The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to issue a response to the Migration Advisory Committee review of Tier 2 visas.
James Brokenshire
The Government is carefully considering the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations and has not yet made its final decisions. We will announce our response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what proportion of officials of her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The table below provides the overall sick leave taken by DFID staff, and the proportion of sick leave for reasons related to stress in each of the past three years. Information on 2011/12 and 2012/13 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
|
Period |
Stress Related Absence (Days ) |
Total Sick Leave (Days) |
Percentage Stress Related Absence against Total Sick Leave |
No of Staff who took Stress Related Absence |
No of Staff who took Sick Leave |
Percentage staff who took Stress Related Absence against total staff who recorded a sick absence |
|
March 2015 – February 2016 |
1485 |
9087 |
16.3% |
63 |
1294 |
4.9% |
|
April 2014 – March 2015 |
1642 |
8889 |
18.5% |
58 |
1367 |
4.2% |
|
April 2013 – March 2014 |
1137 |
8427 |
13.5% |
39 |
1180 |
3.3% |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since its inception; and if she will make a statement.
Richard Harrington
At the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced an estimated £460 million over the spending review period to cover the first 12 months’ costs for each of the 20,000 refugees being resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Scheme. He also announced an estimated £129 million to assist with local authority costs for years two to five of each refugee’s stay in the UK. The cost of the scheme since inception is subject to audit by the National Audit Office as part of the finalisation of the 2015-16 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, which are expected to be published this summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will receive further funding from the Government to provide any extra A&E care required as a result of Central Nottinghamshire Clinical Services no longer providing such care.
Ben Gummer
Additional funding for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (SFHFT) would be a matter for the local clinical commissioning groups.
NHS England advises that SFHFT has neither requested nor received additional funding as a result of the new caretaker arrangements. Nottingham Emergency Medical Services, the new caretaker provider of out of hours urgent care services at King’s Mill and Newark hospitals, has met the needs of the patients.
We are advised by NHS England that in the period since the handover took place there has been no material impact on the performance of either SFHFT or the mid Nottinghamshire health and social care system against the national four-hour accident and emergency standard.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-07-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Kurdistan Regional Government in the light of reports of the recent closure of the Kurdish Women’s Relations Office in Erbil, and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of the recent closure of the Kurdish Women’s Relations Office, also known as REPAK. Our Consulate-General in Erbil raised this issue with the Kurdistan Regional government (KRG) through the Head of Asayish (part of the Kurdish Internal Security Services), General Esmat Argooshi, and the KRG Prime Minister’s Private Secretary.
We have also discussed the matter with the Human Rights Office at the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). UNAMI have engaged with the Kurdistan Regional government’s Department of Foreign Relations, who said that they would monitor the situation. We are encouraging the Kurdistan Regional Government to respect the legal rights of all legally registered Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and we support UNAMI’s efforts to promote the legal rights of NGOs operating in Iraq.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on hearing and sight tests being carried out by school nurses in primary schools.
Nicola Blackwood
At the age of school entry, most children will have a hearing test and an eye test. The tests may be conducted at school but can be carried out elsewhere depending upon the arrangements in the local area.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
In November 2013 the UK NSC re-affirmed its recommendation that child vision screening between four and five years of age should be offered by an orthoptic-led service. Public Health England is working to improve the quality and consistency of current vision screening services across the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UN Security Council decisions on Women, Peace and Security, whether they have made representations to the UN that future peace conferences or peace negotiations on the situation in Syria should include a direct role for Syrian women’s groups.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The second meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Vienna on 14 November agreed an outline timetable for Syrian peace negotiations, leading to transitional governance, a new constitution and elections within eighteen months. The International Syria Support Group will now meet on a regular basis, in parallel with Syrian-led discussions facilitated by UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, to take forward this process.
Ministers and senior officials have made regular representations to the UN Special Envoy and other UN officials to impress upon them the importance of the inclusion of Syrian women’s groups in the peace process. We continue to encourage the moderate Syrian opposition to be gender-inclusive and were pleased that a senior female activist accompanied the Syrian National Coalition President, Khaled Khoja, on his official visit to the UK earlier this month. Our programmes of support to grass roots peace-building initiatives and civil society groups inside Syria support this objective, and are designed to ensure that Syrian women’s voices are heard and that they are represented in political negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much from the Funding for Lending scheme has been allocated (a) for lending on mortgages prior to the change in rules for such lending in 2014 and (b) for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises since the change in those rules.
Harriett Baldwin
UK banks and building societies that participate in in the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) are able to borrow funding from the Bank of England, with the amount they are able to borrow (their ‘borrowing allowance’) linked to their net lending performance. FLS usage and lending data is published on the Bank of England website at the following link: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/Pages/FLS/extensiondata.aspx
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the timescale is for privatisation of the Green Investment Bank; and whether he has made contingency plans to extend that timescale in the event of adverse market conditions.
Anna Soubry
The Government has previously stated that it is seeking to sell a majority stake in the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in the financial year 2016/17.
Strong market interest currently exists for the GIB and we expect this timetable to be successfully met. Any extension would be considered nearer to the end of that timetable, should it be required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department is having with HM Treasury on renegotiation of tax treaties between the UK and developing countries.
Mr Nick Hurd
Negotiation of UK tax treaties is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC actively engages with developing countries and has recently agreed treaties with Senegal and Zambia.
DFID works closely with both HM Treasury and HMRC to develop the Government’s tax and development policy and to improve the capacity of developing country tax administrations. DFID was at the forefront internationally of developing the Addis Tax Initiative, launched last year, which sees signatory donors commit to double their support on tax and signatory partner countries to commit to implement tax reform. It also calls for policy coherence on tax and development. There are currently over 30 signatories.