Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential contribution to raising community awareness of the dangers of testicular cancer of the work of the Oddballs testicular cancer charity and similar organisations.

    David Mowat

    Public Health England’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns do not currently include testicular cancer, so no assessment has been made of the potential impact of a campaign on the issue.

    The decision on which cancers should be the focus of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns is informed by a steering group, whose members include primary and secondary care clinicians, and key voluntary sector organisations. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding which campaigns to develop and run, with one of the main criteria being the scope to save lives through earlier diagnosis and whether the cancer has a clear early sign or symptom that the general public can act upon should it arise.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46379, how many instances of fraud have been identified by her Department’s Counter Fraud Section in relation to UK aid spending in each of the last three years; and in which areas of her Department’s spending such instances occurred.

    Rory Stewart

    The counter fraud section of DFID’s Internal Audit Department is responsible for managing all internal and external referrals on crime, corruption and fraud. The majority of reports are raised through our confidential hotline or through our dedicated e-mail account. Both of these access points are clearly referenced on DFID’s external website.

    Our case numbers have increased in recent years. We believe this is as a result of the proactive approach we have taken on fraud awareness and counter fraud activities. Our staff and partners are now much clearer on the action to be taken to report concerns as soon as they arise.

    In FY13-14 there were 6 cases of proven fraud across 4 of our central departments. There were 51 cases of proven fraud across 18 of our country offices.

    In FY14-15 there were 33 cases of proven fraud across 9 of our central departments. There were 39 cases of proven fraud across 17 of our country offices.

    In FY15-16 there were 28 cases of proven fraud across 11 of our central departments. There were 60 cases of proven fraud across 20 of our country offices.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of the items of equipment referred to in UK Defence in Numbers, published by his Department in August 2015, are (a) not capable of use on the front line and (b) have been retired.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Defence in Numbers booklet is a snap shot of the UK’s Defence capability and how we are spending the fifth largest Defence budget in the world. As well as giving details on civilian and personnel numbers and current operations, it also includes a list of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment holdings, the vast majority of which are in service and deployable. We will continue to review the Defence in Numbers booklet to ensure that it best reflects the breadth of defence equipment.

    The pieces of equipment listed in the Defence in Numbers booklet that are not capable for use on the front-line are: Jet provost aircraft, BAE-125 aircraft, Wessex helicopters, Challenger 1 battle tanks, FH70 Towed Howitzers and Chieftain Armoured Vehicles. These platforms are used in either a training or ceremonial capacity.

    Currently 90 Tornado aircraft remain in the operational fleet and are, or could be, returned to combat ready status; this number includes aircraft undergoing periodic deep maintenance and modification which are not immediately available for operational use.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to update the Pension Service leaflet entitled, A detailed guide to State Pensions to include the introduction of the new State Pension from 6 April 2016.

    Justin Tomlinson

    “A detailed guide to State Pensions” (publication NP46) was a technical guide aimed primarily at third party advisers and stakeholders, not general members of the public. This guide has not been available since 2010.

    We continue to work with stakeholders to supply detailed information on the new State Pension before April 2016.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what process his Department uses to estimate the number of civilians killed by the UK’s bombing programme in Syria since 3 December 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Every strike is subjected to careful post-mission scrutiny to confirm the aircrew’s assessment.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been released from custodial sentences as a result of wrongful convictions in each of the last 10 years.

    Mike Penning

    The Ministry of Justice does not hold the number of people released from custodial sentences as a result of wrongful convictions in England and Wales. Obtaining this information would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Victoria Borwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Victoria Borwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Victoria Borwick on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people affected by the changes to employment and support allowance work-related activity group.

    Priti Patel

    We are providing new funding for additional practical support for claimants with limited capability for work from April 2017, when the removal of the work-related activity component will come into effect, rising from £60 million in 2017/18 to £100 million a year in 2020/21.

    In addition to this, we also plan to provide additional funding of £15 million in 2017/18 to increase the local Jobcentre Flexible Support Fund.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to Health Education England funding on training in (a) child psychotherapy, (b) clinical psychotherapy; and on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

    Ben Gummer

    Higher Education training in child psychotherapy, clinical psychotherapy and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies is not currently eligible for NHS Bursary funding and, as such, is not subject to the healthcare education funding reforms.

    The Government will be consulting shortly on healthcare education funding reform as announced in the November 2015 Spending Review and respondents to the consultation may wish to raise issues relating to courses operated outside of the remit of these reforms. The Government will consider these in the context of its consultation response.

    Health Education England (HEE) funding for psychological therapy training is currently determined at a local level based on local need. For 2016-17 HEE will fund those commissions set out in the HEE Commissioning and Investment Plan for 2016-17 which was published in December 2015. HEE’s plans for training child psychotherapists, clinical psychotherapists and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (low intensity and high intensity practitioners) remain unchanged from 2015-16, with 43, 526 and 946 proposed commissions respectively.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to (a) end the indefinite detention of asylum-seekers in the UK and (b) introduce a limit on such detention in line with other European countries.

    James Brokenshire

    We do not detain asylum seekers indefinitely using immigration powers. The decision on whether detention is necessary is made on a case by case basis taking account of all the circumstances of the individual case. Detention must comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. Coupled with this, domestic case law is clear that, where detention is for the purpose of removal, the detention power can only be exercised if there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable timeframe, which is highly case-specific.

    Some other European countries have in place a time limit on immigration detention because of the inquisitorial nature of their systems and because the actions of their Executives are not scrutinised by their courts in the same way in which courts in the UK scrutinise the Executive. The UK is not a signatory to the EU Returns Directive, which establishes time limits across Europe.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen have claimed asylum in the UK in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016 to date.

    James Brokenshire

    There were 111 asylum applications from Yemeni nationals in 2015, and 15 in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2016.

    There were 12 refusals of asylum or an alternative form of protection, at initial decision, to Yemeni nationals in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2016.

    The Home Office publishes figures on asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, January to March 2016, is available from:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016/asylum