The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the declaration by the African Union that the Crans Montana Forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara, should be cancelled.
Dan Rogerson
Having received no invitation, no assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has received an invitation to the Crans Montana forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara; and whether he plans to send a representative to that forum.
Matthew Hancock
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has received and declined an invitation to this forum and my Department does not plan to send a representative. We are aware of reports that the African Union has called for the forum to be cancelled but we do not intend to make any assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has received an invitation to the Crans Montana Forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara; and whether she plans to send a representative to that forum.
Dan Rogerson
An invitation to the Forum in Dakhla has not been received.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received an invitation to the Crans Montana Forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara; whether he plans to send a representative to that forum; and what reports he has received on the African Union’s call for that forum to be cancelled.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I have not received an invitation to this forum and I do not plan to send a representative. I am aware of reports that the African Union has called for the forum to be cancelled.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training on the potential risks of opioid substitution treatment medications is provided to pharmacists, social workers and health visitors.
Jane Ellison
There is robust clinical guidance on substitute prescribing, which covers the timing and circumstances under which people with opiate dependency may be allowed to take home and be responsible for their opioid substitution medicine.
It is for the professional bodies of pharmacists, social workers and health visitors to set the standards that training equips professionals to meet, and for employers to ensure that staff who are involved in or might encounter opioid substitution treatment are trained in its potential risks, including to children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the report Medications in Drug Treatment: Tackling the Risks to Children published on 29 April 2014 by Adfam.
Jane Ellison
We welcome the valuable work of Adfam in producing this report.
Officials from the Department and Public Health England have regular contact with Adfam and will be discussing with them what actions would be appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in the UK maintain a register of accessible or adapted homes; and what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on registers of accessible housing.
Kris Hopkins
The Department does not hold this information.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities are able to access suitable accommodation which meets their needs.
Accessible housing registers can be useful and we are aware that some councils and social landlords have incorporated such an approach within their lettings scheme.
The Government believes it is more important that people who require accessible housing are given the right level of priority under a council’s housing allocation scheme, and that councils and social landlords are able to make the best use of affordable housing in their area, including accommodation which is accessible or has been adapted.
That is why, through the Localism Act, we have retained the statutory reasonable preference requirements which ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds (including grounds relating to a disability). We have also made sure that council and housing association landlords have the flexibility to use their social housing stock in a way which best meets the needs of individual households and their local area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the demand for (a) homes built to lifetime home standards and (b) wheelchair accessible homes.
Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government, does not hold information on the overall demand for lifetime homes or wheelchair-accessible properties in the UK.
While the Department’s English Housing Survey does ask respondents whether their current accommodation requires adaptations given their disability or long standing illness, these questions do not ask specifically about wheelchair accessibility. It is therefore not possible to estimate demand for wheelchair accessible properties in England using this data source.
Estimates using the English Housing Survey show there to be around 1.1 million wheelchair-accessible homes in England, equating to 5 per cent of the dwelling stock. Data reported by social landlords, in England, shows that around 1 per cent (2,700 of 240,000 general needs lettings) of tenants taking up a social letting in 2011/12 identified their household as needing wheelchair accessible housing (source: The Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales of Social Housing in England).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in receipt of disability living allowance or personal independence payments have received support from the Help to Buy scheme.
Kris Hopkins
This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home. That is why we have introduced schemes such as Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme and Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme, which is managed by HM Treasury. We do not collect data on the number of people purchasing a home using either of the Help to Buy schemes who are in receipt of disability living allowance or personal independence payments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average waiting time was in each local authority for an assessment for a disabled facilities grant in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Kris Hopkins
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.