Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies the London Ambulance Service has for paramedics.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Serious Fraud Office is taking to address fraud by employees in large companies.

Robert Buckland

The role of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is to investigate and prosecute serious or complex frauds.

The SFO is committed to investigating and, where appropriate, prosecuting such serious frauds, as seen in the conviction of Tom Hayes for offences related to manipulating LIBOR.

The Government is consulting and will introduce a new criminal offence to apply to corporations who failed to prevent their agents from criminal facilitating tax evasion.

The Government will also consult on extending the criminal offence of “failure to prevent” from bribery to other economic crimes such as fraud and money laundering so that firms are properly held to account for criminal activity that takes place within them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the application process for refugee family reunion.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Customer service is a key priority for UK Visas and Immigration, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the visa application process is kept under regular review, including by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Customers now apply and pay online in addition to being able to make appointments to submit their documents and biometrics at visa application centres in over 200 locations around the world.

The published service standard for resolving refugee family reunion applications is within 12 weeks, or 60 working days. Where an application is complex and likely to take longer than the advertised processing times, UKVI will contact the applicant to inform them of this. The average processing time for 2015 was 40 days.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many overseas visits he has made for the purpose of negotiating trade deals since his appointment as Secretary of State.

Greg Hands

As we leave the EU, Britain will seek to become the global leader in free trade. Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are making overseas visits to a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. Through these discussions, we are working to ensure we take advantage of all the opportunities available to us, including through our future trading relationships.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work after the UK leaves the EU.

Penny Mordaunt

The United Kingdom will continue to participate in the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work while we remain a member of the European Union (EU). Decisions on any future participation after we leave the EU will be dependent on the outcome of the exit negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the drug used in HIV PrEP, Truvada to come off patent.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a new medicines evidence summary for Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in October 2016. According to this summary, Truvada, compound patents for tenofovir disoproxil and salts expires in July 2017, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate expires in July 2018. A supplementary protection certificate has also been granted in relation to Truvada which expires in February 2020.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on the case of Andy Tsege.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) has raised Mr Tsege’s case with his Ethiopian counterpart, Foreign Minister Tedros, on three occasions, most recently during the UN General Assembly in New York in September. During that conversation he pressed Dr Tedros to follow through with the commitment made by Prime Minister Hailemariam, to allow Mr Tsege access to independent legal advice so he can discuss his options under the Ethiopian legal system. We will continue to press the Ethiopians to ensure that Mr Tsege has legal representation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will ensure that the sex and relationships education curriculum includes (a) LGBT issues and (b) supporting young people’s long-term physical health, mental health and general wellbeing.

Edward Timpson

We are clear that as part of schools’ duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, all young people should be provided with a curriculum that prepares them for success in adult life. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high-quality, age appropriate personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, which includes sex and relationships education (SRE).

When teaching SRE, all schools, including academies through their funding agreement, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance. The guidance sets out that young people, whatever their developing sexuality, need to feel that their school’s SRE is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs, and that teachers should be able to deal honestly and sensitively with sexual orientation, answer appropriate questions and offer support. Schools are also bound by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty 2011, to ensure that teaching is accessible to all children and young people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

When delivering PSHE, schools and teachers have the freedom to design lessons that meet their pupils’ needs, taking account of pupil and parent views. PSHE lessons can provide knowledge to support young people’s long-term physical health, mental health and general wellbeing.

Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. Many of these specialist organisations have produced resources, including the issues you identify, which can be used and adapted by schools.

As the Secretary of State said at the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, we need to look again at how schools deliver high quality PSHE including SRE. We are considering all the options and will come to a view soon.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has said, the referendum result means that we need to be redoubling our efforts in multilateral organisations, including the Commonwealth. My noble Friend, The Rt Hon. Baroness of Anelay of St Johns, Minister for the Commonwealth, has discussed a range of issues with the Commonwealth Secretary General, including the decision by the UK to leave the EU. Building on the positive momentum from the Commonealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2015 in Malta, and will make the most of the opportunities that the Commonwealth has to offer. The UK will continue to be a global advocate for Commonwealth interests, including with our European allies. We will work closely with the Secretary General and the Secretariat to successfully deliver the next CHOGM, which will be hosted by the UK in 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for a standard Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Karen Bradley

The average time taken to process a standard disclosure and barring service check over the last 12 months for which figures are available (November 2014 – October 2015) is 5.97 calendar days.