Tag: Helen Goodman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report revealed deep-rooted and historical challenges which will take time for the Government of Bahrain to address fully. The BICI put forward 26 recommendations. As a trusted partner we will continue to offer practical and technical assistance to help the authorities deliver reforms that benefit all Bahrainis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of what the proportion of London residential property is owned by foreign nationals of which countries.

Brandon Lewis

The Bank of England estimates that foreign buyers represent 3% of total residential property transactions in London (Page 24 of November 2013 Financial Stabilty Report – http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/fsr/2013/fsrfull1311.pdf ).

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which vaping or e-cigarette products the NHS can prescribe to help smokers quit; and what the process was for selecting those products.

Jane Ellison

Only e-cigarettes that have been granted a marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) can be prescribed by the National Health Service.

By law, before a medicine can be placed on the market, it must be given a marketing authorisation (product licence) by a medicines regulator. The United Kingdom regulator is the MHRA. A specially trained panel of medicines assessors reviews all the available evidence arising out of the pre-clinical research and clinical trials. Manufacturers may also be asked to supply additional information. The MHRA also inspects the factory where the medicine is to be made, to make sure that supplies will be of a uniformly and consistently high standard.

To date one e-cigarette, e-Voke (10and 15mg electronic inhalers) has been granted a marketing authorisation by the MHRA. It is, however, not yet commercially available on the UK market to prescribe.

It is a commercial decision whether to apply to a medicines regulator for a marketing authorisation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many housing providers made representations to his Department about the proposed change of social sector housing benefit to the level of local housing allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

So far representations have been made by 93 individuals and 16 housing providers about the proposed change of social sector housing benefit to the level of local housing allowance.

DWP Ministers and officials will continue to have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a geographical analysis of the distribution of properties by rateable value.

Mr David Gauke

The number of rateable properties and rateable value by administrative area as at 31 March 2015 can be found in table CL1 in the latest non-domestic rating stock of properties publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-stock-of-properties.

The next update to this release will be available in September 2016 for figures up to 31 March 2016.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on action taken by the Egyptian government against Reuters as a result of that company’s reporting of the case of Giulio Regeni; and what representations he has made to that government on such reports.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are concerned by reports that Reuters is under investigation in relation to an article published on 21 April about Giulio Regeni’s case, and are in contact with Reuters to establish the facts. We consider a free and independent media to be a vital element of a stable and democratic state. As well as calling on the Egyptian authorities to ensure a full and transparent investigation in full cooperation with the Italian authorities, we continue to call on the Egyptian government to ensure that the rule of law and rights enshrined in the Egyptian constitution are protected, so that journalists are able to operate freely without fear of persecution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with victims of press intrusion on the Leveson 2 inquiry.

Matt Hancock

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport met victims of press intrusion in March 2016 to discuss the Leveson Inquiry. Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry,including the appeals process, have not yet completed. We have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to protect native tree species.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Defra is acting to protect native tree species from a range of threats. Current examples include:

• it is an offence to fell trees without a licence if an exemption does not apply;

• the particular value and irreplaceable nature of ancient woodlands and veteran trees is recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework;

• we use the UK Plant Health Risk Register to identify, assess and tackle tree pests and diseases at source (pre-border), at the border and inland, including several that threaten native trees;

• investing more than £37million into tree health research between 2012 and 2019;

• support for some landowners on specific tree diseases and measures to support squirrel control through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme;

• working with the Squirrel Accord to deliver the December 2014 grey squirrel action plan for England;

• funding the Deer Initiative to reduce the negative impact of deer in priority woodlands and support; and

• Forestry Commission advice on how native woodlands can be adapted to be more resilient to the effects of climate change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to bring about an international commission into the killings in Rabaa in June 2013.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Egyptian Government under Interim President Adly Mansour established a National Fact Finding Committee in 2013 to investigate the events following President Morsi’s removal. Their mandate was to examine these events and their implications, issue recommendations, review existing legal cases, and on the basis of evidence collected, establish whether additional legal action was warranted.

A 57-page executive summary of its conclusions was released in December 2014. The conclusions included recommendations for the police, educational institutions, the legislature, investigative authorities and the media. Since the publication of the summary of the Fact-Finding Committee’s report, the UK has encouraged the Egyptian Government to release the report in full, and has stressed the importance of accountability for the deaths that took place during the clearances. This remains our policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44657, for what reasons the commencement of Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 has not yet taken place.

Sir Oliver Heald

The Government remains committed to commencing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. We are continuing to consider its implementation carefully whilst also considering our other justice priorities.