Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of China’s record in observing the agreements made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    During his meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 5 January and in London on 4 February, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), stressed the importance of respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all residents of Hong Kong. He also made clear our expectations that the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law for Hong Kong should be respected. During those meetings, China reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

    During the visit to London by Hong Kong Chief Executive C Y Leung on 15 and 16 October 2015, the Foreign Secretary and I also discussed with him the importance of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the need to preserve the rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Joint Declaration.

    The Foreign Secretary’s most recent six-monthly report to the House, published on 11 February (covering the period 1 July–31 December 2015), urged “the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region governments to reassure the people of Hong Kong that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents will continue to be fully protected, and respected by all, in accordance with the Joint Declaration and Basic Law.” The report also stated that “while we assess that during the reporting period ‘One Country, Two Systems’ has, in very many areas, continued to function well, there have been some areas which have given grounds for concern. These revolve principally around the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Joint Declaration, including academic freedom and the freedom of the press.” We will continue to raise such issues with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

    We aim to provide consular assistance to all British citizens, and to dual nationals in their country of other nationality in exceptional circumstances, in line with our consular guidance. We acknowledge that some countries do not accept dual nationality.

    In the case of British citizen Mr Lee Po, the Government continues to call at the highest level on the Chinese Government for his
    immediate return to Hong Kong. Despite formal requests which we continue to make, we have not been granted consular access to Mr Lee. We also stand ready to provide consular assistance to Mr Lee’s family.

    The Government will continue to monitor rights and freedoms in Hong Kong through the Foreign Secretary’s six-monthly reports.

    The full report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-july-to-december-2015

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to improve the university complaints procedures for victims of sexual assault.

    Joseph Johnson

    Sexual assault is a serious criminal offence and we expect all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to have robust policies in place to prevent incidents and support victims. All HEIs have a requirement to ensure rigorous procedures are in place to handle complaints. Where complaints cannot be resolved, students can access the complaints handling service provided by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.

    The Government asked Universities UK to establish a taskforce to explore what more can be done by the higher education sector to prevent, and respond effectively to, incidents of violence and sexual harassment, hate crimes and other forms of harassment. The taskforce is expected to report its findings in the autumn.

    The Government looks forward to receiving the taskforce’s final report in due course.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of a backlog of driving licence renewal applications for people over 70 years old.

    Andrew Jones

    Currently, the DVLA is processing straightforward applications to renew a driving licence from customers aged 70 and over within three working days of receiving them. Applications that require medical investigations can take longer to process if there is a need to seek further information.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people working for his Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays over and above the New National Living Wage across all of our business areas (£7.20 per hour).

    In 2015 the Secretary of State for Defence agreed that London-based staff should be paid the London Living Wage rate (£9.40 per hour). This is in line with the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation. This rate includes basic pay and any applicable allowances. It is regularly reviewed and where an individual’s rate falls under this they are paid specific enhancements.

    The MOD has not formally signed up to the National Living Wage rate as defined by the Living Wage Foundation (£8.25 per hour). The table below details those directly employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its agencies who are paid less than this rate.

    National Living Wage

    MOD (outside London)

    1,017

    Defence Equipment & Support (outside London)

    93

    Defence Science & Technology Laboratory

    107

    United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

    55

    Defence Electronics and Components Agency

    0

    Contracted workers’ rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency, are not visible to the MOD.

    The MOD does not employ individuals on zero-hours contracts.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of replacing the Bank of England’s two per cent inflation target with a two to three per cent inflation target averaged over the business cycle

    Simon Kirby

    A comprehensive Review of the Monetary Policy Framework was published in 2013, considering the benefits and costs of a number of different monetary policy frameworks. The current remit for the Monetary Policy Committee reflects the assessment set out in the Review, which includes retaining a flexible inflation targeting framework, with a 2 per cent symmetric inflation target, as measured by the 12 month change in the Consumer Prices Index. The remit also states that the MPC may allow inflation to deviate from this target temporarily in order not to cause undesirable volatility in output due to the short-term trade-offs involved.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support is being provided to refugees currently on the island of Lesbos.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has so far provided around £4.5 million to partners working in Greece, many of which are active on Lesbos. This includes supporting the Red Cross for assistance and emergency first aid to refugees and migrants arriving on the beaches. We are also providing assistance to the IOM and UNHCR who are delivering essential coordination, reception and registration support, as well as direct physical assistance.

    It is right that the vast majority of our support goes to the region, our support is helping to build long term stability and resilience to help refugees build a life in neighbouring countries and prevent them falling prey to people smugglers and traffickers. For this reason, the UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US and have done more than any other European country.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Ebola medal takes precedence over jubilee medals in the order of wear.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Jubilee Medals come ahead of the Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa in the current Order of Wear.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Egyptian Ambassador and (b) Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on resuming flights to Sharm El Sheikh.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is working closely with the Egyptian authorities with a view to a resumption of flights as soon as possible. Ministers are keeping the position under close review. There have also been regular contacts between the Government and the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK to discuss the situation.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of public health budgets are allocated to services related to diabetes in 2015-16.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no specific allocation for public health services related to diabetes. Local authorities receive a grant which must be spent on public health, but are best placed to assess local needs, prioritise and deploy available resources accordingly. The NHS Health Check is a national programme that seeks to offer preventative checks for all those in the population aged between 40-74 to assess their risk of vascular disease, including diabetes. NHS England commissions the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme but does not receive a specific allocation for this service.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce early inflammatory arthritis clinics throughout the country.

    Jane Ellison

    National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). Audits help drive improvement by providing local trusts with individual benchmarked reports on their performance against a range of measures, feeding back comparative findings to help participants identify necessary improvements for patients

    The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care. More information can be found at the following link:

    www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory

    To help clinicians to identify the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and make prompt referrals to specialists, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, in 2009. This best practice guideline sets out the signs and symptoms of the disease and emphasises the need for early diagnosis with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of RA. For those diagnosed with the condition, the guidance also recommends they should be offered the opportunity to take part in educational activities, including self-management programmes.

    The NICE RA quality standard (QS), published in 2013, is based on the NICE guideline, and one of the seven quality statements recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. However, whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to these standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.

    Regarding the establishment of early arthritis clinics, the configuration of services, including decisions to such arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.

    The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed that, as of November 2015, there were 563 full time equivalent rheumatology consultants employed in the NHS. This is an increase of 119 (26.8%) since May 2010. The recruitment and retention of staff is matter for local NHS services.