The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved administrations on fully funded NHS Continuing Healthcare.
David Mowat
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had discussions with Ministers in the devolved administrations on fully funded NHS Continuing Healthcare.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in respect of the introduction of regulations for international seafarers in the fishing industry.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is working with industry representatives, fishing vessel owners and fishermen, to develop UK proposals to implement the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188). A public consultation on those proposals is due early in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of loyalist paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015 confirmed that all the main loyalist paramilitary groups remain in existence. It stated that the leaderships of the various groups are committed to their ceasefires but individual members continue to engage in criminality and also seek to exercise community control through unacceptable violence and intimidation.
Paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland were not justified in the past and they are not justified today. I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of paramilitarism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the household median net income after the deduction of income tax and national insurance was for (a) all working-age adults, (b) working-age adults without children and (c) working-age adults with children, (i) including and (ii) excluding individuals in households without household earnings on the last date for which figures are available.
Priti Patel
Table 1: Median weekly household net income – including households without earnings, UK 2013/14
|
|
Household median weekly net income |
|
All households with at least one working age adult |
£577 |
|
All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children |
£550 |
|
All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child |
£612 |
Table 2: Median weekly household net income – excluding households without earnings, UK 2013/14
|
|
Household median weekly net income |
|
All households with at least one working age adult |
£655 |
|
All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children |
£638 |
|
All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child |
£676 |
Source: Family Resources Survey, 2013/14
Notes:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Iranian counterpart on the protection of Iranian human rights activists in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We repeatedly call on the Iranian Government to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians and will continue to do so. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) most recently raised the issue with Foreign Minister Zarif when they met on 17 May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take to retain the network of electoral offices in Northern Ireland.
Kris Hopkins
A consultation paper on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland has now been published. The paper discusses a range of issues relating to the delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland, including the provision of local services following the introduction of digital registration. I look forward to receiving the views of all those with an interest in this important issue.
The consultation paper is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Christians who have left Iraq in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government continues to condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by ISIL in Iraq against all communities, including Christians, throughout the areas under its control. The human rights situation for many living in ISIL-held areas remains of grave concern.
We do not currently have estimates for the number of Christians who have fled Iraq due to the atrocities carried out by ISIL. We do, however, continue to encourage Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi to ensure all minorities are represented in Baghdad and their rights protected. We welcome the commitments he has made to inclusivity, to protecting Iraqi citizens, addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account. We continue to engage with minority leaders in Iraq. On Monday 10 November, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met with Father Pios, a Catholic priest sheltering Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq, and she discussed the situation of Christians in the country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her assessment is of the implications for the peace process of recent reports of an increasing number of threats being made against community workers in Belfast by the UDA and other loyalist groups.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
As set out in the Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015, individual members of loyalist paramilitary groups continue to engage in criminality and seek to exercise community control through violence and intimidation. However, the overall assessment remains that these organisations as a whole remain committed to their ceasefires. I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of paramilitarism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what involvement Ministers of his Department had in the decision by Public Health England to reduce the recommended amount of dairy in the Eatwell guide; for what reasons that change was made; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The Government has adopted the refreshed Eatwell Guide, which reflects updated government dietary recommendations based upon conclusions from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, robust modelling and consumer research.
An external reference group informed the development of the Eatwell Guide and representatives from the Department were observer members of this group.
The approach considered the most objective and robust by the reference group to inform the sizes of the food group segments, ensured that all government dietary recommendations were met. This resulted in a new image with a reduced ‘dairy and alternatives’ segment, which will support consumers to reduce saturated fat and salt consumption, while still meeting calcium recommendations.
Ministers agreed to the final version of the Eatwell Guide prior to publication and were briefed during the course of the work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase accessibility to university buildings for disabled students.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background or mode of learning. In the last academic year we saw record entry rates to higher education, including among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Higher Education Institutions have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities. They have a clear legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to ensure they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.
Universities expect to spend more than £745 million through access agreements agreed with the Director of Fair Access on measures to improve access and success for students from disadvantaged groups, including disabled students – up significantly from £404 million in 2009.
In addition, to support Higher Education (HE) providers to prepare for the changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances that come into effect from academic year 2016/17, the Department has supported the establishment of a sector-led group of stakeholders. The group’s focus is to communicate with senior leaders of HE providers, to help provide information about institutions’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, and to encourage HE providers to develop inclusive learning environments.