Tag: Parliamentary Question

Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure an effective balance between its policies on tackling radicalisation and protecting people at risk of Islamaphobic attacks.

Sarah Newton

The Government is determined to tackle hate crime and extremism wherever it occurs.

The Government’s Prevent strategy, published in 2011, explicitly tackles all forms of terrorism. That includes protecting individuals who are at risk from far right and Neo-nazi extremism, as well as those vulnerable to Islamist extremism.

Prevent is about safeguarding people who are at risk of radicalisation. Prevent does not target a specific faith or ethnic group. Rather, Prevent protects those who are targeted by terrorist recruiters. Currently the greatest threat comes from terrorist recruiters inspired by Daesh. Our Prevent programme will necessarily reflect this by prioritising support for vulnerable British Muslims, and working in partnership with British Muslim communities and civil society groups.

The Prevent programme is implemented in a proportionate manner that takes into account the level of risk in any given area or institution. In some areas the risk of far right extremism may be significant and we would expect in those circumstances for Prevent activity to focus on the far right threat.

Far right extremism often brings with it the threat of anti-Muslim or antisemitic attacks. We have a strong record of action against Islamophobia and antisemitism and deplore all religious or racially motivated crimes.

We strongly condemn the increase in attacks on Muslims that have been seen in this country in recent years. We know the majority of people in United Kingdom join our condemnation, and we have seen great examples of individuals and communities standing together to tackle this hatred.

Muslims make an enormous contribution to British society. They are all too often the victims of hatred and intolerance in this country and overseas. This Government is determined to act to protect British Muslims.

The United Kingdom has in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry. We will keep it under review to ensure it remains effective and appropriate in the face of new and emerging threats. We also published a new Cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan on 26 July which will drive forward action against all forms of hate crime, including anti-Muslim hatred. This will be taken forward in partnership with communities to ensure we target the harm that hate crime causes.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to help reduce long-term unemployment.

Damian Hinds

The number of people in employment is increasing and the latest figures show that the employment rate has remained at the record high of 74.5%. There are more people in work than ever before (31.81 million) – up 106,000 on the quarter and 560,000 on the year.

The number of long term unemployment is 443,000 – the lowest level since 2008.

Universal Credit, the Work Programme and the Jobcentre Plus Offer, is reforming the welfare system to improve incentives and provide more effective support to those without work.

Work Coaches have the flexibility to offer all claimants a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support on offer from the Work Programme, which provides support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment.

An Employment and Health Related Service is being launched in 2017. The Work and Health Programme is a new programme that will harness the expertise of private, public, voluntary and community sector providers to deliver sustained work for disabled people, disadvantaged groups and the long term unemployed.

There is also to be a new Youth Obligation from April 2017. From day 1 of their claim, young people will participate in an intensive support regime equipping them with vital skills to not only find a job, but build capability to sustain work. After six months they will be expected to apply for an appropriate apprenticeship, a traineeship, gain work skills or go on a mandatory work placement to give them the opportunities they need to get on in work.

01/01/2023
Gavin Robinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2015-11-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent clinical assessments his Department has made of the potential medical benefits of cannabis.

George Freeman

Cannabis and its preparations are Class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis is also subject to international drug control under UN Conventions. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to produce, possess, supply, import and export cannabis except under Home Office licence. Apart from the drug Sativex, which is derived from cannabis, the UK does not recognise herbal cannabis as having any medicinal use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis in October 2014 that does not recommend Sativex, a cannabis-derived treatment, as a cost effective use of National Health Service resources. NICE’s guideline on multiple sclerosis is published at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg186/resources/multiple-sclerosis-management-of-multiple-sclerosis-in-primary-and-secondary-care-35109816059077

“

01/01/2023
Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve telecoms connectivity onboard Eurostar trains travelling in tunnels in England.

Claire Perry

Neither the Secretary of State, nor HS1 Ltd, which operates the HS1 network on a 30 year government-let concession basis is able to oblige Eurostar to provide wi-fi on its services. This would be a commercial decision for the train operating company concerned.

HS1 Ltd already provides free wi-fi at St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet International stations.

HS1 Ltd has also entered into exploratory conversations with a telecoms supplier to provide a 4G service at all HS1 stations and along the HS1 route, including the tunnels and open route areas. The exploratory work will assess the proposed financing of additional infrastructure required with a decision expected later this year. The Secretary of State has no part to play in this decision-making process.

01/01/2023
Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made by the College of Policing in its review of the operation of Police Information Notices.

Mike Penning

The College of Policing has completed its review of Police Information Notices and has consulted with key partners.

The College Of Policing has produced draft guidance and this will be included in the Authorised Professional Practice on Stalking and Harassment due to be published in the Spring.

01/01/2023
Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219046, what response his Department has received from Democratic People’s Republic of Korea authorities; and whether progress has been made on improving North Korean women’s rights in China.

Mr Hugo Swire

We continue to urge the DPRK authorities, through both our Embassy in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London, to respond in detail to the contents of the Commission of Inquiry report, including the violence and exploitation of women that it documents. The DPRK continues to reject the Commission’s findings and will not engage on the detail of the Commission’s report.

Women trafficked out of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are among the most vulnerable of those who flee the country. We call on the DPRK to improve its appalling human rights record and create better conditions for its women. We regularly discuss our concerns about the DPRK with China, as I did with the Vice-Minister of the Chinese Communist Party, Chen Fengxiang, in December 2015. We will seek to include this issue in the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue due to be held in April. We also work directly with the Chinese authorities on a number of projects to counter human trafficking, which seek to protect the most vulnerable from exploitation, abuse, neglect and violence.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for the UK of the introduction of citizenship by investment schemes by EU member states; and what steps she has taken to increase transparency in that area.

James Brokenshire

I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 9 March to Question 29833 from the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Andy Slaughter) and to Question 29873 from the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood (Kelly Tolhurst).

01/01/2023
Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by when will 2015 payments to farmers from the Rural Payments Agency be completed; and when can farmers receiving a 50 per cent bridging payment expect to be paid in full.

George Eustice

As of 2 May, some 79,013 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claims have now been completed. This represents 78,102 payments and 911 that resulted in no payments being due. Bridging payments were made by the end of April to those farmers not in receipt of their BPS 2015 claim payment in recognition of the cash flow pressures they are facing.

The Rural Payments Agency will continue to make full payments throughout the remainder of the payment window and anticipates completing this work by the end of June 2016.

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the largest financial contracts between the NHS and pharmaceutical companies were in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

Details of the largest¹ financial contracts between the National Health Service and pharmaceutical companies in each of the last five calendar years are given in the table:

Year	Supplier Name	Department of Health Tender Reference	Framework Agreement Title
2011	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/08/5000	Pharmaceuticals Antiretroviral pan-London April 2010
2012	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2013	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2014	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2015	Pfizer Limited	CM/PHR/13/5415	Branded Pharmaceutical Products – National (05-2014)

Source: Department of Health Commercial Medicines Unit

¹Based on pre-agreement estimated values for framework agreements for the use of hospitals in England.

01/01/2023

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in areas where it will benefit the world’s poorest people.

James Wharton

The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries, including through our Energy Africa campaign which is working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.

01/01/2023