Tag: Lord Jones of Cheltenham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for those countries and territories in which those in receipt of the UK state pension are subject to the frozen pensions regulations, what is the process necessary to negotiate reciprocal agreements for pensions to be uprated annually.

Baroness Altmann

There are a number of considerations around whether to initiate the negotiation of reciprocal agreements for pensions and other social security benefits. These include reciprocity between the social security systems in the respective countries, the movement of people between the two countries, and the affordability of concluding and administering an agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the October publication of a revised Ministerial Code, whether the omission in section 1.2 of a commitment to international law and treaty obligations represents a reduction in the role that the United Kingdom’s international obligations play in domestic decision-making, and whether the duty of ministers to comply with the law continues to include international law and treaties.

Lord Bridges of Headley

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to the Noble Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 5 November 2015 to HL3046,HL3047,HL3048, which I attach for ease of reference.

The Ministerial Code is normally updated and reissued after a General Election. The updated Code makes clear that Ministers must abide by the law. The obligations of Ministers under the law including international law remain unchanged.

Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not disclosed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the review from Keele University, published in the Journal of Ecology, warning that almost all ash trees in Europe will be wiped out due to the fungal disease ash dieback and the emerald ash borer beetle, and what plans they have to tackle these twin problems.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

We are committed to protecting our country from tree pests and diseases and we want to ensure that the ash tree continues to have a place in our environment. To support this we have invested over £21 million in tree health research.

Natural tolerance to ash dieback does exist and the UK is leading research to identify resistant strains. Ash trees have a wide genetic diversity and potential for greater levels of resistance compared to other tree species affected by diseases.

There have been no findings of emerald ash borer anywhere in the EU. We have identified this pest as a threat, have introduced restrictions to protect against its introduction and are screening native populations of ash trees grown abroad for resistance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which medicines will be delisted following their planned changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has advised that decisions on which drugs will be removed from the national Cancer Drugs Fund list are still subject to change. A revised list will be published on NHS England’s website in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what NHS pathways will be available to patients newly diagnosed as suffering from (1) multiple myeloma, and (2) rarer cancers, when changes are made to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has advised that a draft treatment pathway for patients with multiple myeloma is currently in the process of being finalised and is likely to be published early in 2016. This has been the subject of public consultation and is being revised to take into account the comments received.

Work on the treatment pathways for patients with rarer cancers is planned for development and consultation in 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the United Kingdom life sciences industry of their planned changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Neither the Department nor NHS England has made any such assessment.

The Government regularly holds discussions with life sciences companies about the United Kingdom business environment and these routinely include discussion about the impact of policies such as the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

The independent Accelerated Access Review is considering the long term landscape for innovation adoption and how schemes like the CDF best fit within this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the global standard of care that will result from their planned changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has advised that no assessment has been made of the impact on the global standard of care that will result from any changes to Cancer Drugs Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the appraisal criteria upon which medicines for rarer cancers are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it is not planning to specifically review the methods used for appraisal of medicines for rarer cancers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what initiatives they are planning to encourage tourists to use the new airport on St Helena.

Baroness Verma

The UK Government is providing financial support of £4.8 million between 2013 and 2016 to Enterprise St Helena, the island’s economic development agency. Enterprise St Helena is supporting the tourism sector through tourist promotion, international advertising, hospitality training, and small business development grants. It is also working with Comair, the St Helena Government’s airline partner, to encourage tourists to visit the island.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current policy on granting visas for musical ensembles from Russia; why there was a delay in issuing visas recently for the Lyra Ensemble from St Petersburg which led to the cancellation of concerts on their proposed United Kingdom tour; and what steps they will take to avoid such situations in the future.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Due to its obligations under the Data Protection Act, UK Visas and Immigration is unable to comment openly on individual cases. There is insufficient detail in the question to enable us to identify these visa applications but if Lord Jones of Cheltenham wishes to provide specific details of the visa applicants, UK Visas and Immigration will provide him with an in confidence letter regarding this incident.

There has been no change in visa policy for those coming from Russia to give musical performances in the UK. Applicants must meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. We advise Russian visa applicants to apply for their visas as early as possible in advance of their
date of travel. In Russia, applicants can apply up to six months in advance of travel and a ‘submission without passport’ service is available for those who want to hold on to their passport whilst their application is processed.