Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement by the Minister of State for Immigration, Mr Robert Goodwill MP, in his letter to Lord Roberts of Llandudno of 12 September, CTS Reference M9899/16, that over 3

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Annual Figures on the number of claims for asylum from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), including by country of nationality, are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016.

    The Government is committed to ensuring that there is a more equitable distribution of UASC across the country and that no one authority has to care for more UASC than they are able to. That is why we introduced the voluntary National Transfer Scheme and have consulted with every region in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on their capacity. In order to continue the success of the voluntary scheme more local authorities will need to participate and offer places for unaccompanied children from councils which are caring for disproportionately high numbers.

  • Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the proposed byelaw changes for the waters between the Scottish mainland and the Island of Raasay.

    Mark Lancaster

    In accordance with the byelaws review process the Ministry of Defence has engaged with the Scottish Government Criminal Justice Division regarding the proposed new British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre Byelaws.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to seek the views of pensioners on (a) his Department’s policies and (b) winter fuel allowance since the closure of the UK Advisory Forum on Ageing.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The UK Advisory Forum on Ageing closed on 2nd December 2015. Since then the Department has continued to work with older people, employers, the financial services industry and other stakeholders on issues such as simplifying automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, the introduction of the new State Pension, and fuller working lives. For example, the Department has conducted structured research into the attitudes of people over 50 to fuller working lives, the new State Pension, and Class 3A Voluntary National Insurance Contributions. The Department is also working with the Money Matters Working Group of the Age Action Alliance on increasing take-up of benefits by older people, and especially take-up of Pension Credit.

    With specific regard to the Winter Fuel Payment, the Government has committed to help provide dignity and security in retirement by protecting it and other pensioner benefits, such as free bus passes, for the lifetime of this Parliament. Where issues arise linked to older people and fuel poverty, both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Energy and Climate Change are active members of the Safe, Warm Homes Working Group of the Age Action Alliance, which is a valuable forum for both developing both policy and innovative ways of delivering support and advice to older people.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that pharmacists are trained to understand autism.

    Alistair Burt

    In 2015, new statutory guidance building on the 2010 Autism Strategy, and the 2014 Think Autism update, set out expectations for local authorities and the National Health Service in relation to autism training. It is the responsibility for the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, to ensure newly qualified pharmacists and health visitors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. The Department has worked the Royal College of Nursing, and Skills for Health and Skills for Care, to develop autism training material. Health Education England is also working with the Royal Colleges and other stakeholders to increase awareness and knowledge of autism for NHS health professionals.

    The Department has also provided financial support to the Royal College of General Practitioners’ clinical priorities programme on autism which is undertaking practical work on autism awareness and training for general practitioners (GPs). GPs should be aware of what the local arrangements are for making referrals for autism diagnosis and how to access appropriate post-diagnostic interventions.

    NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to identify and share good practice in accessing timely autism diagnosis and post diagnostic support. NHS England with support from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is to visit a selection of areas to talk to CCGs and local authorities about their Autism Diagnostic Care Pathways. A report on the work will be completed by the end of April 2016.

    We know that people with autism can experience common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as other mental illnesses. Over £400 million has been invested in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies to ensure access to talking therapies for those who need them, including those with autism.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether new storage facilities will be required at Sellafield to accommodate additional spent fuel arising from the life extension of nuclear reactors.

    Andrea Leadsom

    No. The strategy of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is to complete the THORP reprocessing contracts it has with EDF Energy. In delivering the current strategy the NDA will have created sufficient space to receive and manage all the AGR fuel from EDF Energy’s AGR power stations, which avoids having to build additional storage capacity for AGR fuel.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals have revised their policy on car parking since the issue of his Department’s updated guidance in October 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) new contracts and (b) amendments to existing contracts placed by his Department in 2015 were not referred to the Single Source Regulations Office because the approval of the (i) Ministry of Defence and (ii) supplier was not granted.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Each year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes an analysis of all new contracts which sets out whether they were placed competitively or non-competitively. This analysis appears in the Department’s Statistical Bulletin Trade, Industry and Contracts and the most recent period for which data is available can be found through the link below. Table six in the excel tables and page 11 of the pdf refer to the relevant information.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015

    Figures for amendments to existing contracts are not held centrally and, due to the large number of such cases, an analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    All single source procurement contracts which met the criteria set out in Part two of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) are subject to the new single source procurement framework, apart from a very small number which have been specifically exempted from the framework by the Secretary of State for Defence, using the powers granted to him under section 14(7) of the DRA. The Department does not release details of these exemptions in order to avoid influencing future decisions.

    Contracts which were signed prior to the new single source procurement framework coming into force can become subject to the regulations on amendment by agreement between the MOD and the contractor. To maximise the benefits from the regulations, the MOD intends to seek such agreement where appropriate, except where there are well founded commercial or practical reasons not to. However, the Department does not hold a central record of the number of contracts which have, on amendment, not been converted to Qualifying Defence Contracts, and the data could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Contracts which fall under the Regulations are only referred to the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) when there is a disagreement between the supplier and the contracting authority which cannot be resolved through negotiation between these two parties. The subjects that can be referred to the SSRO are set out in the DRA, and include whether or not costs are allowable, attributable to the contract and reasonable. Should a referral be made by either the MOD or the supplier, the consent of the other party is not required. One such referral was made in 2015, by the MOD.

    The MOD is currently pursuing the recruitment of a Chair for the SSRO. The SSRO has an Interim Chairman in post and the Department plans to advertise this substantive position shortly.

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were serving prison sentences for offences related to cannabis in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Prior to June 2015, information held centrally on prisoners serving sentences for drug related offences was not sufficiently detailed to identify offences relating to cannabis as opposed to other drugs. Providing data back to 2010 could therefore only be done at disproportionate cost.

    According to centrally held data, as at 30 June 2015 (latest available), there were 1,363 offenders in prison custody for cannabis related offences in England and Wales. This number includes all offenders who have had their offence categorised as a ‘drug offence’ and in which cannabis is explicitly stated in their offence description. This number does not include instances where cannabis may have been a contributing factor to the main offence committed.

    These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral statement of 27 June 2016, Official Report, column 23, on the outcome of the EU referendum, which officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be appointed to the new EU Unit.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    The new EU unit will bring together officials and policy expertise from across Whitehall. Structures and staffing are being determined.

  • Lord Vinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Lord Vinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Vinson on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the strategic importance of self-sufficiency in energy for the UK’s national security.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The security of the UK’s energy supply is an important factor in the national security of the country and featured prominently in the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, published last year. The government also produces an annual assessment of the security of the UK’s energy supply which considers the availability of electricity and gas to meet consumer demand in Great Britain over the next four years. The strategically important contributions of both domestic energy production and diversity of supply are included in this analysis.