Tag: Keith Vaz

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Daesh fighters in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The political crisis in Yemen remains extremely concerning, particularly the risk that terrorist organisations such as Daesh-Yemen continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities in Yemen. Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in standardising the border control queue measurement system across airports, ferry ports and rail terminals.

James Brokenshire

Guidance on how queue measurements should be taken at UK border controls was updated in November 2015, following a review. This standardises the approach required for measuring queues. This guidance will be placed in the House Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Spirit Healthcare’s Empower programme on inequalities in diabetes care across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Jane Ellison

NHS England advises that the three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland decided to commission a diabetes education programme collectively from April 2016 to ensure that diabetes care was being provided equitably across the area. The diabetes education programme was put out to tender and Spirit Healthcare was the successful bidder with its EMPOWER programme.

The EMPOWER programme, which is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, is designed to reduce inequalities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The procurement was overseen by an Equality Lead from the CCGs to ensure patients’ needs were being met.

The CCGs will be monitoring the delivery of the contract and the uptake of the course. The service has been procured on the basis of a standard National Health Service contract and will be monitored according to the Quality Schedule within that. Additional quality measures will also be regularly evaluated such as patient experience, Friends and Family Test, course attendance and feedback from clinical leads.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government is supporting the current UN-sponsored peace talks in Yemen; and what steps his Department is taking to bring an end to the conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the conflict. We fully support the UN facilitated talks which began on 21 April in Kuwait. We are working closely with the UN to encourage parties to engage in good faith, without preconditions, and to respect the ceasefire which started on 10 April. The UK strongly supports the work of UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and commends his efforts to getting both sides to where we are now.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to bring forward proposals for a change to legislation to further regulate the pricing of everyday drugs to the NHS by pharmaceutical companies.

George Freeman

The Department is already referring cases to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) and to strengthen our work in this area. We are considering putting measures in place to routinely and systematically monitor significant price increases of generic medicines and take action where appropriate, including the possible referral of suspected excessive pricing to the CMA, while taking into account the potential impact of any such action on the availability of medicines.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Government staff are seconded to or directly assist the UK Special Envoy to Yemen and his team.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

No UK Government staff are seconded to or directly assist the UK Special Envoy to Yemen and his team. Through the cross-government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we are providing £1.05 million to the UN Special Envoy’s office to bolster UN capacity to facilitate the peace process, and are also supporting work to broaden the dialogue to include women and other under-represented groups.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps the Government has taken to support the reopening of peace talks in Yemen and the establishment of a ceasefire.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We welcomed and fully supported the UN facilitated talks held in Switzerland in December 2015 and the commitment to engage in a new round of talks in the near future. We are working closely with the UN to encourage parties to engage in good faith without preconditions in future talks. We are encouraging all parties to reinstate a ceasefire at the next round of talks and are working closely with the UN to achieve this. This is being achieved through Ambassadorial and Ministerial engagement with the Yemeni government and the UN. I spoke to the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (IOCA) at the start of February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much compensation the former Chairman of East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust will receive as a result of her resignation from that post.

Jane Ellison

The NHS Trust Development Authority advises that the Chair of the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has not resigned. However, the Chief Executive, Sue Noyes, will be leaving her post in June 2016 and will be paid in line with the terms of her contract.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans that Spirit Healthcare’s type 2 diabetes education programme will provide education for those with established diabetes.

Jane Ellison

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for making decisions on the commissioning and funding of local services, such as structured education programmes, to meet the health needs of their local population, taking into account issues of safety, clinical and cost effectiveness.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle extremism and facilitate youth engagement in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Peace talks are the top priority. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. We are working closely with the UN to encourage parties to engage in good faith, without preconditions in the UN-facilitated talks which started on 21 April in Kuwait. Our support to the UN Council Resolution 2216 shows our commitment to engaging with civil society and youth as conditions allow. We are working closely with international partners to share learning and expertise in the support of positive alternative messages, and disruption of poisonous extremism propaganda.