Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce and treat irregular heartbeats in infants that can lead to premature death.

    Ben Gummer

    Sudden loss of life can occur through diagnosed and previously undiagnosed heart conditions in children of any age. This is a devastating event to the families involved and there is no simple solution to prevent every case.

    A large part of the review of congenital heart services that reported in July 2015 focused on producing gold standards for the care of children and infants with heart problems. These standards have now been agreed and will be implemented in April 2016.

    One of the key workstreams arising from the review is improvement in detection of heart disease early in life and there are increasing numbers of specialists involved in this area of cardiology. Research and development strives to improve identification of high risk cases and refine screening programs to aid in reducing these shocking events.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many seafarer (a) cadets and (b) ratings were trained by shipping companies operating in the UK in each year since 2000-01.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not collate figures for seafarer cadets and ratings who have been trained by shipping companies operating in the UK.

    However, the MCA does collate the number of new cadets, the number of cadets in training and the number of trainee watch ratings who start training each year and these can be found in the tables below.

    The figures in Table 1 show the number of cadets supported by the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme who started training in each year since 2000-01.

    Year

    Officer cadets currently in training

    Number of which are SMarT1 new entrants

    2000/01

    1020

    470

    2001/02

    1010

    450

    2002/03

    1000

    560

    2003/04

    1030

    660

    2004/05

    1050

    560

    2005/06

    1110

    570

    2006/07

    1430

    690

    2007/08

    1700

    850

    2008/09

    1800

    930

    2009/10

    1830

    750

    2010/11

    1840

    850

    2011/12

    1900

    900

    2012/13

    1990

    780

    2013/14

    1940

    790

    2014/15

    1920

    820

    Table 1: UK officer cadets under SMarT1 scheme (1999-2015)

    These figures are derived from SMarT returns for SMarT1 training and may include a small number of EU trainees resident in the UK. Numbers are rounded to nearest 10.

    The figures in Table 2 below show the number of watch rating trainees who have been supported by SMarT each year since 2011-12. The data held by the MCA for ratings training prior to 2011-12 includes concessionaire training and does not provide an accurate reflection of watch rating training.

    Year

    Watch Rating Trainees

    2011/12

    32

    2012/13

    13

    2013/14

    12

    2014/15

    4
  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking in cooperation with his international counterparts to pursue criminal responsibility of the leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    The British Government supports the principle that there must be no impunity for those accused of human rights violations and that crimes against humanity are appropriately investigated.

    We will continue to work with members of the international community through multilateral fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, to ensure the regime is held to account for its appalling human rights record.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from businesses on the inclusion of design technology within the EBacc qualification.

    Nick Gibb

    The consultation on implementing the EBacc closed on 29 January. We have received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses. The Government response, including a list of responding organisations, will be published in due course.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support the draft UN resolution on protection of medical facilities in conflict and investigations into incidents when such facilities are attacked.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    Medical personnel and facilities are entitled to respect and protection under specific provisions in international humanitarian law. We are concerned at the growing number of attacks on medical personnel and facilities in conflict situations. The UK is working with other members of the Security Council on a draft resolution on this issue, and it hopes that a text emerges that all Council members can support. The UK would like the text to reinforce the need for the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence in the provision of humanitarian assistance to be respected.

  • Lord Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kinnock on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions for failure by employers to pay the National Minimum Wage have been undertaken since the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 came into force; what plans they have to improve the legal enforcement of the National Minimum Wage; and when those improvements will come into effect.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act there have been 9 prosecutions for NMW offences.

    However, prosecutions are not necessarily the best approach in most cases. Criminal sanctions against companies mean that employees – the ultimate beneficiaries of enforcing the NMW – end up waiting longer for their lost earnings to be paid back.

    From April this year we increased the civil penalties incurred by non-compliant workers to 200% of the arrears owed to the worker, up to a maximum of £20,000 per worker – having recently increased the penalty cap from £5,000 per employer. We have also increased the enforcement budget for the National Minimum and Living Wage to £20 million for this year, up from £13.2 million in 2015/16. The additional funds will be used to bolster HMRC’s resources through an increase in the number of compliance officers available to investigate NMW abuses, as well as to conduct risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage.

    We will also continue to publically name and shame eligible employers in Government press notices. We expect this tobe a deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the NMW, but also an incentive for all employers to make sure that they are consistent with the law.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) mechanisms and (b) timescales are for securing input into his Department’s work on negotiations for withdrawal from the EU from (i) non-governmental organisations and civil society, (ii) opposition political parties and (iii) other interest groups; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Davis

    The Government is committed to listening to all those with a view on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union; Parliament, the devolved administrations, NGOs, and other groups will all have important ideas to contribute. The new Department for Exiting the European Union will lead this engagement.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the people responsible for the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988 are brought to justice.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and takes any allegations of extrajudicial killings seriously. The Iranian Government has repeatedly denied that a mass execution took place, though we are aware that between July 1988 and January 1989 executions did take place. However, even with the recording and media reporting on the incident, we have no confirmation of the numbers involved. Although we have no plans to pursue this specific matter we will continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 November (HL3049), what representations they have made to the European Commission regarding the inclusion of the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina in future meetings in which the Western Balkans migratory route is discussed.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government has not made representations to the European Commission regarding the inclusion of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in future meetings in which the Western Balkans migratory route is discussed.

    The Government advocates tackling root causes of migration, robust enforcement of immigration rules and returns in all transit countries as well as EU Member States, and managed resettlement of genuine refugees. We welcomed and participated in the High Level Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean – Western Balkans Route in Luxembourg on 8 October which all countries of the region, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey and all EU Member States attended and we support the urgent implementation of the 17-point Plan agreed among leaders of Member States and countries most affected on 25 October.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of womb cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) runs the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of specific cancers, and to encourage those with symptoms to see their doctor promptly.

    Although womb cancer is not covered by ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ specifically, Public Health England is looking at developing an approach to raise awareness of generic symptoms that can indicate a wider number of cancers and the need to visit the doctor promptly with these symptoms. This work is currently in development, with the help of a number of experts, including clinicians and charities.

    The NHS Choices website provides information on the symptoms of womb cancer and when to seek medical advice. This can be found by searching ‘womb cancer symptoms’ on NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx

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