Tag: Alison Thewliss

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies were contracted to facilitate enforced returns to Yemen for failed asylum seekers from that country in 2014.

James Brokenshire

All escorting services to facilitate enforced returns are provided by the Home Office’s main contractor, Tascor. In 2014, detainee custody officers from the Pilgrims Group, who are sub-contracted by Tascor were used on one occasion on 23rd July to facilitate the enforced return of an individual to Yemen.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual cost to NHS services is of purchasing products used in the management of continence care.

George Freeman

National Health Service trusts are responsible for managing procurement of goods or products on an individual basis. Records associated with spend collectively across the NHS are not held centrally by the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to develop milk banks.

Mr Philip Dunne

The United Kingdom Association for Milk Banking promote and support the accountable provision of safe, rigorously screened donor breastmilk for sick and premature babies. However they do not routinely supply milk for mother who through illness cannot breastfeed their babies even though they would consider providing the supply of breastmilk on a case by case basis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that all donor milk administered in the National Health Service should be from milk banks that can demonstrate adherence to the NICE guidelines on the operation of donor milk bank services.

It is up to the local NHS in each area to consider whether to introduce a milk bank for mothers attending maternity units. There are at present 14 milk banks in NHS trusts in England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will issue a response to the report Scientific and factual? A review of breastmilk substitute advertising to healthcare professionals, published by the First Steps Nutrition Trust.

Matt Hancock

I refer my honourable friend to the answer to PQ 47854.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the government of Bulgaria the issue of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community being denied the right to register as a religious organisation in Bulgaria.

Mr David Lidington

We are aware of the concerns of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Bulgaria. The UK supports the right to freedom of religion or belief for every individual. We would expect the Bulgarian Government to meet its international obligations to ensure freedom of religion or belief for all its citizens.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on European Social Fund allocations for the Work programme.

Mr Shailesh Vara

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 position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people claiming asylum from Yemen have had that claim refused and have subsequently been removed from the UK in each of the last five years; and to which country each of those people have been removed.

James Brokenshire

The attached table shows the number of enforced and voluntary departures for nationals of Yemen, who had claimed asylum at some point, in each of the last five years and their destination.

The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures by destination are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: October to December 2015, table rv.06 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to tackle nuisance calls and text messages.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government is taking forward a range of legislative measures to tackle nuisance calls and text messages, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Specific actions include; strengthening the ICO’s direct marketing guidance by giving it statutory status; and exploring extending the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls. This is in addition to action the Government has already taken against nuisance calls, including lowering the legal threshold for ICO action against nuisance callers and lifting the cap on fines ICO issue to companies breaking the rules. Recently a record high £200,000 fine was issued, and between the 2010 – 2015, the average fine has been £85,000 – considerably higher than in 2010, when fines were capped at £5,000.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to discourage pregnant mothers from consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

Nicola Blackwood

We want women to make decisions about their health based on the best possible information.

The new United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide clear advice for women across the UK that for those who are pregnant, or could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all. This is to keep any risk to the baby to a minimum.

Public Health England is working with relevant professional organisations in England to help midwives and health visitors educate and inform women about avoiding alcohol while pregnant.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-10-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with which organisations and on which dates his Department has discussed plans to protect survivors of rape and sexual abuse whose third child was born as a result of rape and would wish to claim tax credits in the last year.

Damian Hinds

The government is aware that the exceptions to the policy to limit the child element in Universal Credit and the individual element in Child Tax Credit to a maximum of two children are sensitive. We contacted a number of organisations in August 2015 and met with several of those organisations in early 2016 to discuss the exceptions. Officials have also discussed this issue between government departments and at wider DWP and HMRC stakeholder meetings.

The government launched a consultation on 21 October 2016 to seek evidence and invite views from stakeholders to inform the design of the exceptions and their implementation. All Ministers with an interest are consulted as part of the clearance process for any Government consultation. The consultation document is published online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/universal-credit-and-child-tax-credit-exceptions-to-the-2-child-limit

The consultation closes on 27 November 2016.