The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Brimstone missiles have been used by the RAF in Syria since 2 December 2015.
Michael Fallon
Between 2 December 2015 and 18 January 2016 there have been five Brimstone missiles used against Daesh targets by the RAF in Syria. There have also been 32 Paveway IV and 6 Hellfire missiles used for the same period in Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of cervical cancer in 25 to 29 year olds.
Jane Ellison
NHS England closely monitors the coverage rates for cervical screening in all age groups and is committed to improving coverage and reducing variation between all groups including black and minority ethnic women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Local NHS England commissioners analyse coverage rates within their area and work with general practices to improve coverage by sharing best practice. For example, commissioners in London have developed a screening coverage strategy and delivery plan, including:
― Increased public awareness and engagement with screening programmes across all communities;
― increased engagement with primary care and improved reliability of data; and
― working with screening providers to optimise coverage.
In addition to this:
― A primary care cancer screening best practice guide has been developed jointly with the transforming cancer services team, clinical commissioning groups and local authority public health representatives;
― linking with Cancer Research UK facilitators and Macmillan Cancer Support general practitioners to support best practice for screening in general practice; and
― imperial College is conducting a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of texting non-responders on improving coverage.
NHS England is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support on the ACE (Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate) Programme aiming to generate knowledge about effective approaches to achieve earlier diagnosis. A number of ACE test sites are evaluating approaches to increase screening rates in a range of groups, including black and ethnic minority women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
To explore the potential to increase rates of cervical screening in young women, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women aged 25 who are receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The study began in November 2011 and reports can be expected later in 2016.
In addition, the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team has undertaken a trial to investigate the use of behavioural insights to optimise the content of the invitation letter for cervical screening. Results are due in summer 2016.
A routine human papillomavirus vaccination programme has been available in England since 2008, and offers immunisation to girls aged 12-14 years. It is expected that the vaccine will reduce the already low rates of cervical cancer in these young women and allow them to be protected for years to come.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Dunlop on 23 February (HL5589 and HL5590) concerning the Belfast Agreement 1998, why they have not answered the question, and whether the Agreement applies to all residents of the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Lord Dunlop
My previous replies to the Noble Lord on questions about the application of the Belfast Agreement to specific groups explain that the Agreement, with its three-stranded approach, paved the way for power sharing in Northern Ireland and provides the basis for devolved government there. The three-stranded approach is:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs were working in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) Enfield and (c) London (i) in total and (ii) per head of population in each year since 2010.
Alistair Burt
The attached table shows the total general practitioner (GP) headcount and headcount per head of population in Enfield and London between 2010-14.
Information on the availability of GP appointments in Enfield North is not collected centrally.
We have invested in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and over 18 million patients have benefited from improved access and transformational change at a local level. A wide variety of approaches are being tested through the Access Fund, including: evening and weekend appointments and better use of telecare and health apps; more innovative ways to access services by video call, email or telephone; and developing more integrated services with a single point of contact to co-ordinate patient services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-04-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have not prosecuted the reported 350 Jihadis who have returned to the UK and are suspected of having fought in Syria or Iraq.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has successfully prosecuted 35 cases involving 54 defendants who have returned to the UK and are suspected of having fought in Syria and / or Iraq. It currently has 13 such ongoing prosecutions involving 30 defendants. The Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland (PPSNI) is also dealing with one ongoing Syria-related prosecution. If there is evidence that people are going abroad to engage in terrorist activity, they can be arrested and prosecuted. They can also be arrested and prosecuted if they return to the UK. There are a wide range of offences that can be used to prosecute such individuals but each case has to be considered individually on its merits and whether an arrest or prosecution can take place will depend on the evidence available. If the police refer a case to the CPS, they consider whether the test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors is met. That is, whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence and, if so, whether it is in the public interest to prosecute.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the library an unredacted copy of Lady Macur’s review of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the abuse of children in North Wales.
Alun Cairns
No. Lady Justice Macur specifically cautioned Ministers against publishing certain groups of names, for example to protect against prejudicing pending and ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions.
An unredacted version of the report has been provided to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by Justice Lowell Goddard, and was seen by representatives from Operations Pallial, Hydrant and Orarian.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of maximum workplace temperature regulations in protecting workers’ health and well-being.
Penny Mordaunt
A review of maximum workplace temperatures took place in 2010 and concluded that the legislation and supporting guidance is sufficient.
The existing law on workplace temperature, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, places a legal obligation on employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. A meaningful figure is not set out in regulations due to the factors, other than air temperature, which determine thermal comfort (for example, the radiant temperature, humidity and air velocity). These factors become more significant and the interplay between them more complex as the temperature rises.
Detailed guidance on workplace temperature and thermal comfort is available on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/). This includes how to undertake a thermal comfort assessment and measures that can be taken to improve thermal comfort.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Thomson on 2016-10-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s objectives are in negotiating double taxation treaties with developing countries.
Jane Ellison
In negotiating double taxation treaties, the UK’s objective is to reach an agreement that allocates taxing rights on a basis acceptable to both countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and by which ministerial department the decision was taken to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS; when that decision was announced; and what were the reasons for that change of policy.
Lord Bates
My rt hon Friend the Home Secretary has decided that a reallocation from the overall police settlement in respect of custody healthcare costs would not be appropriate at this time. This decision was communicated to Police and Crime Commissioners on 17 December 2015 in correspondence on the provisional police funding settlement. Police and Crime Commissioners will therefore retain responsibility for commissioning such services, and have flexibility to prioritise resource towards police custody healthcare, based on local needs.
In most areas police forces and NHS Commissioners have already developed close effective partnerships in respect of custody healthcare provision and we expect that they will continue to build on these.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was between a fatal accident occurring in construction and the start of a prosecution on the latest date for which data is available.
Justin Tomlinson
For fatalities in construction (Standard Industrial Classification, section F) reported to HSE between 2005/06 and 2014/15, the average time between the date of incident and the date prosecution action was approved is 751 days. This number does not include some more recent or complex incidents, which remain under investigation. The time between the incident and prosecution approved to date by yearly time bands is as follows:
|
Time between incident and approval |
Number |
Percentage |
|
0 – 1 year |
43 |
23 |
|
1-2 years |
51 |
27 |
|
2-3 years |
56 |
30 |
|
3-4 years |
28 |
15 |
|
4-5 years |
9 |
5 |
|
5 years + |
2 |
1 |
|
189 |