Tag: 2016

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 19 July (HL1204), whether they will now list the competent courts that can recognise genocide.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to believe that recognition of genocide should be a matter for competent courts, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. A recent example was in March 2016, when the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Radovan Karadžić of one count of genocide (along with other crimes) and sentenced him to forty years imprisonment. The UK is fully committed to the principle that there must be no impunity for the most serious international crimes.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 11 and 18 October 2016 to Questions 46460 and 47904, whether the Government plans to put measures in place to replace the National Stroke Strategy after December 2017.

    David Mowat

    The National Stroke Strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues. There are, therefore, no current plans to renew it. Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes:

    – ongoing work in virtually all parts of the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or what time of the day or week they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care;

    – publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;

    – a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy; and

    – NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke works with the Strategic Clinical Networks, clinical commissioning groups, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.

    More generally, the NHS Five Year Forward View recognises that quality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues.

    There are no current plans for a formal evaluation of the National Stroke Strategy. However there is a continuous evaluation of the quality of stroke care via the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This measures most of the key indicators defined as important in the strategy and findings are freely available on the SSNAP website at:

    https://www.strokeaudit.org/

    “

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has estimated the cost to the agricultural and horticultural industry in West Lancashire of flooding in December 2015.

    George Eustice

    In 2014 the value of agricultural and horticultural output for the north-west of England was £1.96 billion and gross value added (contribution to economy) was £0.82 billion. In 2013, there were 12,198 commercial agricultural holdings in the north west region. The total farmed area on these holdings was approximately 909,000 hectares and the agricultural labour force was made up of almost 32,000 people, 0.94% of the workforce in the region.

    Within West Lancashire in 2013 there were 406 commercial agricultural holdings. The total farmed area on these holdings was approximately 23,000 hectares and the agricultural labour force was made up of almost 2,300 people.

    Although farmers in West Lancashire are still uncovering the full extent of the damage caused by the recent flooding, we understand some arable producers have been badly affected. Under the Farm Recovery Fund these farmers will be able to receive funding towards the cost of restoring their agricultural land to the state it was in before it was flooded. Applications for this funding should be submitted by 1 April 2016.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Minister for Disabled People’s contribution on housing benefit and supported housing of 27 January 2016, Official Report, column 326, how he defines all supported housing; when the one-year exemption referred to in that debate will begin; and if he will consider exempting supported housing permanently from the rent reduction and examine placing a moratorium on the application of the local housing allowance housing benefit reduction as part of the supported housing review.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government will put in place a year-long exception for all supported housing provided by local authorities and private registered providers from the one per cent rent reduction. Details including the timescales will be set out in Regulations following Royal Assent of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, but examples indicating the breadth of the types of accommodation intended was set out on 27 January, Official Report, column 1378.

    With regards to the measure to cap social tenants housing benefit and the housing cost element of Universal credit at the appropriate local housing allowance rate, we are working closely with the supported housing sector to ensure those who are vulnerable have the appropriate protections.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on funding for Erbitux from April 2016.

    George Freeman

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2016 to Question 27585.

    “

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Cabinet Office Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Cabinet Committee last met; what is its membership; what is the budget of the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Unit; and what has been the tangible output of its work in delivering a sports legacy from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games since 2012.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government and its Arm’s Length Bodies have helped deliver a strong sporting legacy from London 2012, including 1.65 million more people playing sport regularly than when London won the bid for the Games back in 2005; over £1 billion over 4 years invested in youth and community sport; £150 million a year for primary school sport in the 2013-14 academic year and the following two years; and a 13% increase in funding for elite sport for the four years leading to Rio 2016.

    The Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Cabinet Committee met during the last parliament and was not reconstituted in this parliament. Its membership covered a wide variety of government departments, reflecting the breadth of the government and Mayor of London’s legacy plans. The responsibilities and the budget of the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Unit now fall within the DCMS sport team.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to ensure that the next East Anglia franchise provides more frequent train services to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

    Claire Perry

    We have already set out the minimum levels of service in the invitation to tender for East Anglia and where bidders see there is an opportunity to offer more than those, they can do so. That tends to be based on whether there is a commercial case for improving services further.

  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to ensure that (a) her Department and (b) agencies and other bodies of her Department follow statutory policy, guidance and legislation relating to the safeguarding of young people from child sexual exploitation.

    Karen Bradley

    Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a horrendous crime and safeguarding young people from it must be a shared effort. The Home Office leads on the cross-Government response to this crime. This is a top priority for the Department.

    The Home Secretary’s guidance to officials carrying out immigration, asylum and nationality functions is that they must always make a referral to a statutory agency responsible for child protection or child welfare such as the police, the Health Service, or the Children’s Department of a Local Authority, in circumstances that dictate such action is required, such as when there is a potential indicator of harm or when a child is a potential victim of trafficking.

    Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 places a duty on UK Visas and Immigration and Border Force to take account of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in discharging its functions.

    The Home Office expects all of its Arm’s Length Bodies and agencies to follow statutory, and non-statutory, requirements for safeguarding young people.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that regular updates of the list of Tier 4 visa sponsors are published when sponsors are found not to be compliant with government requirements.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The register of licensed Tier 4 sponsors is published daily and will continue to be. Sponsors that lose their licence as a result of non-compliance are removed from the published list of sponsors.

    No information is routinely published regarding sponsors found not to be compliant. In January 2015 data was published showing Tier 4 sponsors whose status appeared as revoked from 2010 to 2014. This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tier-4-sponsors-whose-status-appeared-as-revoked-from-2010-to-2014

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 906599, for what reason that Answer does not refer to unemployment levels.

    Damian Hinds

    The Department has made no assessment of the effect of the National Living Wage on employment levels. However, in 2015 the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that the National Living Wage would have a +0.2 percentage point impact on the unemployment rate by April 2020 – equivalent to around 60,000 people.

    The Government is committed to reducing long-term unemployment and youth unemployment, and the overall unemployment rate is currently at the historically low level of 4.9%. The Government will also continue to consider advice on increases of the National Living Wage from the Low Pay Commission, whose remit it is to make sure that wages rise to reward workers while considering the impact on the economy.