to £2.3 billion and our support is reaching hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The UK is pioneering a new model of support to refugees through international Compacts with refugee-hosting countries to provide long-term education and employment opportunities to refugees, while supporting the economic development of the host nation. Refugee-hosting compacts have been agreed so far with Jordan, Lebanon and Ethiopia.

    As part of our new approach we have contributed £80m to the World Bank MENA Concessional Finance Facility to support refugees in Jordan and Lebanon and have pledged £30m to the new Education Cannot Wait fund to support education in crises, including refugees.

  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the likely number of (a) new tenants and (b) tenancies in supported housing in each of the next five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Work and Pensions have jointly commissioned the Supported Accommodation Review to better understand the scale, shape and cost of supported accommodation. The Review will provide more robust and up-to-date information relating to supported housing, including the principal user groups. The Review will report later this year.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on the transfer of responsibility for attendance allowance to local authorities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Later this year, the Government will consult on giving more responsibility to support older people with care needs to Local Authorities in England and to Wales, including people who, under the current system, would be supported through Attendance Allowance. Work on the consultation is progressing with the relevant departments, and officials will work with stakeholders throughout the consultation process.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Prime Minister, what recent representations he has made to officials working on the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Cameron

    I refer the hon. Member to Sir John Chilcot’s letter to me of 28 October 2015, and my reply of 29 October, copies of which can be found on the Iraq Inquiry website.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of grooming and sexual exploitation in Rotherham and elsewhere which has been carried out by (1) Muslims, and (2) those of other faiths or no faith.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The Government does not hold information on the faith of those accused or convicted of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.

    CSE is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, and anyone who abuses children must be stopped. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, the previous Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report of March 2015 makes it very clear that the issue of race, regardless of ethnic group, should be tackled as a priority if it is known to be a significant factor in the criminal activity of organised abuse in any local community.

    The College of Policing (CoP) has issued clear guidance on how police forces should respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-abuse/ .

    In addition the National Policing Lead for child protection has taken action to revise the national policing CSE action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report and other recent publications. All Chief Constables have committed to this action plan that aims to raise standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The action plan is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/cse-action-plan/

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of parents with children who claimed tax credits in each of the last five years.

    Damian Hinds

    Information about the number of parents with children who claimed tax credits in each of the last five years can be found in the publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics, UK KAI Benefits & Credits December 2015’. Please see Table1.1. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485170/cwtc-main-Dec15.pdf

  • Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Decision on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory adopted at the 69th World Health Assembly, whether they will bring forward resolutions at the Assembly concerning people in urgent need of health care in Yemen and attacks on medical facilities in Syria.

    Baroness Verma

    Tackling emergency healthcare needs in Yemen is absolutely critical. According to the United Nations, more than 14 million people lack access to basic healthcare in Yemen in 2016 and 2.1 million women and children are malnourished, of which an estimated 320,000 are severely malnourished children. We are currently focussed on helping to meet those needs and have no plans for a resolution at this stage. Since January 2015, UK assistance has helped provide healthcare to more than 120,000 Yemenis and improved sanitation for over 650,000 people.

    In Syria, it is unacceptable that parties to the conflict continue to carry out flagrant human rights violations, indiscriminate attacks against densely populated areas and targeting of civilian infrastructure. We are particularly concerned by continued attacks against health facilities and personnel, with only 40 percent of public hospitals reported as functioning.

    The UK has consistently supported the need for accurate reporting and accountability for the atrocities that have been committed in Syria. The UN Secretary General and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, already provides monthly reports to the UN Security Council on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law inside Syria. These updates include detailed reports on attacks on medical facilities.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on the draft sustainability and transformation plans for NHS England; and what the Barnett consequentials of those plans will be.

    David Mowat

    Formal discussions have not so far been held with counterparts in the devolved administrations on the draft Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs).

    STPs will be funded from notified allocations and funding held centrally by NHS England. These form part of the NHS England Mandate and overall Department of Health departmental budget. The devolved administrations have received Barnett consequentials on the Department’s budget in line with established practice.

  • 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, whether Working Links are in dispute with staff unions of the probation services in Wales and on what issues.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    All Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are contractually required to maintain a professional and appropriately skilled workforce to deliver the services set out in their contracts. We robustly contract manage each CRC to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitment to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and deliver value for money for taxpayers.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will direct the armed forces to drop emergency food aid to the under siege town of Madaya in Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    A joint UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent/International Committee of the Red Cross operation delivered humanitarian assistance, including food, non-food items, and medical supplies, to Madaya on 11 January. With land access available there are no plans for the RAF to deliver humanitarian assistance by air.