Tag: 2016

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of China’s record in observing the agreements made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    During his meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 5 January and in London on 4 February, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), stressed the importance of respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all residents of Hong Kong. He also made clear our expectations that the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law for Hong Kong should be respected. During those meetings, China reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

    During the visit to London by Hong Kong Chief Executive C Y Leung on 15 and 16 October 2015, the Foreign Secretary and I also discussed with him the importance of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the need to preserve the rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Joint Declaration.

    The Foreign Secretary’s most recent six-monthly report to the House, published on 11 February (covering the period 1 July–31 December 2015), urged “the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region governments to reassure the people of Hong Kong that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents will continue to be fully protected, and respected by all, in accordance with the Joint Declaration and Basic Law.” The report also stated that “while we assess that during the reporting period ‘One Country, Two Systems’ has, in very many areas, continued to function well, there have been some areas which have given grounds for concern. These revolve principally around the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Joint Declaration, including academic freedom and the freedom of the press.” We will continue to raise such issues with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

    We aim to provide consular assistance to all British citizens, and to dual nationals in their country of other nationality in exceptional circumstances, in line with our consular guidance. We acknowledge that some countries do not accept dual nationality.

    In the case of British citizen Mr Lee Po, the Government continues to call at the highest level on the Chinese Government for his
    immediate return to Hong Kong. Despite formal requests which we continue to make, we have not been granted consular access to Mr Lee. We also stand ready to provide consular assistance to Mr Lee’s family.

    The Government will continue to monitor rights and freedoms in Hong Kong through the Foreign Secretary’s six-monthly reports.

    The full report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-july-to-december-2015

    “

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce tax avoidance and tax crime in the UK’s overseas territories and Crown dependencies.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK initiated the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project under our G8 Presidency in 2013 to stop multinational enterprises exploiting gaps and mismatches between countries’ tax rules. We were one of the first countries to adopt the recommendations from the project.

    We also called on the OECD to develop a framework for Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities. We’ve implemented the OECD framework and have pushed to go further, with the Chancellor calling for public CbC reporting in the EU and G20. The Commission’s recent proposals are a step in the right direction, and we will give full consideration to them.

    In addition, as a result of our G8 Presidency in 2013, more than 90 countries have agreed to automatically exchange taxpayer financial account information under the Common Reporting Standards, and create company beneficial ownership registers. Under pressure from the UK Government, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories have signed up to these new standards.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are being vetted to ensure that they do not constitute a security risk.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    All employees with access to a security restricted area of an UK airport and access to aircraft undergo, as a minimum, background and criminal record checks, on recruitment and thereafter. Those undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting. We keep our aviation security measures under constant review in light of new threat information from a wide range of sources.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it will take to negotiate trade agreements with the UK’s major trading partners outside of the EU when the UK leaves the EU.

    Greg Hands

    My hon Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The pace of trade negotiations will vary country to country. The Prime Minister has also established a Department for Exiting the European Union for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. However, until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 23 March 2016, to Question 31738, when he plans to publish the findings of the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study.

    Paul Maynard

    The study is now complete and the findings are being carefully considered by Ministers. We remain committed to publishing the findings, and Hon Members with constituencies along the study route will be notified when this happens.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Egyptian Ambassador and (b) Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on resuming flights to Sharm El Sheikh.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is working closely with the Egyptian authorities with a view to a resumption of flights as soon as possible. Ministers are keeping the position under close review. There have also been regular contacts between the Government and the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK to discuss the situation.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of public health budgets are allocated to services related to diabetes in 2015-16.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no specific allocation for public health services related to diabetes. Local authorities receive a grant which must be spent on public health, but are best placed to assess local needs, prioritise and deploy available resources accordingly. The NHS Health Check is a national programme that seeks to offer preventative checks for all those in the population aged between 40-74 to assess their risk of vascular disease, including diabetes. NHS England commissions the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme but does not receive a specific allocation for this service.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce early inflammatory arthritis clinics throughout the country.

    Jane Ellison

    National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). Audits help drive improvement by providing local trusts with individual benchmarked reports on their performance against a range of measures, feeding back comparative findings to help participants identify necessary improvements for patients

    The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care. More information can be found at the following link:

    www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory

    To help clinicians to identify the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and make prompt referrals to specialists, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, in 2009. This best practice guideline sets out the signs and symptoms of the disease and emphasises the need for early diagnosis with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of RA. For those diagnosed with the condition, the guidance also recommends they should be offered the opportunity to take part in educational activities, including self-management programmes.

    The NICE RA quality standard (QS), published in 2013, is based on the NICE guideline, and one of the seven quality statements recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. However, whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to these standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.

    Regarding the establishment of early arthritis clinics, the configuration of services, including decisions to such arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.

    The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed that, as of November 2015, there were 563 full time equivalent rheumatology consultants employed in the NHS. This is an increase of 119 (26.8%) since May 2010. The recruitment and retention of staff is matter for local NHS services.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 21 March 2016 to Questions 31227 and 31228, if he will review what guidance is given by his Department to local authorities on public private partnerships.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    There are no current plans to produce updated guidance for local authorities on public private partnerships. However, my Department continuously reviews developments in the sector and if it is identified that take-up of new public private partnerships by local authorities is increasing, I will reconsider this position.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) potential effect on the triple lock pension policy and (b) the value of state pensions for people who retired before 6 April 2016 of a potential reduction in economic growth in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Treasury has published its analysis of the impact that leaving the EU would have on GDP, CPI inflation and on average real wages in HM Treasury analysis: the immediate economic impact of leaving the EU.