Tag: Parliamentary Question

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of Human Rights Watch in its recent report Nepotism and Neglect, which identifies the failure of the authorities in Bangladesh to respond to the effects of arsenic in the drinking water of Bangladesh’s rural poor; and whether they will raise that issue with the government of Bangladesh.

Baroness Verma

The UK Government along with other donors, discusses issues such as safe drinking water with members of the Government of Bangladesh. Water quality testing, which focussed upon arsenic, has been a major part of DFID’s support for ensuring access to clean arsenic free water in rural Bangladesh. DFID has also supported arsenic testing by assisting the Government of Bangladesh to establish a national water-point database. The UK works with the Government of Bangladesh to use the database to identify water points which exceed the arsenic national standard can be identified and corrective necessary action taken.

DFID has also delivered large scale results on water, sanitation and hygiene education through our strategic partnership with BRAC. This has given 699,000 people access to clean drinking water, including in arsenic prone areas, through deep tube wells, piped water supply systems and pond sand filters to over the last 5 years.

01/01/2023

Nick Herbert – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Herbert on 2016-05-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, what estimate he has made of the long-term reduction of trade from leaving the EU in each UK region.

Mr David Gauke

In April 2016 HM Treasury published analysis that showed that reduced access to the Single Market under each of the alternatives set out would have a negative impact on trade.

The analysis does not make any estimate of the impact on the long-term trade position in each UK region. HM Revenue and Customs Regional Trade Statistics on the value of trade in goods in each region are publically available through the UK Trade Info website. The value and percentage share of goods exports to the EU from each region are shown in the table below.

Region	Value of goods exports to the EU in 2015 (billions)	Value of goods exports to the EU as a share of total goods exports in 2015
North East	£7.0	58%
North West	£11.6	47%
Yorkshire & the Humber	£7.8	47%
West Midlands	£12.0	42%
East Midlands	£8.7	45%
East of England	£11.4	54%
London	£12.7	39%
South East	£19.0	47%
South West	£9.7	64%
Wales	£5.0	41%
Scotland	£6.7	38%
Northern Ireland	£3.5	55%

01/01/2023

Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that police officers are trained to deal with hate crime.

Sarah Newton

The Government condemns all hate crimes and is committed to tackling these crimes in partnership with the communities affected.

We have in place some of the strongest legislation to tackle hate crime in the world – this includes specific offences for racially and religiously aggravated activity and offences of the stirring up of hatred on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation.

We also have stronger sentences for hate crime. We continue to carefully consider the recommendations from the Law Commission review into hate crime legislation. The Government has committed to taking action to improve our response to hate crime.

This includes joint training between the police and Crown Prosecution staff to improve the way the police identify and investigate hate crime; building on the improvements to police recording of hate crime by working with the police to break down religious-based hate crime by religion; and working with victims and advocacy groups to improve victims confidence to come forward and report such crimes.

The police are also improving their operational practices and recording. Last year, the College of Policing published Operational Guidance for officers responding to hate crime which comprehensively covers how to address all forms of hate crime.

Hate crime statistics show number of crimes recorded by the police by force area. The decision as to how hate crime is resourced in individual forces is an operational matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner for that area. The latest police funding settlement represents a fair deal for the police and reinforces this Government’s commitment to protect the public. No Police and Crime Commissioner who maximised precept income is facing a reduction in cash funding this year.

Police and Crime Commissioners are also responsible for commissioning local support services for victims of crime. The Ministry of Justice provides the Commissioner with a grant to enable services which best meet the needs of local victims of crime to be funded.

The Home Office published a new hate crime action plan on 26 July 2016, which sets out Government action over the next four years to tackle hate crime. It includes:

● new steps to boost reporting of hate crime and support victims;

● new CPS guidance to prosecutors on racially aggravated crime;

● a new £2.4 million fund for protective security measures at potentially vulnerable places of worship;

● and additional funding to community organisations tackling hate crime.

Nobody in this country should live in fear because of who they are and anyone who experiences hate crime should report it to the police, either in person at a police station, online through the True Vision website, or by phoning 101.

01/01/2023
Peter Dowd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of allowing schools to admit children from one religion on integration and social cohesion.

Caroline Dinenage

All schools must promote integration and social cohesion whatever their character and ethos. The Department is currently consulting on proposals to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in new faith free schools. We have proposed additional measures to promote inclusivity and community cohesion, alongside existing requirements to promote fundamental British values, which will apply to all new faith free schools. These are aimed at ensuring all pupils can play an active role in our society and are prepared for life in modern Britain. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

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01/01/2023
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the cost of housing benefit to the public purse of requiring local authorities to sell their housing stock.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Everyone needs to live within their means. People on benefits should have to make the same decisions and choices about where they can afford to live as people who are not on benefits, and should not expect to be housed in properties that most working households are unable to afford.

The Housing and Planning Bill will require local authorities to make a payment to Government based on the estimated value of their high value housing that is expected to become vacant.

This policy is about councils making best use of their housing stock – selling vacant high value housing to fund the building of new homes which reflect housing need and increase overall housing supply, and to increase home ownership, as set out in the Government’s manifesto.

At the heart of this legislation is the building of more homes. A portion of receipts generated from sales of vacant high value local authority housing will be used to build homes that better meet housing need and increase overall housing supply. In addition to this, housing associations will retain the sales receipt from each home sold through Right to Buy to enable them to re-invest in the delivery of new homes.

01/01/2023
Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a sufficient supply of large goods vehicles drivers is available for the road haulage industry.

Andrew Jones

The Department is working with its motoring services agencies to reduce times and delays in obtaining a driving test appointment and medical licence renewals.

In order to reduce waiting times for LGV driving tests the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is currently recruiting examiners and is focusing its efforts particularly in areas where waiting times are higher. To date, DVSA has recruited 78 new driving examiners during 2015/16 with a further 65 either attending or are booked on to new entrant courses. DVSA has also offered posts to a further 41 potential examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are now dealing with vocational applications with no declared medical condition within 5 working days. DVLA has also made some changes to improve the processing of applications where a driver has declared a medical condition. However processing these applications relies on the timeliness of third parties including medical professionals and drivers.

The latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that the number of HGV drivers employed across all sectors such as manufacturing and retail has continued to grow since the 259,000 low in 2013 to 299,000 drivers in 2015.

01/01/2023
John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, whether the new high street, schools and leisure facilities and commercial and office space are intended to be open at the same time as new homes take their first residents at the direct commissioning site at Old Oak Common.

Brandon Lewis

The direct commissioning pilots will follow the normal planning and commercial processes for determining the phasing of homes and associated facilities.

01/01/2023
Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his policies are of the findings of the 2015 report from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, Sepsis: Just Say Sepsis on delayed diagnosis.

Ben Gummer

In January 2015, we announced a package of measures to focus attention on sepsis and raise the awareness of this potentially devastating condition amongst professionals and the public. These included new incentives to encourage hospitals to recognise sepsis in adults and children, and to provide timely treatment with intravenous antibiotics within 60 minutes of a diagnosis of severe sepsis.

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death report outlined many important findings about awareness and treatment of sepsis both in primary care and hospital settings, and many of these findings are being addressed through the work of the NHS England Cross-system Sepsis Programme Board. The Board published its report, Improving Outcome for Patients with Sepsis, A Cross-System Action Plan, in December 2015.

This sets out the actions being be taken forward to (a) Prevent avoidable cases of sepsis; (b) Increase awareness of sepsis amongst professionals and the public; (c) Improve the identification and treatment of sepsis across the whole patient pathway; (d) Improve consistency of standards and reporting; and (e) Underpin all actions with the principles of appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship.

A copy of the report can found at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/sepsis/

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01/01/2023
Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14463, what the timetable for the equality impact assessment referred to will be.

Ben Gummer

The Government and NHS Employers have made clear that an Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the new national contract, 90% of which was agreed with the British Medical Association in talks up to 10 February 2016.

01/01/2023
Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 8.18 of the Airports Commission Final Report, July 2015, what the estimated cost is of the tunnelling work required for the M25; and whether that cost would be incurred by the public purse or Heathrow Airport Limited.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Alongside its Final Report in July 2015, the Airports Commission published a range of supporting analysis and assessments. The Cost and Commercial Viability: Financial Modelling Input Costs Update report included estimated costs for the surface access proposals for each of the Commission’s three short-listed options for airport expansion.

The report set out the estimated capital expenditure costs for the works associated with M25 tunnelling (south of junction 15) as £576m for the Heathrow Airport North West runway option and £864m for the Heathrow Airport Extended Northern runway option.

The Airports Commission made clear in its Final Report (paragraph 16.33) that Government would need to agree the nature, scale and financing of the surface access transport improvements associated with expansion, and the Government has been clear that it expects the scheme promoter to meet the costs of any surface access proposals that are required as a direct result of airport expansion and from which they will directly benefit.

01/01/2023