Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote shared ownership.

    Brandon Lewis

    Shared Ownership has an important role to play in helping those who aspire to home ownership but may be otherwise unable to afford it. The Autumn Statement confirmed £4.1 billion for 135,000 new Help to Buy: Shared Ownership starts by 2021 and we have relaxed restrictions on who can buy Shared Ownership homes. A new prospectus for the Affordable Homes Programme will be published in the spring.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will require the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations board to offer GCSE and A-level Gujarati examinations beyond September 2018; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The exam boards are independent organisations, and the department continues to work closely with them to secure the future of all the existing language GCSEs and A levels, including Gujarati.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made in its programme to increase the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets among children under five years of age and pregnant women in Uganda.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Results from the 2014-15 internationally recognised Malaria Indicator Survey indicate that the proportion of children under five in Uganda who slept under treated nets had gone up from 42% in 2009 to 74%; and that the proportion of pregnant women who slept under a treated net had gone up from 47% in 2009 to 75%. The UK has been a significant contributor to bed nets in Uganda. We have funded procurement and distribution of 5 million bed nets and distributed an additional 4.5 million bed nets.

  • Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) invested in and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of acquiring unmanned underwater vehicles.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.

    Specifically for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels employ a UUV for remote mine-disposal, known as the Seafox mine-disposal system. In addition, the Fleet Diving Squadron employs a small UUV for seabed searches.

    It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase her Department’s expenditure on water and sanitation.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK has increased its bilateral spend on water and sanitation year on year since 2004, from £31.2million (2004/05) to £180.8million (2014/15).

    The Department for International Development does not allocate a set proportion of the aid budget to water and sanitation. The UK Aid strategy commits the UK to helping at least 60million people get access to water and sanitation by 2020. We will allocate the resources required to achieve this to the relevant programmes.

  • Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the number of unaccompanied child refugees in Calais who have family in the UK; and when that assessment was carried out.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The management of asylum claims and the protection of unaccompanied children in Calais is primarily a matter for the French authorities. A French non-government organisation, France Terre D’Asile (FDTA) has been charged with identifying isolated children with UK links. Both Governments are clear that unaccompanied children in Calais in need of protection should claim asylum in France. The UK will consider requests to take responsibility of an asylum application made in France, when lodged by a minor with close family connections in the UK, and both Governments are committed to ensuring such cases are prioritised. There has been intense cooperation between the UK and French authorities to improve the operation of the Dublin process. We have established a permanent official level contact group and we will shortly be seconding another UK expert to the French Interior Ministry. We have already made significant progress in speeding up the Dublin process. Since the beginning of the year over 120 children have been accepted for transfer from Europe under the family reunion provisions of Dublin, over 70 of whom were from France.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of his Department’s spending on hospitality to date.

    Mr Robin Walker

    Information about spend on hospitality for Senior officials, Ministers and Special Advisers will be published in the usual way through the transparency data on gov.uk.

    “

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure greater levels of genetic testing for cancer and ultra rare diseases; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    Data on existing levels of genetic testing are not held centrally by NHS England. The UK Genetic Testing Network is working with NHS England, the devolved administrations and the Health and Social Care Information Centre to collect and publish United Kingdom-wide data on molecular genetic testing activity. Data collection is expected to have been completed by the summer of 2016 with a full update prepared for publication by the end of the year.

    The creation of regional Genomic Medicine Centre as part of the 100,000 Genomes Project will significantly increase genomic testing capacity across the UK.

    The project aims to sequence 100,000 whole human genomes and covers patients with rare diseases, cancer and infectious diseases. There will be 75,000 participants in the project, 40,000 of which will be patients and 35,000 of which will be healthy relatives.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of police officers in Hammersmith and Fulham as a result of her proposed changes to the Metropolitan Police.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office has not made an assessment of future police numbers in Hammersmith and Fulham. The size and distribution of the Metropolitan Police workforce is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis, working with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the spread of hepatitis C.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department recognises the public health importance of hepatitis C in the United Kingdom. Following a Tuberculosis/Hepatitis C summit held in London in March, Public Health England (PHE) has a comprehensive range of measures in place to tackle the spread of hepatitis C through surveillance, research, advocacy and commissioning-support activities. PHE is working with local authorities on action plans and work programmes to drive improvements in the prevention, awareness raising, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C across the UK at a local level.

    These activities are undertaken by PHE’s local and national teams and in collaboration with NHS England and third sector partners. The Department works with NHS England to identify the most appropriate way to commission services, to ensure that the right cohorts of patients are able to access treatment when they need it. Particularly in the patients with liver disease from hepatitis C, access to care has specific challenges, and commissioning services will aim to reduce any inequities.