Tag: Parliamentary Question

Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1535, what country is responsible for the co-ordination of ground troops; and which coalition countries have agreed to the methodology referred to.

Michael Fallon

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 1 December 2015 to Question 17826 to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion (Caroline Lucas).

01/01/2023
Ms Gisela Stuart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Gisela Stuart on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken, subsequent to its accepting recommendation 274 of the Francis report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Enquiry, published on 6 February 2013, to (a) issue guidance to NHS Trusts and their legal advisers and (b) monitor implementation of that guidance on disclosure of information to coroners, patients and families.

Ben Gummer

Recommendation 274 was in line with the government’s commitment to greater openness and transparency across the National Health Service, particularly when things go wrong.

The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 gives coroners powers to require a person or organisation in England and Wales to provide evidence and to require a witness in England and Wales to give evidence at an inquest. The 2009 Act makes it, “an offence for a person to do anything that is intended to have the effect of (a) distorting or otherwise altering any evidence, document or other things that is given, produced or provided for the purpose of an investigation…. (b) preventing any evidence, document or other thing from being given produced or provided for the purposes of such an investigation or to do anything that the person knows or believes is likely to have that effect.” This offence is limited to actions where there is “intention” to distort or alter evidence, and is punishable by a fine and / or imprisonment. The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a post-implementation review of the 2013 coroner reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, which includes the reforms’ provisions on disclosure of information. The call for evidence and survey element of the review finished at the end of 2015, and the Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses received. The Department of Health understands that it hopes to publish a response document in the spring.

In response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry the Government introduced a statutory duty of candour which came into force on 27 November 2014 for NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts and some special health authorities that provide care and treatment to people that is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and for all other providers registered with CQC on 1 April 2015. The statutory duty of candour applies to organisations, rather than to individual members of staff. However, it is designed to foster an open culture throughout the organisation, and providers are accountable to CQC for meeting the duty of candour. CQC are able to take enforcement action against the provider, and in certain circumstances its board and senior management, where breaches of the duty of candour have been found. Providers of care will therefore be expected to implement the new duty of candour through staff across their organisations – including educating, training and, if needs be, disciplining their staff appropriately.

In addition, The NHS Serious Incident Framework published in 2015 provides advice on provision of information regarding serious incidents to coroners, patients and their families. It is available at

https://www.england.nhs.uk/patientsafety/serious-incident/

CQC will look at how safe care is for patients as part of the inspection of NHS Trusts.

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01/01/2023
Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects A-level courses in (a) French, (b) German, (c) Spanish, (d) religious studies and (e) geography to be approved by awarding bodies for teaching from September 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

01/01/2023
Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of people employed by ambulance services who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.

Ben Gummer

Data from the Home Office shows that no visas were issued to people employed by ambulance services in the last five years for roles other than paramedics. Paramedics were placed on the United Kingdom’s shortage occupation list in April 2015 and are therefore exempt from the requirement to earn £35,000 whilst the role is on the shortage occupation list.

01/01/2023
Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what involvement (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department had in the Security and Counter Terror Conference at Olympia on 19 and 20 April 2016.

Mr John Hayes

Home Office Ministers and officials have regular meetings and attend various events as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and events.

01/01/2023
Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the terms of reference are for the new Anti-corruption Innovation Hub.

Matthew Hancock

The Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub is a virtual network which brings together government, civil society, law enforcement, technologists and the private sector to share cross-sector expertise and new ideas on how to tackle corruption.

01/01/2023
Stephen Hammond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statistics her Department holds on (a) convictions and (b) fines for mobile phone use while driving in each police force area.

Brandon Lewis

There has been no assessment made of the enforcement by the police of the offence of driving whilst using a mobile phone. The enforcement of this offence is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police.

The attached table, “Fixed Penalty Notices” includes figures for Fixed Penalty Notices for use of mobile phones whilst driving, broken down by Police Force Area and by Year.

Based on information provided by the Ministry of Justice, statistics on offenders found guilty and sentenced, including sentence outcomes, for using or causing others to use a mobile phone whilst driving, at all courts in England and Wales, by police force area, from 2005 to 2015, can be viewed using the ‘Motoring data tool: with criminal justice area’ in the annual publication, linked below:- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

01/01/2023
Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to the six steps towards peace in Syria proposed by Lord Williams of Baglan in the October and November edition of the Chatham House publication The World Today.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The issues suggested by the noble Lord Williams of Baglan are being addressed through the UK’s work to tackle the Syria crisis. The International Syria Support Group meets weekly at official level and is supported by the team of the UN Special Envoy for Syria. At UK urging, the UN has established a Working Group with a small secretariat to lead on stabilisation planning for when a political settlement is reached, which the UK is helping fund. Clearly, Russia must be a part of any solution and we support engagement but Russia must stop bombing civilian areas and encourage the regime to do the same if it is genuinely interested in finding a political solution to the conflict.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the government of Somalia in preparations for elections in that country in 2016; and what assistance the UK has offered for those preparations.

James Duddridge

We are in regular discussions with the Federal Government of Somalia on the electoral process in 2016. The UK also co-chairs, with the Federal Government of Somalia, the elections working group set up under Somalia’s New Deal Compact, supporting preparations for the 2016 electoral process. At the UN General Assembly in September, My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron), the Prime Minister, discussed progress towards an inclusive electoral process with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as did My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) Minister of State in the Department for International Development, with Prime Minister Omar Abdullah Sharmarke. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Somalia attended the National Consultative Forum recently convened by the Federal Government of Somalia to discuss electoral preparations. In the UN Security Council, the UK is working to ensure that Somalia remains a high priority and that there is a coordinated international position in support of the electoral process in Somalia in 2016. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with USAID to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time.

01/01/2023

Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many local housing allowance rates were set (a) at the 30th percentile, (b) within five per cent of the 30th percentile, (c) between five per cent and 10 per cent of the 30th percentile and (d) more than 10 per cent below the 30th percentile of market rents in the relevant broad market rental area in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson

In 2011-12, LHA rates were uprated on a monthly basis. Of the 960 LHA rates in Great Britain, in April 2011, 949 LHA rates were set at the 30^th percentile and by March 2012, 943 LHA rates were set at the 30^th percentile. The remaining LHA rates were set at the level of the caps.

From 2012-13 LHA rates were set annually. For the years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15, the following table gives the number of LHA rates set (a) at the 30^th percentile, (b) within five per cent of the 30^th percentile, (c) between five per cent and 10 per cent below the 30^th percentile and (d) more than 10 per cent below the 30^th percentile of market rents in the relevant Broad Rental Market Area.

So for example, if the 30^th percentile for a Broad Rental Market Area and property size is £200 per week (pw), the corresponding LHA rate would be included in (b) if it is greater than £190pw and less than £200pw, in (c) if it is between £180pw and £190pw, and in (d) if it is less than £180pw.

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
(a) 30^th percentile	943	695	475
(b) less than five per cent below the 30^th percentile	6	228	416
(c) between five per cent and 10 per cent below the 30^th percentile	2	26	42
(d) more than 10 per cent below the 30^th percentile	9	11	27

01/01/2023