The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average increase in rail fares over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
All fares increased on average by 5% in real terms between 2010 and 2015, compared to 11.3% between 2005 to 2010.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness of practical obstetric multi-professional training among medical professionals.
Ben Gummer
In November 2015 the Government announced a national ambition to halve by 2030 the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth. In support of the National Health Service in achieving this ambition over £1 million has been allocated to Health Education England (HEE) to roll out training programmes to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care.
HEE’s Maternity Safety Steering Group have commissioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to produce a catalogue of quality assured standardised multi-disciplinary training packages in which practical obstetric multi-professional training will be included.
Each NHS trust in England will receive this catalogue and be asked to confirm which training they will implement. This will include medical and midwifery staff. Funding will be available to support this work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with higher education institutions about the potential effect of changes in the level of university teaching staff on casual employment contracts on the quality of teaching.
Joseph Johnson
We have had no such direct discussions with higher education institutions.
In the 2016 Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Grant letter we asked HEFCE to look into the two issues of (a) the contractual status of academic staff and (b) teaching intensity/weighted contact hours across different subjects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq and the UNHCR about contingency plans for the assistance of refugees fleeing Fallujah, in particular for the provision of water, food, medicine, sanitation, and shelter.
Baroness Verma
According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.
The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.
Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-09-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will decide whether the airport at St Helena will open to commercial traffic; what criteria will be used in making that decision; and when they expect the information necessary to make that decision to be available.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Following certification by the regulator, ASSI, in June, the airport is open to flights that meet the Category C conditions set out in the St Helena Government’s Aerodrome Information Publication; this is provided to all prospective airlines and their pilots. The wind conditions at the Airport preclude commercial services at this time. A decision on when commercial services can begin will be made once sufficient information is available to make a decision which reflects the paramount importance of safety.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria were attached to the granting of a grant to the Wave Trust to fund the Pioneer Communities Project.
Greg Hands
The Government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 funding for the Department for Education for an “Early intervention pilot for 0-2 year olds – to pilot a new approach to ensure that the most effective early intervention actions are taken during a child’s earliest years, to prevent avoidable problems later.”
This measure was to be delivered by the Department for Education, who worked with a number of stakeholders including Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Wave Trust and the Early Intervention Foundation to identify options to deliver the project.
As no contract has been signed for this measure, in June 2015 the Department for Education undertook not to proceed with the measure in this financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what form of transport she used to travel to the COP21 conference in Paris in December 2015; and for what reasons she used that form of transport.
Andrea Leadsom
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State made two separate visits to the COP21 conference in Paris. For the first, she travelled out by train and returned by plane. For the second she travelled there and back by train.
In accordance with the Ministerial Code, it was ensured that these were the most efficient and cost-effective options for the Secretary of State to meet her commitments at COP.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Attorney General, how many defibrillators are provided in each building the Law Officers’ Departments manage.
Robert Buckland
Staff in the Government Legal Department (GLD) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate who are based at One Kemble Street, have access to two defibrillators which are held by the landlord in their reception areas. GLD client based staff have access to whatever provision is made by those who manage the buildings occupied by their host Department.
The Attorney General’s Office does not currently have access to a defibrillator in its 20 Victoria Street office.
The Serious Fraud Office has access to two automated external defibrillators at their offices in Cockspur Street.
The Crown Prosecution Service does not provide defibrillators in any of its buildings. However, some staff may have access to defibrillators provided by other tenants or the buildings managing agent in buildings that they occupy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the high incidence of mental health disorders in countries (a) with poor mental health support services and (b) that are experiencing conflict or have recently emerged from conflict; and if she will make a statement.
Justine Greening
DFID is funding work on mental health in several of our focus countries. For example in Malawi, under the Health Partnership Scheme DFID is helping to establish a community-based programme to improve care of people with common and severe mental health illnesses.
The UK is also providing mental health services through the provision of mobile clinics, healthcare and emergency surgery for Syrian refugees caught up in the ongoing crisis
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28163, and with reference to the Answer of 10 June 2013 to Question 158962, whether his Department has stopped collecting data on National Minimum Wage complaints in the care sector broken down by domiciliary and residential care; and if he will make a statement.
Nick Boles
Information on the number of NMW enquiries made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) and Acas Helpline for the ‘domiciliary care’ and ‘residential care’ sectors has not been collected at that level of disaggregation.