Tag: Andrew Percy

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 influence of ISIS in Gaza.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are concerned about the rise in the number of small Salafi groups in Gaza that sympathise or self-identify with Daesh. This highlights the urgent need for all the parties to reach an agreement that addresses the underlying causes of conflict in Gaza to restore security under the Palestinian Authority, and reduce the risk of radicalisation inside Gaza. We are monitoring the situation closely.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for her Department’s assessment of applications for emergency authorisation of neonicotinoid seed treatments; and whether she plans to remove restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids.

George Eustice

The timetable for assessing an application for emergency authorisation varies from case to case. It needs to enable expert scientific assessment and a decision to be made against the legal criteria in time for any authorisation to be of value to users.

Two recent applications for emergency authorisation of neonicotinoids as seed treatments for oilseed rape were turned down on 12 May following expert advice that they did not meet the criteria for authorisation.

The UK has fully implemented restrictions on the use of three neonicotinoids. UK experts are contributing to a review of the risks to pollinators from neonicotinoids being led by the European Food Safety Authority, which is due to complete by January 2017. The European Commission will then consider whether to propose changes to the current restrictions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure garden cities offer affordable homes and a place to live for all age groups.

Brandon Lewis

It is our ambition that garden communities will provide a range of homes that meet the needs of all age groups and all types of tenures. We intend that they will provide a range of affordable homes, including Starter Homes aimed at first-time buyers aged between 23 and 40.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department intends to take to reduce the number of children who do not attend school due to bullying.

Edward Timpson

No child should be frightened of going to school because they might be bullied.

All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they are held closely to account by Ofsted for their effectiveness. Inspectors consider pupil behaviour and welfare, including how well schools prevent and tackle bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour.

We are also providing a total of £1.3 million of funding over 12 months from April 2015 to the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau to work with schools to prevent bullying and deal with its impact when it occurs. This is in addition to the £4 million provided in 2013/15. We are also providing £2 million this year to help schools tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

Good schools create an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat each other and staff with courtesy and respect. Where bullying does happen schools should move to tackle it and provide support for the bullied child. We issued advice to schools last year to help them identify children that may be most vulnerable to bullying and how to provide support to ensure their mental health and wellbeing. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme; and what steps he is taking to increase uptake of such screening among (a) men, (b) people living in deprived areas, (c) ethnic minorities and (d) all people.

Jane Ellison

The UK National Screening Committee recently consulted on the use of Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT) as an alternative screen test for bowel cancer. Initial results of the FIT pilot, indicates that this test is more acceptable to the screened population with a significant increase in participation (10%). This is particularly marked amongst men and disadvantaged groups.

At the end of January 2015, 25 million faecal occult blood test kits had been sent out to men and women aged 60-74 to self-sample at home. Over 15 million kits have been returned by post to one of five regional laboratories (programme hubs). Over 21,000 cancers have been detected and over 122,000 patients have been managed for polyps, including polyp removal.

Public Health England (PHE) Screening held a national workshop engaging various organisations to discuss inequalities in accessing screening programmes.

The national workshop was attended by colleagues from local authorities, the Department of Health, PHE, National Health Service and cancer research UK. The day looked at current knowledge about the extent of inequitable access, what works to improve access for those in deprived and protected groups, how existing levers might best be used and by whom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what ways his Department recognises and supports innovation on medical nutrition.

Jane Ellison

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed a range of care pathways covering the management of long term conditions, such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which are based on its best practice guidance for management of these diseases. Where appropriate to the management of a condition, nutritional assessment and advice are included. In addition to this, there are specific care pathways covering nutrition support in adults and maternal and child nutrition which can be found at the following links:

http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/nutrition-support-in-adults

http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/maternal-and-child-nutrition

NICE is the independent body responsible for developing best practice guidance for the NHS and its guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. NICE has issued guidance on a broad range of medical conditions, treatments and interventions and periodically reviews and updates its guidance to ensure that it reflects new evidence and other developments.

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

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

Priti Patel

The Department does not currently hold a record of sites that have defibrillators. The Department’s current policy is not to install defibrillators on its sites unless approached by an Ambulance Trust or other external organisations who want to do so. We are, however, currently reviewing this policy to ensure it reflects up to date advice from our Occupational Health Advisers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all patients who are subject to the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 have all their rights discussed or explained to them before any treatment is carried out, as recommended by the Care Quality Commission’s sixth annual report, HC483, published on 14 October 2015.

Alistair Burt

The Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice, which came into force in April 2015, provides statutory guidance on how functions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) should be carried out. All providers of mental health services under the Act have a duty to abide by both the provisions of the Act and the detailed guidance on how implement those provisions contained in the Code of Practice. That includes the duty of all such mental health providers to ensure their staff know and understand their responsibilities under the Act.

Empowerment and the involvement of patients are key principles underpinning the Act, and the Code of Practice is clear that detained patients must be informed of their rights; that it is the responsibility of those treating them to ensure that patients understand their rights; and that patients are aware that they are entitled to ask for the assistance of an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) to help them understand this information.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual report Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2014/15 indicates that CQC have already taken action where providers are failing to effectively monitor the Act, train staff and support patients and recommends that services use the findings of that report to make sure staff have the right skills and knowledge and decide what action needs to be taken to improve the care and support available for patients.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on addressing the refugee crisis in the Middle East.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers regularly discuss the migration and refugee crisis with their counterparts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, co-hosted by the UK in London on 4 February, brought together over 60 countries, as well as international organisations, business, civil society, Syrians and people affected by the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) held bilateral talks with colleagues from a range of countries, and migration was a feature of many of those meetings. On 15 February, the Foreign Secretary attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, and discussed the crisis with ministers for foreign affairs from EU countries.
My right hon. Friend, the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) attended the General Affairs Council in Brussels on 16 February, where he discussed migration with Europe ministers from EU countries. Migration was on the agenda at the European Council on 18-19 February, attended by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron). It was also the main focus of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 25 February, attended by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure children and families created via surrogacy are treated equally.

Jane Ellison

A search of the Department’s central correspondence system shows that the Department received 22 representations that made direct or indirect reference to the report `Surrogacy in the UK: Myth Busting and Reform’ since it was published in November 2015.

The Government has no current plans to change the legislation in respect of surrogacy arrangements.