Tag: Andrew Percy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) health workers, (b) Jobcentre Plus staff and (c) his Department’s staff have received adequate training to respond to the needs of people with Crohn’s disease and Colitis, which meets the six main standards set out in the Standards for the Healthcare of People who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 2013 update.

Justin Tomlinson

Guidance and training for Healthcare professionals advising the Department is developed by providers for their own staff. Both PIP and ESA assessments are based on function, not diagnosis or treatment.

All Jobcentre Plus work coaches are trained to have the skills required to support customers with health conditions and disabilities. They have access to information which gives specific detail around various illnesses, the effects those illnesses are likely to have and access to sites such as NHS Choices. Work coaches can also use the “Employment, Health Conditions and Disabilities” intranet guide notes which provide background on specific disabilities /conditions and advice on good practice when interviewing. Finally, via the local District Provision tool, many Work Coaches are able to signpost claimants to organisations such as Crohns and Colitis UK.

Departmental Decision Makers are given awareness of conditions, incapacities and their effects. Over time and with updates, learning and development they gather more information to increase their knowledgebase. They are also able to obtain specific advice on individual cases from Healthcare professionals employed by providers working for the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department plans to allocate to domestic and sexual violence support services after April 2016; and for how long she plans for that funding to be available.

Karen Bradley

Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for this Government. Allocation of funding for domestic and sexual violence support services is dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) investment, (b) infrastructure and (c) measurement of implantation will be put in place to enforce (i) the recent NHS England Commissioning Guidance entitled Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration and (ii) the existing NICE quality standards on nutrition.

Jane Ellison

The work being undertaken by NHS England to support the Excellent Nutrition and Hydration guidance is done from within existing patient experience and safety teams.

NHS England staff have met with Care Quality Commission hospital inspectors to discuss how the guidance can be used to incorporate assessment of nutrition and hydration through the inspection process. NHS England is also working with the Malnutrition Task Force, other National Health Service organisations, professional groups, charities and industry to support implementation.

An evaluation is being undertaken through Kings College London with three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to gain a baseline of CCG activity and how the guidance has been implemented. We are not currently undertaking work to specifically enforce these National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards, although CCGs should commission services in line with NICE guidance.

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

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

Mr Robert Goodwill

There are 15 defibrillators provided in the buildings managed by the Department for Transport.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid has been provided to (a) Bougainville and (b) Papua New Guinea in each of the last three years.

Mr Desmond Swayne

UK official development assistance to Papua New Guinea in calendar years 2012, 2013 and 2014 (the most recent years for which full data is available) was £1.3 million, £1million and £1.1 million respectively. Disaggregated data for funding specifically to Bougainville is not available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effects on children and families of the parental orders procedure following surrogacy arrangements.

Caroline Dinenage

The Government has made no such assessment. Parental orders provide a mechanism to enable a couple who have entered into a surrogacy arrangement to become that child’s legal parents. There is no obligation to obtain a parental order but a couple who commission a surrogacy arrangement are advised and encouraged to do so in order to achieve a recognisable transfer of parenthood in the UK. In deciding whether to exercise its discretion and award a Parental order, the court has regard to all the facts of the case and the overriding importance of the welfare of the child throughout their life.

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 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to increase public awareness of potential flood risk for home-buyers.

Rory Stewart

Maps showing flood risk are available on the Gov.uk website, allowing home buyers to check whether a property they are considering purchasing is at risk of flooding. Individuals can search by postcode and later this year the Environment Agency (EA) is introducing the ability to search by a specific address.

The EA also share this flood risk data with companies that produce home buyers reports, and approximately 400,000 property reports are produced annually that include this data.

Much of this data is already available as Open Data and several third party applications have already been developed that encourage public awareness. The EA is releasing more information by the end of June 2016, to encourage further growth and development of similar public awareness raising applications.

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 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all children are taught in schools about online abuse and how they should report such abuse to the police.

Edward Timpson

E-safety is covered at all key stages in the computing curriculum since its introduction in September 2014. Children in primary schools are taught how to use technology safely and respectfully, how to keep personal information private, and where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet, such as online abuse or other online technologies. Pupils in secondary schools are taught a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy, how to recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and how to report concerns. All schools can choose to teach children about the dangers of social media in an age-appropriate way. Schools are also able to teach pupils about e-safety in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. The PSHE Association’s non-statutory programme of study for health and well-being includes ways of keeping physically and emotionally safe, including online.