Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to address the downward trend in cervical cancer screening uptake.

    Jane Ellison

    There is a range of work going on to understand the reasons for the decline and to try to address them. This includes:

    – Data and information – access to data, cleansing, benchmarking for providers, timely and useful for commissioners;

    – behavioural insight – communication with commissioners, providers, patients, public;

    – commissioning levers – commissioning contracts in public health (S7a), primary care;

    – partnership work – relationships with commissioners and providers; and

    – sharing best practice – what works well, evaluation, how to embed quality improvement

    Public Health England Screening is also awaiting the outcome from the Strategies to Increase Cervical screening uptake at first invitation (STRATEGIC) trial which looks at various interventions to help assist women to attend screening and increase uptake across all quintiles. The trial was completed in 2015 and researchers are expected to publish findings later this year.

  • Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking ahead of the EU General Affairs Council on 20 September to engage their EU counterparts on the issue of imposing restrictive measures on individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina who oppose those who will administer or facilitate the referendum on 25 September.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK Government, together with international partners, is pressing political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to use domestic processes to find a constitutional solution to the issue of the referendum on 25 September. The UK is also engaging with EU partners on how to respond if the referendum does take place on 25th September.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 18 October 2016 to Questions 47623 and 47624, for what reasons officials of his Department met with the Administrator of Norfolk Island when the governance and administration of that island is a matter for Australia.

    Alok Sharma

    Pursuant to the Answer to Question 49602, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Administrator of Norfolk Island to discuss , in the context of both countries’ relations with small island communities, our relationship with the Overseas Territories. The United Kingdom and Australia are close partners and Ministers and officials from both countries regularly discuss a wide range of issues.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tristram Hunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the residence requirements are for (a) existing right-to-buy entitlements and (b) the proposed extension of right-to-buy to housing association tenants for (i) non-EU foreign nationals, (ii) EU foreign nationals and (iii) UK citizens.

    Brandon Lewis

    Before 2006 all applicants for Government supported home ownership had to have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. The last Labour Government changed these rules in 2006.

    Subject to EU Treaty negotiation, we will introduce a residency test for social housing, requiring European Economic Area nationals to have lived in the UK for 4 years. This means that European Economic Area nationals would not be eligible for Right to Buy until they had lived in this country for a minimum of seven years.

    A tenant must have had a public sector tenancy within the UK for three years before qualifying for Right to Buy.

  • Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to require social landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their housing stock.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide any specific guidance to private registered providers of social housing on energy efficiency of social housing stock. I would expect private registered providers to look at all opportunities for efficiencies.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parent households that are in receipt of housing benefit will be affected by changes to universal credit work allowances in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

    The number of people on benefits is driven by a range of factors. Because of this, the programme measures progress by the successful achievement of its delivery plan rather than numbers of claimants.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people applying for personal independence payments have passed their medical in each of the most recent 24 months for which data is available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The assessment for Personal Independence Payment considers the impact of conditions and impairments on individuals’ everyday lives. The assessment is not a medical one but is focussed on the claimant’s functional ability.

    DWP decision-makers review the assessment report and the Claimant Questionnaire along with any other available evidence before making a decision about benefit entitlement.

    Data on Personal Independence Payment registrations, clearances and award rates are available on Gov.UK and were most recently updated on 16 December: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

    “

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the guidance is on licences applied for to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority being granted before receiving ethical approval; and what proportion of such licences have been so granted in each of the last three years.

    George Freeman

    The Department has not had any discussions with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) after its authorisation of a licence for gene editing of human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9 about the process of ethical approval being granted for such a licence.

    The Francis Crick Institute, which made the licence application to the HFEA, is intending to place copies of the information given to patients or donors explaining this research on its website, once the final draft has been agreed.

    There is no statutory requirement for ethical approval to be in place before an HFEA research licence can be granted. However, the HFEA has developed guidance for its licensing committee that such approval should be in place before a licence is granted and research is allowed to proceed.

    In 2012, none of the three licences granted had ethical approval in place and a condition was therefore placed on each licence that licensed research could not proceed until such approval was in place. In 2013, five research licences were granted, all of which had ethical approval in place. In 2014, seven licences were granted, all of which had ethical approval in place. In 2015, one of the 15 licences granted did not have ethical approval in place and a condition was therefore placed on the licence that licensed research could not proceed until such approval was in place.

  • The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Leeds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Leeds on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the use of chemical weapons by Daesh in Iraq.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There are credible reports that Daesh has used chemical weapons in Iraq. The Government of Iraq, with support from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), investigated allegations of chemical weapons use in Iraq last year and has concluded that sulphur mustard was used against Peshmerga fighters on 11 August 2015.

    Allegations that Daesh attacked the village of Taza on 8 March 2016, possibly with sulphur mustard, are being investigated by the Government of Iraq, along with two other recent allegations of Daesh use of chemical weapons. Such behaviour would be consistent with Daesh’s record of complete disregard for human rights and international norms and values. We welcome the OPCW Director General’s press statement of 23 March offering assistance to the Government of Iraq.

    We continue to monitor all allegations of chemical weapon use very closely, and condemn all such attacks by anyone, anywhere.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders returned under fixed term recalls have (a) submitted requests to be re-released before the end of the 28 day period and (b) been granted re-release before the end of the 28 day period in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Any offender who is believed to have committed further offences whilst on licence is liable to be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded into custody until trial. Offenders on licence who are charged with further offences are also liable to be recalled, potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison, as they will be in breach of the requirement of their licence to be of good behaviour. If the offender is assessed as not presenting a risk of harm to the public they can be assessed as suitable for a shorter, fixed term recall. Those who have been charged with serious sexual or violent offences will not be considered suitable for a fixed term recall.

    Such offenders can apply for re-release before their automatic re-release date. In the last five years two offenders in 2011, one in 2013 and two in 2015 applied for release. Three of these offenders were subsequently released.