Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 27 January (HL5039), whether they are now able to say whether a stated aim of the recently approved application by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to perform genome editing in human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9 was, and remains, to better understand why miscarriages occur in some pregnancies; and if not, whether the description of that research that will be made public will disclose the specific assay the researchers concerned had proposed using to determine whether embryos subjected to gene editing might be either able or unable to implant in a womb.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) publishes on its website the inspection report relating to a licence renewal application and the minutes of the Licence Committee’s decision. It does not publish other information associated with a licence application.

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended) permits the genetic modification of embryos in research, subject to an HFEA licence. As the regulator, the HFEA’s responsibility is to apply the test in the legislation, namely that the research is necessary or desirable for any of the purposes specified in the Act and that the use of embryos is necessary. The Licence Committee has added a condition to the licence that no research using genome editing may take place until it has received approval from an NHS Research Ethics Committee.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the government of Israel about the case of Mohammed Al-Qeeq; and in particular what representations they have made in the light of the reports of force-feeding and drips being inserted against his will.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We understand that Mr Al Qeeq has now ended his hunger strike. We have been following the case closely and officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have spoken to Amnesty International about Mr Al Qeeq. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem has received regular updates on the condition of Mr Al Qeeq from Palestinian officials and organisations. We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention. Administrative detention should, according to international law, be used only when security makes it absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventative rather than a punitive measure. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the matter of Mr Al Qeeq’s condition with Israeli authorities.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Government will consider supporting a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights if the Northern Ireland parties can reach a consensus on its content.

  • Mhairi Black – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mhairi Black – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mhairi Black on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which (a) PFI contracts and (b) other large contracts between the Government and private bodies have been renegotiated since May 2010.

    Greg Hands

    There are over 700 operational PFI contracts across the UK, the large majority of which are managed and operated by local authorities, NHS trusts and the devolved governments. There is no requirement for any contracting authority to notify HM Treasury of contract renegotiations and, as a result, we do not hold the information requested.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has met representatives of AeroVironment to discuss the Blackwing miniature tube-launched drone.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Representatives of the Department meet AeroVironment representatives on a regular basis to discuss current and potential future capabilities, and the Department is aware of the capabilities of the Blackwing Reconnaissance System. However, the Department has no capability requirement to procure an underwater launched Unmanned Aerial System at this stage, and, as such, there have not been any formal discussions with AeroVironment on a possible procurement of Blackwing.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to tackle fraud relating to European Health Insurance Cards.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department takes any allegations of fraud and abuse seriously and works with the National Health Service on an on-going basis to detect and tackle any suspected fraud relating to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

    We have introduced a raft of measures to tighten up systems and procedures, both for issuing EHICs and checking the subsequent claims made to the United Kingdom. These measures include requiring additional proof of entitlement, mandatory declaration and email verification processes.

    The Department is also undertaking a major system redesign project which aims to strengthen existing processes. Reducing further the potential for fraud and error is one of the key objectives of this work.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings Ministers of her Department have had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    Details of ministerial meetings with external companies are published on gov.uk.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what action can be taken within state aid rules to secure assets of national strategic significance to the British economy.

    Anna Soubry

    A Member State may purchase or invest in an asset on purely commercial terms, as commercial investment is not subject to state aid rules. However, any subsequent injection of funds would be subject to the rules, unless it too was on commercial terms. It should be noted that the state aid rules apply equally to nationalised and privatised companies. With losses of over £600 million in just over three years and hundreds of millions in debts, commercial terms for SSI UK would have been impossible to meet.

    More generally, it is possible to give a variety of types of aid under the rules including aid for research and development, and environmental protection. Restructuring and rescue of steel however is prohibited.

  • Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual value of tourism to the UK economy.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Office for National Statistics has estimated that tourism was worth £59.6 billion Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2014.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure greater collaboration between businesses and education to promote skills for potential future careers.

    Nick Boles

    We are strengthening business influence in schools, further education, the skills system, higher education and in giving young people a broad experience of the careers options open to them. Our education reforms are ensuring that young people leave school or college with everything they need to get on and succeed in life. The new Careers and Enterprise Company aims to help schools and colleges in England to prepare young people aged 12 to 18 for the world of work, and increase the level of employer engagement in schools and colleges across England.

    In further education we have given employer-led Local Enterprise Partnerships significant local influence over the skills system. National Colleges are being established by employer-led partnerships to design and deliver specific higher level training, and we are working in direct partnership with employers in reforming technical and professional education to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century economy. In trailblazer apprenticeships, employers develop the standards themselves.

    In higher education, the government fully supports and actively encourages collaboration between universities and business. Partnership is needed to ensure graduate skills and employability meet the needs of business, to maximise the university sector’s capabilities in business-led research and innovation, and to realise the benefits of a strong role for Higher Education Institutions in the development of their local economies.