Tag: Louise Ellman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to his Danish counterpart on reopening the inquest into the death of commercial diver Stephen O’Malley in 2012.

Caroline Dinenage

Under powers in the Coroners Act 1988 (as amended) a new coroner investigation may be ordered by the High Court, with the authority of the Attorney General, where it is in the interests of justice to do so because of fraud, rejection of evidence, irregularity of proceedings or insufficiency of inquiry in the original inquest or new facts or evidence have come to light. It therefore falls outside the responsibility of the Secretary of State.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which technical service tested the Skoda vehicles for the purposes of type approval; and which testing facilities were used.

Andrew Jones

The Vehicle Certification Agency has type approved a selection of Skoda vehicles. The Vehicle Certification Agency appointed TuV Sud as a technical service in accordance with the European type approval rules. TuV Sud have undertaken the range of required tests at a number of locations, including Volkswagen Group laboratories and the TuV Sud facility in the Czech Republic.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the effectiveness of arrangements for delivering community health services to patients who reside outside the clinical commissioning group area in which their GP is based.

Alistair Burt

From 5 January 2015, all GP practices are able to register new patients who live outside the practice area.

NHS England has been reviewing the numbers of patients registering with practices away from their home address and have also been monitoring the number of patients who have had cause to seek in hours care whilst at their home address. To date, NHS England has not reviewed the effectiveness of community health services.

As at 1 November 2015, 33,347 patients in England were registered as out of area patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the policy is of (a) his Department and (b) the Vehicle Certification Agency on vehicle type approval engineers leaving the Vehicle Certification Agency to join vehicle manufacturers.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Central Department and the Vehicle Certificate Agency do not have a specific policy relating to staff leaving to join vehicle manufacturers. The conduct expected of a Civil Servant is written in the Business Appointment Rules, which are available online.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are registered with GPs who are based outside the clinical commissioning group area in which the patient resides.

Alistair Burt

From 5 January 2015, all GP practices are able to register new patients who live outside the practice area.

NHS England has been reviewing the numbers of patients registering with practices away from their home address and have also been monitoring the number of patients who have had cause to seek in hours care whilst at their home address. To date, NHS England has not reviewed the effectiveness of community health services.

As at 1 November 2015, 33,347 patients in England were registered as out of area patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29547, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of steps taken to reach vulnerable Yazidis now located in Turkish camps to enable them to be resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Harrington

UNHCR identifies Syrian refugees for resettlement using their established vulnerability criteria. Membership of a minority religion is not in itself one of the vulnerability criteria but members of minority religious groups, such as Syrian Yazidis, may qualify under one of the criteria.

The seven vulnerability criteria used by the UNHCR are Legal and or Physical Protection Needs; Survivors of Torture and/or Violence; Medical Needs; Women and Girls at Risk; Family Reunification; Children and Adolescents at Risk and Lack of Foreseeable Alternative Durable Solutions.

We are providing support to UNHCR to strengthen their resettlement work with Syrian refugees and specifically to intensify their outreach to groups that might be reluctant to register for fear of stigma/discrimination, or who might be unaware of the safe space that UNHCR can provide and the options available to them. This includes all religious minorities, people with disabilities, and survivors of torture and sexual violence.

On 21 April my Rt Hon. Friend James Brokenshire laid a Written Ministerial Statement launching a new resettlement scheme for ‘Children at Risk’ from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The scheme will not target unaccompanied children alone, but will be extended to all ‘Children at Risk’ as defined by the UNHCR. Through this category we will resettle the most vulnerable children accompanied by their families where the UNHCR deems resettlement is in the best interests of the child.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Attorney General, whether he plans to change the arrangements or level of funding for specialist rape and sexual offence prosecutors; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland

Any consideration of future funding proposals would form part of the Spending Review which will be announced in due course.

However, the CPS has been refocusing its existing resources to support Rape and Serious Sexual Offence (RASSO) units, including through a recruitment exercise to increase the size of the units and an extensive training programme to further support staff within them. The CPS is also working closely with the police through a high-level RASSO Steering Group to further ensure the consistent application of policies, including in relation to the seeking and provision of early investigative advice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of tunnelling between Darenth and South Ockenden as an option for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Andrew Jones

Two long tunnels were considered and evaluated as part of the options for a new Lower Thames Crossing scheme. The long tunnel options connected Darenth to South Ockenden either through junctions 2 and 30 on the M25 or by direct connection to the motorway beyond the junctions.

The cost of these tunnel options was estimated at £6.6 billion compared with £4.3 billion for the proposed option, described in the consultation material, and therefore these options were not taken forward as they did not represent good value for money.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-12-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his plans for HM Revenue and Customs offices in Liverpool on jobs and services in that area; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the planned locations of its future Regional Centres based on a number of key principles. In addition to cost, HMRC has taken account of the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, and the need to retain the staff and skills they need to continue their transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025. HMRC intends to have extensive discussions with all our staff to keep them fully informed of their options as the programme continues.

HMRC views Liverpool as a key site for customer service activity. The Department will be making a long term investment in the City and is planning to open a Regional Centre there from 2018/19 employing between 2,800 and 3,100 employees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to meet with Women Against State Pension Inequality campaigners; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

The Secretary of State has met with a number of his constituents who have raised this issue, and with Tim Loughton, who has been involved in the WASPI campaign. He has made clear that he will not be bringing forward further concessions or changes.