Tag: Michelle Donelan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will press for the release of former Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Hugo Swire

We have made clear on a number of occasions our deep concern about Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment. I made a statement on 10 February 2015, following his conviction and sentencing. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised Anwar Ibrahim’s case with his Malaysian counterpart during a visit to Malaysia in July last year.

A number of other Ministers have raised Anwar Ibrahim’s case with their Malaysian counterparts. Most recently, in separate meetings with Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister in London in November 2015, the Home Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and I raised our concerns, including about his health and medical treatment. I have also met Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, several times to discuss this case, most recently in February.

We are aware of concerns regarding judicial independence and the rule of law in this case. We will continue to raise our concerns and encourage Malaysia to recognise the importance of international confidence in its judicial system and to restore trust in its commitment to international human rights standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the state of morale among junior doctors.

Ben Gummer

The most recent assessment of the state of morale among junior doctors was from engagement scores in the 2015 NHS Staff Survey published in February which showed a score for junior doctors of 3.85/5, up from 3.81/5 the previous year. On 11 February my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that a new national juniors’ contract will be introduced. He also announced a review into some wider and more deep-seated issues relating to junior doctors’ morale, wellbeing and quality of life, which will be led by Professor Dame Sue Bailey, the President of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

The Government and junior doctors want to do the same thing by improving patient care at weekends. A contract that is safer for patients as well as fair and reasonable for junior doctors is a step towards that.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been of investigations into sexual offences in (a) Wiltshire and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley

The Home Office does not hold this information. It is an operational decision for chief officers to determine the best use of available resources according to local priorities and held to account by their elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefit to (a) consumers, (b) the economy and (c) the environment of tidal stream technologies.

Jesse Norman

In the development of all its policies, including tidal stream, Government routinely considers the potential benefits and costs to the consumer, the economy and the environment as part of the overall energy mix.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to resettle Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington

On 16 December the Prime Minister informed the House we had met our commitment of resettling 1,000 Syrians before Christmas. These refugees form part of the 20,000 that we will resettle during this Parliament, showing that Britain will continue to act in the finest traditions of providing shelter to the most vulnerable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department provides to farmers who are waiting to receive a single farm payment.

George Eustice

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) started paying Basic Payment Scheme claims from the opening of the payment window on 1 December 2015. As of 21 March 2016, the RPA has paid 72,807 claimants approximately £1.15 billion and remains focused on paying the remainder of claims as promptly as possible.

The RPA has an established financial hardship process and is working with a range of farming help organisations to see what further support could be offered. Following hardship case referrals from these organisations, over 420 farmers have received RPA hardship payments, amounting to more than £6.8 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter for internally displaced people and children in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK is the 4^th 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 who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants in Yemen. We work through International Non-Governmental Organisations and United Nations agencies to deliver this assistance, ensuring the response is targeted towards the most vulnerable.

This funding includes support to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide over 750,000 Internally Displaced People and people affected by the conflict with access to a safe water supply and critical hygiene items. The UK has also provided funds to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF and Save the Children to raise awareness of child rights, to monitor and support displaced children and to provide children with food, nutritional support, water and sanitation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-03.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department is making on tackling aggressive fundraising activities by charities.

Mr Rob Wilson

Last year the Government accepted the recommendations made in a sector-led review of fundraising regulation to support the setup of a new independent regulator with stronger sanctions and control of the code of practice.

Since then there have been several positive changes. The Code of Fundraising Practice has already been strengthened in several areas. The law has been changed in the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 to better protect vulnerable individuals and encourage greater accountability. The Charity Commission has published updated fundraising guidance that emphasises trustees’ role in over-seeing fundraising. Many charities and their representative bodies are already taking their own steps to improve fundraising practices.

The new Fundraising Regulator is due to open in July and will proactively ensure that charities fundraise to the high standards the public expect.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the national living wage on sleep-in shifts in the learning disabilities sector.

Margot James

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) independently advises the Government on the trajectory of the National Living Wage (NLW).As part of their remit, the LPC continues to consult a broad range of stakeholders within the social care sector on the impact of the NLW.

Furthermore, from April 2017, the Spending Review makes available social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019/20, to be included in the Better Care Fund.

From 2016/17, local councils have also been able to introduce a Social Care Precept, allowing them to increase council tax by 2% above the existing threshold. This could raise nearly £2bn a year for social care by 2019/20. Taken together, these measures mean that local government has access to £3.5 billion of support by 2019/20 – the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.

Andrea Leadsom

The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.

In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.