Tag: 2016

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Goldie on 13 September (HL Deb, col 1394), what plans are in place, once cities such as Mosul and Raqqa have been liberated from ISIS, to ensure the restoration of property, homes and businesses to their rightful owners, the re-establishment of diverse communities, and the creation of a legal framework to bring to trial those who have been responsible for genocide and ethnic cleansing.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our goal is to liberate Mosul, and eventually Raqqah, in a way that minimises the humanitarian impact, and supports political reconciliation and the return of local communities. We are engaging with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, our Coalition partners, the UN and other international organisations to ensure comprehensive plans are in place which do this. On 21 July, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will lead a global campaign to bring Daesh to justice, including putting in place processes to assemble evidence for future legal proceedings.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 21728, how many applications for a Tier 2 (General) restricted Certificate of Sponsorship have been rejected on the grounds that the job is in an establishment which provides a take-away service in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information is not readily available and could not be obtained within the proportionate cost limit.

  • Lord Knight of Weymouth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Knight of Weymouth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Knight of Weymouth on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 1 February (HL5090 and HL5091), whether they will now provide the direct link to that information, and why they did not provide that link in those answers.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The relevant information is available at “Box A5.6D : money transmission services ranked in order of choice” in the Treasury guidance on “Managing Public Money”.

  • Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what their policy is towards the commencement of the Easter Act 1928.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Easter Act 1928 would set the date for Easter to fall on the Sunday that follows the second Saturday in April (i.e. between 9 and 15 April). The Act has not been brought into force. To do so would require an Order in Council, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament. The Act requires that, before the Order is made, “regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian Body." If the Christian churches were to agree on moving to a fixed date for Easter then the Government would consider, depending on what date is agreed, whether to bring into force the Easter Act 1928 or to make such other legislative provision as may be needed.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 March (HL7118) and the letter from the Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to both Lord Alton of Liverpool and the Department of Health on 7 March, whether there are any reasons why a full copy of the comments by peer reviewers and responses by the person responsible that have been provided privately have not yet been made publicly available; if so, what those reasons are; and if not, whether they will place those documents in the Library of the House, and when.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It was our intention to place a copy of all the documents provided to the noble Lord by the Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in the Library but an administrative error occurred in arranging this. I apologise for this error.

    The remaining document is now attached.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates reviews have been carried out of his Department’s Complaints Protocol written in 2005; and what alterations have been made to that protocol as a result of each such review.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Ministry of Defence’s procedures when handling complaints from members of the general public is governed by the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman who issue government departments with guidance and advice on protocols when dealing with complaints from the general public, more specifically guidance around response times and handling. Since 2005, the Ministry of Defence has updated its internal instructions (Defence Internal Notice) in 2010 and 2015, both updates did not change internal protocols but made changes to points of contact and departmental structures where required.

    The Ministry of Defence also operates procedures by which civil servants and Service personnel can make complaints. These are governed by separate policies respectively. For Service personnel the independent Service Complaints Ombudsman was established in 2015. Further information can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/armed-forces-service-complaints-process .

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce health inequalities.

    Jane Ellison

    Reducing health inequalities is a priority for this Government.

    We are acting to reduce health inequalities by addressing the social causes of ill health, promoting healthier lifestyles for all and tackling differences in outcomes of NHS services, all underpinned by legal duties.

    We have taken an evidence-based, strategic approach to reducing health inequalities, based on sound governance, accountability and good partnership working and are moving towards greater use of metrics and measurement taking more account of the action taken to respond to the latest evidence, data and trends. This approach is reflected across the health system and beyond with NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) playing their part.

    Achieving measureable and sustained reductions in health inequalities is integral to the Department’s Shared Delivery Plan 2015-20, and reflected in the Government’s mandate to NHS England, the NHS Constitution, NHS England’s Five Year Forward View, PHE’s Evidence into Action and supporting strategic and business plans at national and local level. NHS England’s Business Plan for 2016/17 prioritises closing the gap for groups experiencing poorer health outcomes, a poorer experience of, and access to, healthcare. PHE is supporting local and national efforts to address health inequalities by providing knowledge and intelligence, and evidence-informed tools and advice.

    The 2012 Health and Social Care Act introduced new duties on the Secretary of State, NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and Monitor to have regard to the need to reduce health inequalities in decision-making and carrying out functions. We have also made having regard to the need to reduce health inequalities a condition of the public health grant to local authorities.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines concerning drug trafficking.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK has a regular and productive law enforcement dialogue with the Philippine authorities relating to serious crime, including drug trafficking, though we have no intelligence to suggest that drugs are being trafficked from the Philippines to the UK or vice versa. All of our engagement in this area is subject to scrutiny under the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment process.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff working in (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes have been (i) suspended following a child protection allegation (ii) disciplined following a child protection allegation, (iii) dismissed following a child protection allegation and (iv) convicted of sexual or violent offences against children in the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Director of Public Prosecutions the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take Mark Pearson to trial for sexual assault, and the claim by the defence solicitor in that case that the CPS initially provided amended and misleading video evidence to the court.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The CPS’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.

    The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, as this can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, whether the public interest lies in prosecuting.

    It is open to the defence in any crown court case to argue, after the prosecution has closed its case, that the evidence is too weak for the decision to be left to the jury. In this particular case the judge clearly considered that the decision was properly a matter for the jury.