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 steps the UK is taking to prevent a refugee crisis in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has committed £85 million. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis, providing food, medical supplies, water and emergency shelter to those most in need. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the current conflict. We are actively supporting the UN facilitated peace process and are working closely with the UN to encourage parties to engage in good faith and without preconditions in future talks.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to relieve food insecurity in (a) Taiz and (b) elsewhere in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. This includes funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) and International Non-Governmental Organisations who provide emergency food to over 570,000 people, either through direct delivery of food or providing cash or vouchers to enable people to buy food. These distributions are prioritised to the areas of greatest need including the hardest to reach districts of Taiz. Just last week, UK funding helped WFP to deliver a month’s supply of food to 21,000 people in Taiz. UK funding to UNICEF is also treating over 150,000 children for severe acute malnutrition and we are funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is of the (a) DESMOND and (b) Empower structured education programmes in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Jane Ellison

NHS England advises that information about the average cost of the DESMOND and Empower structured diabetes education programmes in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is not collected centrally.

NHS England also advises that the evaluation panel for the new contract for the type 2 diabetes education programme comprised a range of clinicians and commissioning officers, including a patient representative, an equality lead, a specialist general practitioner and a nurse. The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups’ Governing Bodies considered the breadth of experience and skills of the panel was acceptable. A 12-week consultation with patients, which ended on 12 June 2015, informed the development of the contract specification.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracts with the NHS for diabetes education Spirit Healthcare holds.

Jane Ellison

The information requested is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve staff morale at the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Ben Gummer

Staff morale is measured using staff engagement scores in the NHS Staff Survey. Employers are best placed to decide how they most effectively improve engagement locally. The Department commissions NHS Employers to support trusts in improving staff engagement through a wide range of advice, guidance and good practice.

The score for East Midlands Ambulance Service for 2015 has increased to 3.39 from the previous year’s score of 3.27. Possible scores range from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating that staff are poorly engaged with their work, their team, and their trusts; and 5 indicating that staff are highly engaged.

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 staff of his Department work on (a) the Yemen Desk and directly on Yemen and (b) all matters which directly or indirectly relate to Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

It is not possible to identify a precise figure for full time equivalent staff working on Yemen directly and indirectly because a range of staff are involved across various Foreign and Commonwealth Office departments and the proportion of their time devoted varies depending on need. That said, the UK remains committed to de-escalating the conflict by encouraging all parties to participate in negotiations to find a peaceful solution, as well as working with other government departments to address Yemen’s urgent humanitarian and economic needs and reduce the terrorist threat emanating from Yemen.

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 evidence the Government holds of terrorists linked to Daesh or Al Qaeda crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of reports in the public domain that terrorist groups, including Daesh, have an ambition to infiltrate migration routes from Libya. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are being taken to address and prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis with medical supplies, food, water, and emergency shelter.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that there have been 16 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus identified in Yemen in 2016, and that appropriate treatment has been given. The WHO and Ministry of Public Health continue to conduct Health Education awareness campaigns on the prevention and control of a number of epidemic diseases, including H1N1.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who was on the procurement board that recently awarded the new contract for type 2 diabetes education programme for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Jane Ellison

NHS England advises that information about the average cost of the DESMOND and Empower structured diabetes education programmes in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is not collected centrally.

NHS England also advises that the evaluation panel for the new contract for the type 2 diabetes education programme comprised a range of clinicians and commissioning officers, including a patient representative, an equality lead, a specialist general practitioner and a nurse. The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups’ Governing Bodies considered the breadth of experience and skills of the panel was acceptable. A 12-week consultation with patients, which ended on 12 June 2015, informed the development of the contract specification.

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 estimate he has made of how many Daesh operatives there are in Yemen; and what steps his Department is taking to monitor that group’s activities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.