Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) carried out by his Department in the last three years on the reputation of the UK abroad; and if he will make a statement.

    Alok Sharma

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any research on the UK’s global reputation.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a network of 268 Posts in 168 countries and territories, including 9 multilateral organisations, who regularly report on the relationship with the UK in their host countries and organisations.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any work is underway to undermine Islamic State’s propaganda on social media, and how much money has been allocated to that work.

    Lord Bates

    Extremist and terrorist organisations such as Da’esh use social media and other internet tools to spread fear, disseminate propaganda and persuade individuals to join their groups and support their aims.

    The Government’s Prevent strategy is focused on preventing people from being drawn into terrorism by challenging the terrorists’ ideology and supporting those vulnerable to its appeal.

    As part of Prevent, our dedicated police unit supports industry to remove, on average, 1,000 pieces of terrorist-related internet content per week. The Research, Information and Communication Unit (RICU) also helps build the capacity of civil society groups to confront and challenge the ideology of terrorism and extremism. By bringing civil society groups together with communications professionals and industry experts, it has provided them with advice and support, production capabilities, public relations expertise and social media training.

    British Muslim communities are playing a leading role in the fight against Da’esh’s poisonous narrative. This work, which allows them to share their alternative message more widely, is specifically aimed at undermining Da’esh’s propaganda.

    The threat of Da’esh is global and RICU is working closely with international partners and others to develop similar approaches.

    The Prevent programme has been allocated £65 million for the 2015/2016 financial year.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles are held by firearm certificate holders in (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland; and how many of those rifles are conditioned for the purpose of (i) shooting vermin and ground game and (ii) target shooting.

    Mike Penning

    I can confirm that the information requested on the number of .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles held by certificate holders in England and Wales is available. However, as it takes time to extract this information from our systems, I will write separately with our response and place a copy of the reply in the House Library.

    The licensing of firearms in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland and the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland. Information in respect of firearms in those jurisdictions is not held centrally by the Home Office.

    I am unable to provide the information requested on the number of legally owned .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles used in criminal offences as it is not collected centrally.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long asylum seekers have to wait before they receive financial support upon arrival in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    Upon claiming asylum if an applicant presents as destitute they are entitled to access support services whilst a formal application for financial support is considered.

    Destitute asylum seekers are usually accommodated in an Initial Accommodation facility, which is typically delivered as hostel style, full board accommodation.

    The length of time someone will stay in an Initial Accommodation centre will vary from person to person according to their particular circumstances.

    However, the Home Office aims to process their application for financial support and move straightforward cases to longer term dispersal accommodation in participating dispersal towns and cities within 19 days.

  • Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will use their membership of UN agencies to establish relevant targets for reducing carbon emissions in (1) civil aviation, (2) shipping, and (3) agriculture and forestry, by 2020 as agreed at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    This Government is committed to tackling emissions from international aviation, international shipping and agriculture and forestry.

    As inherently transnational in nature, international aviation and maritime emissions are regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and are outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement. The UK is working through the ICAO and IMO to develop mechanisms which deliver emissions reductions, in line with the long term goal agreed in Paris of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees. In 2016, the ICAO is set to agree a global market based measure, to offset emissions post-2020. The UK government is engaged in this process.

    The Government is also committed to tackling emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and supporting the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+). The UK played a key role in the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests, which set ambitious targets for halving (by 2020) and halting (by 2030) the loss of natural forests and eliminating deforestation from the production of key agricultural commodities by 2020. The new UN Sustainable Development Goals, agreed in September 2015, also include targets to halt deforestation, sustainably manage and restore natural forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally by 2020. At COP21 the UK endorsed a Leaders’ Statement on Forests which recognised the importance of these goals, as well as the progress on REDD+ under the UNFCCC.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what public awareness campaigns his Department has planned to improve awareness of work-related respiratory illness.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the national regulator for health and safety at work, takes a lead role in raising awareness of work related respiratory diseases. HSE has run campaigns targeted at specific at-risk workers and/or their employers, a recent example being the ‘Beware Asbestos’ campaign which ran from October 2014 to March 2015 and focussed on tradespeople such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers. HSE has also supported other organisations such as the British Occupational Hygiene Society to develop its ‘Breathe Freely’ campaign targeted at work in the construction industry.

    HSE has recently published a new strategy for the GB health and safety system called ‘Helping Great Britain work well’. One of the six themes of the strategy is ‘Tackling ill health’ which will include long-term and coordinated action across all sectors, bringing in additional partners such as the NHS and others to support the substantial behaviour change and awareness programmes that will be required.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33365, on interpreters, what the average length of delay was that his Department attributes to late or absent interpreters since Capita took over the contract.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested is not collected centrally. The volume of trials requiring relisting due to the unavailability of an interpreter is at the lowest level it has been since 2011.

    Further information on the volume of trials listed in the criminal courts, and those which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter absence, is published in the Criminal Court Statistics, which can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics

    “

  • Lord Tyler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Tyler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the capital value for which (1) ermine robes, and (2) other garments, used by Peers and Officers of the House during the State Opening of Parliament are insured.

    Lord Laming

    The capital value of Members’ robes donated to the House is £217,453 (as reported in the House of Lords Resource Accounts: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/2015/HL-resource-accounts-2014-15.pdf). No public money was spent on acquiring these robes. The Administration does not capitalise other garments used by Members and staff of the House during the State Opening of Parliament. The House is self-insuring.

    “

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the capacity of specialist dermatology centres to support people living with hidradenitis suppurativa.

    David Mowat

    Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care. For those patients with the most serious forms of HS who cannot be managed in this way, a referral to a specialised service may be appropriate.

    NHS England commissions specialised services for people with rare and complex skin conditions and has set out what providers must have in place in order to offer specialist dermatology care. The level of service provision nationally is based on an assessment of the likely patient population who will need to access specialised care. It is estimated that about 10% of patients requiring dermatology services (about 10,000 each year) need care from specialised dermatology centres.

    Specialised services may provide more intensive therapies with the involvement of a range of health and care professionals, subject to a patient’s needs. More information can be found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a12-spec-dermatology.pdf

    “

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many newly qualified GPs are waiting to be added to the national list for medical performers.

    David Mowat

    NHS England advises that, currently, there are approximately 720 applications for general practitioner (GP) trainees to be added to the performers list.

    The processing of applications to join the National Performers List was taken over by Capita in September 2015, and there have been some delays in Capita’s processing of applications. NHS England is working closely with Capita to identify all cases which may be affected by delays in processing applications, and those identified are being investigated and urgent cases prioritised. NHS England expects all GP trainees to be on the performers list by the end of October when their grace period for inclusion ends.

    The decision to admit a GP trainee to the performer list is the sole responsibility of NHS England rather than Capita. There have been some instances where Capita have informed GPs that they cannot practice because their application to the performer list has not been completed. Where we are aware of such instances, those GPs have been contacted by NHS England and provided with the correct advice relating to their individual circumstances. Where necessary, NHS England has taken further action to expedite the performers’ list process.