Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 5 November 2015, Official Report, column 1834, what steps he has taken to exploit the opportunities arising from future international services at Stratford International Station, once Crossrail arrives at that station.

    Claire Perry

    Crossrail services will serve Stratford domestic station, rather than the Stratford International station which is operated by HS1 Ltd. The Department for Transport has no powers to specify that an international operator – whether current or future – must stop at Stratford International station.

    It is possible that an international operator may be able to produce a positive business case for using Stratford International station with the arrival of Crossrail. If this is the case, that operator would need to discuss their proposal with, amongst others, HS1 Ltd.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which agency or organisation undertook the release dispersion and deposition modelling and radiological dose assessment of each Astral exercise between February 2011 and November 2012.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence maintains a Defence Nuclear Emergency Organisation (NEO) to respond in the unlikely event of an emergency involving the transport of defence nuclear materials. The NEO organises regular exercises to test the effectiveness of its emergency response planning and arrangements. These include the Astral series of exercises, which are designed to be challenging, and thus simulate the extremely unlikely event of a release of radioactive material from the transport containers. No radioactive materials are used or released to the environment during the exercises. The specific exercise objectives do not require assessments or estimates of decontamination, environmental or other post-incident decontamination costs or of radiological dose uptakes. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) undertook the modelling for each Astral exercise between February 2011 and November 2012.

    I am withholding information about the physical state, mass quantity, release fraction and total released radioactivity assumed for these exercises as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice national security.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is making available to the French authorities to ensure that people living in refugee camps in Northern France have access to adequate healthcare provision.

    James Brokenshire

    The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including healthcare provision is the responsibility of the French Government.

    The French Government has recently stated that there are approximately 3,700 migrants living in the Calais camp and 1,050 in Dunkirk. The UK Government does not routinely assess the numbers of migrants in northern France or hold a breakdown of the ages of migrants.

    The UK has funded a project aimed at identifying and protecting vulnerable people in the Calais migrant camp. The project is being delivered by the French NGO Terre D’Asile.

    In addition, France has opened 102 reflection centres away from Calais and Dunkirk to help migrants with their asylum options and the UK is contributing towards the funding of this programme.

  • Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the contribution of the Corsellis Brain Collection to medical research and health improvement in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    Started in the early 1950s by Professor Nick Corsellis at Runwell Hospital, in recent years the Corsellis Collection of brain pathology specimens has been managed and maintained by West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHT). The excess costs of maintaining the collection can only be supported by WLMHT from funds received for patient care. Therefore WLMHT has decided to dispose of the collection by seeking expressions of interest in the brain tissue of value for research, mainly sub-collections of the less common pathologies, and to respectfully dispose of that tissue for which no scientific purpose could be envisaged.

    WLMHT has received expressions of interest, but none in taking the complete collection. The original timescale for closure was by the end of March 2016, but WLMHT will support a further three months activity to meet the additional requests for tissue samples. The collection will close by the end of June.

    The Department and NHS England have not made any specific assessment of the contribution of the collection to medical research and health improvement in the United Kingdom, or undertaken any specific analysis of the potential effect on medical research of dismantling the collection.

    The Medical Research Council supports a range of brain tissue banks which have been set-up around specific disorders and diseases generally to collect post-mortem brain tissue from consented donors.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which suppliers are approved to install the service offered under the satellite broadband subsidy scheme; and what regulation those suppliers are subject to from BT on installation procedure.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Suppliers for the main scheme are as follows:

    www.ibub.co.uk/satellitescheme/

    www.europasat.com/lp/bduk-national/

    www.broadbandwherever.net/BDUK

    http://www.primetech-bduk.co.uk

    www.digiweb.com/satellite/

    http://avonlinebroadband.com/broadband-vouchers/

    www.corsat.co.uk/bduk/

    www.ruralbroadband.co.uk/bduk

    www.notspotbroadband.com/grant-schemes/

    http://toowayinfo.bentleywalker.com/bduk/

    Suppliers for the supplementary scheme (which include fixed wireless providers) are as follows:

    http://www.voip-unlimited.net/airwave-home/

    http://www.juice-broadband.com/

    http://lothianbroadband.com/

    https://6ginternet.com/subsidy

    https://www.wessexinternet.com/

    https://wispire.co.uk/

    www.ruralbroadband.co.uk/

    www.quickline.co.uk/

    www.notspotbroadband.com/

    www.avonlinebroadband.com/

    http://www.symmetris.co.uk/

    www.bentley-walker.com/

    http://b4rn.org.uk/

    www.europasat.com/

    http://www.securewebservices.co.uk/

    www.satelliteinternet.co.uk/

    www.digiweb.com/satellite/

    www.broadbandwherever.net/home

    The suppliers on the main scheme are contracted by BT as being able to provide satellite products through BT Wholesale. BT only contracts with suppliers who are able to demonstrate that they have a competent network of installers who are able to meet installation standards set out as part of the contract terms between supplier and BT.

    “

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government has made on supporting women with perinatal mental health issues.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government is fully committed to improving perinatal mental health services. Following an announcement by the Prime Minister in January, we are investing an additional £365 million by 2021 to improve services so that women are able to access the right care, at the right time and close to home.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Pakistan about the kidnapping and forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls and young women, the alignment of Pakistani Law with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and freedom of religion.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are concerned about continuing reports of abuses against religious minorities in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs or gender. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.

    We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including women and religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. In April, the previous Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the importance of safeguarding the rights of all minorities with Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.

    It is encouraging that the government of Pakistan has enacted legislation to protect religious minorities. The UK Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities and women, and to uphold the rule of law.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government plans to take to improve transparency to aid consumer choice on broadband providers.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    As well as clear information about broadband speeds, consumers also need to understand costs to exercise effective choice. We expect the Advertising Standards Authority, following research it published in January, to produce new standards to make advertised broadband prices clearer by the end of May.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Attorney General, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the application and implementation of the European Arrest Warrant.

    Jeremy Wright

    At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 25499, how many of the speed cameras referred to in that Answer had been painted grey on the latest date for which figures are available.

    Andrew Jones

    We have currently converted five camera sites from grey paint to yellow and we are on track for all working motorway speed cameras to be yellow by October 2016.