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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Romani people are not being discriminated against in the UK.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to creating a fair society in which all people, of whatever ethnic origin or background, are able to participate fully in society and realise their full potential. The Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life, free from harassment and fear. The UK has a strong and well-established legal framework to combat discrimination and hate crime, which protects all individuals, including Roma, from racial and other forms of discrimination, and racially motivated crime. Officials in my Department hold regular meetings with Roma, Gypsy and Traveller organisations to discuss issues of concern to those communities.

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

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the annual saving in legal aid costs as a result of the withdrawal of legal and advice in relation to benefits appeals.

    Lord Faulks

    Legal aid for welfare benefits appeals is limited to advice and assistance on a point of law in the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, including applications to the Upper Tribunal for permission to appeal. Legal aid is also available for judicial reviews of welfare benefit decisions and claims about welfare benefits relating to a contravention of the Equality Act 2010.

    Given the need to focus limited resource on the highest priority matters, legal aid is no longer generally available for other welfare benefits matters. Although many people rely on benefits, these cases primarily concern financial entitlement and, as such, do not raise such fundamental issues as cases concerning liberty or safety.

    The Impact Assessments published at the time LASPO received Royal Assent provided estimates for the reductions in legal aid spending for matters within the welfare benefits category, It was estimated that volumes would fall by 135,000 or 98% and spend by £25m or 97%. As part of the LASPO Post Implementation Review, the department will make an assessment of whether this reduction has been achieved. The impact assessments published alongside LASPO are available on the gov.uk website.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients whose records are contained in Clinical Practice Research Datalink datasets have a GP note of malnutrition contained in such records; what proportion of the population have GP records contained in Clinical Practice Research Datalink datasets; and if he will make a statement.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) hosts the world’s largest validated computerised database of anonymised longitudinal medical records from primary care. We have searched the CPRD database for patients with a record indicative of Malnutrition. There are 582 patients with a record of Malnutrition currently registered with practices which are actively contributing data to the CPRD database.

    The CPRD database of patients whose details are available for query by the disease code for malnutrition represents 4.30% of the United Kingdom population.

  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with CCGs to work with community pharmacies to develop a role in reducing hospital admissions, early identification or intervention services and patient ongoing monitoring services.

    David Mowat

    NHS England has advised that all clinical commissioning groups are included in a sustainability and transformation plan (STP) footprint within which, local health and care organisations are working together to develop STPs which will help drive genuine and sustainable transformation in patient experience and health outcomes in the longer-term.

    NHS England’s guidance to STPs highlights the importance of an integrated approach to primary care, including community pharmacy, in the delivery of transformed health services at the local level.

    In addition, we are currently recruiting a further 1,500 qualified pharmacists to work within general practices by 2020.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, (a) how and (b) by whom each head teacher was selected to work with her Department on improving the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

    These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the number of young people involved in (a) dissident republicanism and (b) loyalist paramilitary groups.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    My written statement to Parliament of 15 December 2015 illustrates that dissident republican groupings continue to have sufficient numbers to pose a severe threat to national security in Northern Ireland. The UK Government has allocated £160 million of additional security funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the next five years in order to assist them in tackling the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism.

    The Assessment of Paramilitary Groups published in October 2015 confirmed that all the main loyalist paramilitary groups remain in existence and that individual members continue to engage in criminality and also seek to exercise community control through violence and intimidation.

    I welcome the commitments contained within the Fresh Start Agreement aimed at ending paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, including establishing a new international body to monitor progress toward that goal. The Government is working closely with the Irish Government to establish this body as part of the overall package of measures aimed at achieving a Northern Ireland society free from the malign impact of all paramilitarism.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department submitted a formal application to the European Commission for state aid clearance to enlarge the scheme for social interest tax relief; and when he expects to receive the outcome of that application.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government submitted its application for State aid clearance to enlarge the Social Interest Tax Relief scheme on 17 January 2015. Discussions with the Commission are ongoing. The Government cannot set out an expected timetable for clearance or enlargement of the scheme at this stage, as timing depends on how these discussions progress.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of planned changes to pay and allowances on the morale of the armed forces.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The new pay model being introduced in April 2016 will be simpler, transparent, and more efficient. It responds to Other Ranks’ dissatisfaction with the current model, retains incremental pay, and no one will take a cut in core pay on transition to the new pay model.

    I fully expect this to be positive for morale overall.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she plans to use for determining which non-governmental organisations will collaborate with Polaris on providing helpline services for trafficking victims; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    Polaris, a US-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), is establishing an enhanced UK helpline in collaboration with Unseen, a UK-based NGO. Polaris chose to partner with Unseen based on criteria that it had identified and which reflect its experience of delivering a similar helpline in the US. Polaris and Unseen intend to work closely with other NGOs and law enforcement to ensure that the helpline is as effective as possible in supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice. The Government was not involved in the selection process.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to facilitate the establishment of community banks that are willing to service rural communities and small local economies.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to creating the right regulatory environment that allows banks to enter and expand within the market, and serve customers and communities effectively. This is why the Government has substantially lowered barriers to entry by introducing more proportionate requirements for new banks and establishing the New Bank Start-up Unit run by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and creating the Payment Systems Regulator to ensure all banks can access payment systems on fair and equal terms.

    In addition, this Government has committed to support the credit union movement to make financial services more accessible. Credit unions are community-based financial institutions which already provide services to under-served and financially excluded communities.