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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34222, on the humanitarian situation in Madaya, what discussions she has had with her Russian counterpart about humanitarian access across Syria.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK plays a key role in opening up humanitarian access in Syria. At least 280 shipments of cross-border aid have been delivered because of the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258.

    The Department for International Development works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as part of a whole of government response to the Syria crisis. The FCO are raising issues of humanitarian access across Syria with their Russian counterparts at every opportunity.

    We continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to call on all sides to the conflict and their backers – including Russia – to respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

  • Lord Bradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2016-05-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance has been issued to the courts to ensure that the option of a mental health Community Treatment Order is considered as part of a Community Sentence.

    Lord Faulks

    The National Probation Service provides sentencers with advice on requirements that could from part of a court ordered community order or a suspended sentence order. Guidance has been produced by the National Offender Management Service that is aimed at all partners, including the National Probation Service and the courts, to support increased use of Mental Health Treatment Requirements. This guidance can be found in the document Mental health Treatment Requirement – a Guide to Integrated Delivery, published on gov.uk.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase the rate of new woodland planting.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Forestry is a devolved matter and the answer refers to England only.

    We encourage tree planting by championing sector-led initiatives, such as Grown in Britain and the Roots to Prosperity strategy. Their work to grow demand for wood from ground level up is helping develop the woodland economy. We also support the Woodland Carbon Code to help to attract private investment in woodland creation.

    The window for Woodland Creation Grant applications for planting over the next two seasons, under the Rural Development Programme, closed on 31 March. We are continuing to process these applications and agreements are expected to be issued this month.

    The Forestry Commission plans to re-open the £1m Forestry Innovation Fund for Woodland Creation Planning Grants for new applications this month. Funding for this has been confirmed by HM Treasury.

    The Forestry Commission continues to support landowners to make applications through a series of workshops and online support.

    As announced by the Chancellor in August, all Countryside Stewardship applications signed or agreed before the Autumn Statement will be fully funded, even when these continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what further steps he plans to take to allow local authorities to use capital receipts from the sale of its assets to fund local authority services; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The time limited flexibility, recently introduced by the government, allows local authorities to use capital receipts to fund the revenue costs of any project that is designed to generate ongoing revenue savings in the delivery of public services. Such projects will deliver an ongoing benefit for taxpayers.

    Parliament has decided that capital receipts cannot normally be applied to finance revenue expenditure. This is consistent with the fundamental principle that long term assets should not be used to finance immediate costs. I have no plans to seek approval from Parliament to revoke this principle and allow local authorities to use capital receipts to fund ongoing service delivery.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to address rates of university students taking their own lives.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government takes these issues seriously. Higher Education Institutions, as autonomous and independent bodies, have clear legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with mental health conditions.

    Ensuring the wellbeing of students is important to our universities. Institutions are best placed to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students and to ensure mechanisms are in place to identify students in need.

    There is a great deal of guidance and support available to institutions from a range of sector and medical bodies. In February 2015, Universities UK published a Good Practice Guide on, student mental wellbeing in higher education. It aims to support institutions in building and improving their provision for students with mental health problems including to help prevent suicide.

    The Department of Health also published a cross-government suicide prevention strategy in September 2012, ‘Preventing Suicide in England.’ The objectives of the strategy are to reduce suicide and support people bereaved or affected by suicide.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish its proposed reforms to the Electronic Communications Code.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that is clear, fit for purpose, and supports a UK network that provides consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services. We will update Parliament on plans in due course.

  • Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with Ministers in the Irish government on marking the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme this year; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The centenary commemorations of the First World War, including the Battle of the Somme, and the wider decade of 1912-1922 offer an important opportunity to reflect on the shared history between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

    The Prime Minister is committed, along with the Taoiseach, to commemorating our past with mutual respect and understanding. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and I are working with Ministers in the Irish Government to mark the events of this decade. I have discussed these matters on a number of occasions with them.

    Marking anniversaries such as the Battle of the Somme in a spirit of historical accuracy, mutual respect and inclusiveness can support efforts to build a peaceful and shared future for everyone in Northern Ireland.

    Officials from my Department have regular contact with officials in the Irish Government regarding their programme of events to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, which was announced in November 2015, and I receive regular updates on this work.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who may no longer be able to remain in supported housing after introduction of the proposed cap on housing benefit at the rate of local housing allowance.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Further information is not available.

    We value the work of the supported housing sector extremely highly and are working closely with them to ensure that they are supported as effectively as possible in advance of the policy taking effect.

    As part of this we have commissioned an evidence review of supported housing.

    The results of this research will determine our f appropriate exemptions. We are also providing Local Authorities with £870 million over the course of this parliament to ensure vulnerable people are protected.

  • Sheryll Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sheryll Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheryll Murray on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on (a) resourcing of kidney and dialysis care in Plymouth Hospitals and Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trusts and (b) care for kidney patients from South East Cornwall of the recent NICE ruling on provision of immune-suppressant drugs.

    George Freeman

    We have made no such assessment.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its final updated guidance on the use of immunosuppressive therapy for kidney transplant in adults (review of TA85) or on the use of immunosuppressive therapy for kidney transplant in children and young people (review of TA99). NICE is developing resource impact reports to support implementation of its guidance which will be published alongside its final technology appraisal guidance.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Carol Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on steps to resettle people who have been displaced by the dismantling of sections of the refugee camp in Calais.

    James Brokenshire

    The UK Government is in regular contact with French counterparts on the migrant situation in Calais.

    Steps taken by French authorities to clear sections of the migrant camp in Calais are consistent with the shared strategy to encourage those in need of protection to claim asylum in France and to return those not in need to their home country. The French Government, with support from the UK, has made huge efforts to provide decent accommodation in France for all those that need it, including for women and children.