Tag: Andrew Percy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce poor nutrition among elderly people (a) in general and (b) in nursing and care homes.

Alistair Burt

Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy food provision for all regardless of age, including those who are undernourished. This is a selection of food and drink which meets daily nutrient needs in a healthier more sustainable way.

PHE has published a range of catering guidance and supporting tools offering practical advice to support healthier and more sustainable food provision across a range of settings. This includes a toolkit for serving food to older people (including those in residential settings or community settings where older people may receive support, such as “meals on wheels” and take part in social activity such as lunch clubs).

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall. Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requires registered providers to meet nutritional and hydration needs.

This fundamental standard requires that a service user receives suitable and nutritious food and hydration which is adequate to sustain life and good health. Care providers need to take into account the service users preferences or their religious or cultural background. Service users should also receive support to eat and drink if necessary.

The CQC inspects providers to see if they are meeting these fundamental standards and provides clear direction on areas that require improvement. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers if a provider fails to meet the fundamental standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the number of people in the work-related activity group on people with restrictive medical conditions; and what alternative measures he plans to put in place to assist such people.

Priti Patel

The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in Bill on 20th July and Ministers have considered impacts with regard to all relevant legal obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced in the Bill.

This change includes new funding for additional practical support for claimants with limited capability for work from April 2017, when the removal of the work-related activity component will come into effect, rising from £60m in 2017/18 to £100m a year in 2020/21.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Jane Ellison

One defibrillator is provided in each of the buildings managed by the Department which includes Blenheim House in Leeds, Premier House in Reading and Skipton House, Richmond House and Wellington House in London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Mr Edward Vaizey

There is one defibrillator at the Government Art Collection, Queen’s Yard, 179a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7PA.

In addition, The Department has offices at 100 Parliament Street,a building shared between several Government departments, and there are 10defibrillators on site.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that freedom of speech in universities is safeguarded; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the reported forced closure of an Israel Society event at King’s College London on his Department’s policies.

Joseph Johnson

The Government strongly opposes any kind of violence or intimidation that curtails free speech in universities and leads to the closure of peaceful meetings.

King’s College London has undertaken its own review of the protests at the Israeli Society event on 19^th January and concluded that a number of individuals “intentionally disrupted the rights of others to exercise freedom of speech within the law”.

Whilst the violent protests were deplorable, KCL has acted to reiterate its commitment to free speech and take disciplinary measures against individuals concerned.

The Prevent duty introduced in September 2015 requires institutions to have robust policies and procedures in place to manage events such as this in order to protect students and staff and safeguard freedom of speech. As the designated monitoring body, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will be making an assessment of compliance with the requirements of the duty.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the effect of bus franchising in the vehicle manufacturing sector.

Andrew Jones

I refer my hon Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole to the answer I gave on 15^th February, to Question UIN 26533.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve apprenticeship standards among employers.

Nick Boles

We have taken significant steps to improve the quality of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships now must have substantial training; last at least 12 months; and lead to full competency in an occupation.

We are going further by giving employers the opportunity to design high quality apprenticeships across a range of occupations to meet their skills needs. More than 1300 employers are involved with 205 new apprenticeships standards already published and more than 150 are in development.

The new Institute for Apprenticeships will support improvements in the quality of apprenticeship standards in England. It will be responsible for setting quality criteria for the development of standards and assessment plans, reviewing, approving or rejecting them; and quality assuring some end point assessments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent violence in Israel and the West Bank on relations in that region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which has had a negative impact on relations. Since the start of the current violence, Ministers and officials have spoken regularly to both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. The current violence underlines that a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

Mr Hugo Swire

We have well established Diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries both through the FCO’s global network and through Ministerial and official contacts with Commonwealth High Commissions and the Commonwealth Secretariat. These enable us to engage with the 52 other Commonwealth members both bilaterally and on Commonwealth business. In 2014 we appointed the first UK Commonwealth Envoy specifically to forge closer ties with London-based High Commissioners and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Our membership of international organisations such as the UN Security Council and EU means that we are uniquely placed to make our voice heard, particularly in support of the Commonwealth’s smaller members.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has published on surrogacy for professionals working in midwifery, hospitals, fertility clinics and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

Jane Ellison

Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act was introduced in 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy.

The Department has not issued guidance about surrogacy to professional groups or the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The CAFCASS campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.