Tag: Andrew Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to local government funding on the delivery of the National Dementia Strategy.

Jane Ellison

On 21 February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his new Challenge on Dementia 2020, which builds on the achievements of the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia 2012-2015. It sets out the vision for dementia care, support, awareness and research to be transformed by 2020.

Local authorities as well as clinical commissioning groups are responsible for funding and commissioning services based on their local population’s needs and ensuring that the services they secure provide the best quality for local people.

As part of the Spending Review, the Government announced that councils will be able to introduce a new social care precept. The social care precept gives local authorities that are facing significant pressures the freedom to raise council tax to help mitigate against these pressures. It puts money raising powers into the hands of local areas who best understand the need in their area and who are best placed to respond.

Further, the Spending Review set out the Government’s commitment to fund a Dementia Research Institute.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect on poverty reduction in West Papua, Indonesia, of the reported ban on non-governmental organisations working in that area.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID no longer has a bilateral poverty reduction programme in Indonesia. However, as part of UK Government action to mitigate against climate change, we work in partnership with the Indonesian national and provincial governments to help secure community access to forest land in Papua to promote a sustainable green economy, whilst supporting local livelihoods.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with hepatitis C commenced treatment in (a) England and (b) each Operational Delivery Network area between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016.

Jane Ellison

Information on patient treatment is ordinarily documented in the detailed patient records held by service providers, and not held centrally by NHS England.

For the period 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016, based on information supplied by clinicians treating people with chronic hepatitis, NHS England estimate that 5,895 patients started treatment.

Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) were launched in August 2015 and therefore data by ODN as requested (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016) are not held.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards in place for considering fee waiver applications.

James Brokenshire

There are no service standards for fee waiver applications.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on people detained in immigration removal centres of there being no time limit on immigration detention.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Although there is no formal time limit on detention for the purposes of immigration removal, individuals cannot be detained indefinitely. However, the Government commissioned Stephen Shaw to carry out a review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention and, as part of this, Mr Shaw commissioned Professor Mary Bosworth to assess the evidence in respect of the impact of immigration detention on mental health. The Government has been taking forward reforms of immigration detention in the light of Mr Shaw’s report.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of substantive replies to hon. Members her Department has answered within the targets it has set for such correspondence since May 2015.

Karen Bradley

The proportion of substantive replies to hon. Members answered within target since 1 May 2015 is 95%

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12325, whether encouraging UK military exports to that country form part of the Defence Attaché’s duties in each case.

Mr Julian Brazier

Yes, Defence Attachés are to support and promote UK Defence Exports.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indonesian counterpart on freedom of access by journalists to West Papua.

Mr Hugo Swire

We welcome the Indonesian government’s commitment to improving the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. President Joko Widodo has visited 3 times since his election, most recently spending New Year in Papua. During his visit in May 2015, he granted clemency to a number of prisoners and announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists and international organizations. Since then, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua. Our Ambassador in Jakarta last visited Papua in January. As well as raising these issues, he also discussed ways to ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces with members of the police, and religious and community leaders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total number of visit visa applications was from Sri Lanka in 2015; and how many such applications were refused.

James Brokenshire

The information requested is as follows:

Applications: 16745

Issued : 10940

Refused : 5785

*These figures are based on Management Information, not published statistics, and are therefore liable to change.

*These figures relate to all visit visa applications made via the Visa Application Centre in Columbo, Sri Lanka, in 2015. It will therefore incorporate applicants other than Sri Lankan nationals.

*Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards for considering applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life.

James Brokenshire

There are no service standards for a change of conditions application.