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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that other countries follow up the commitments made at the Supporting Syria conference held in the UK in February 2016.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID has worked closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and other departments, alongside the UN and Co-Hosts, to press countries to deliver on commitments they made at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference. The Prime Minister and Co-Hosts wrote to Leaders of pledging countries in May, to encourage them to deliver on their pledges. Lobbying at senior level has also been carried out in bilateral meetings and at international meetings, such as the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings and the World Humanitarian Summit. The UN General Assembly in September will provide an important opportunity to review progress further and press for more.

    DFID has also set up a Post-London Conference Financial Tracking Mechanism. This will track and report on delivery of the financial commitments made at the Conference, and will be a key tool to hold countries to account for their pledges.

  • 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 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on reports of the use of ammunition produced and exported by Primetake, a company based in Lincolnshire, to kill Abdul-Rahim al-Faraj by security forces in Saudi Arabia; and whether he plans to investigate such reports.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of claims by Mr al-Faraj’s family that ammunition produced in the UK was used in the incident that killed him. The UK Government takes decisions on all arms export licensing applications on the basis of close and careful consideration, assessing them against the EU and National Consolidated Arms Export Licensing Criteria, which includes an assessment of whether there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression.

    The Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman stated that Mr al-Faraj was suspected of previously killing security forces personnel and indicated that substantial arms and ammunition were found on the premises during the operation.

  • Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz McInnes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has considered referring the junior doctors’ contract dispute to ACAS.

    Ben Gummer

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is not ruling out conciliation – however, we believe it is still possible to have meaningful talks. We have already sought independent views on contract reform – having asked the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB) for recommendations which formed the basis of our offer, an offer which the British Medical Association have so far refused to talk about. Both the BMA and the Government gave evidence to the DDRB. We continue to urge the BMA to come back round the table, and there are no preconditions to any talks, though of course the Government reserves the right to make changes to contracts if no progress is made on the issues preventing a truly 7 day NHS. That was promised in the manifesto and endorsed by the British people at the last election.

    The DDRB made 23 recommendations and proposed that these should be the basis for national level negotiations between the BMA and NHS Employers, which the Government accepted. The DDRB’s report was published in July this year.

    The BMA has refused to accept these independent recommendations as the basis for negotiations. The Government continues to urge the BMA to return to talks and to work in partnership with NHS Employers to agree a new contract that works for junior doctors and patients.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government in the last four years, how many British Muslims have joined the armed forces, and how many they estimate have gone independently to fight in Syria and North Africa.

    Earl Howe

    All candidates joining the Armed Forces are subject to exactly the same vetting procedures applicable to their chosen branch or trade, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

    There is no requirement for personnel to declare their religion. However, the numbers of British personnel who joined the UK Regular Armed Forces and self-declared their religion as Muslim in the last four financial years is set out below. The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any British Muslim members of the UK Regular Armed Forces going Absent Without Official Leave to fight in Syria or North Africa in the last four years.

    Intake to the UK Regular Forces of personnel with a British Nationality declaring a Muslim religion, by Financial Year

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    10

    20

    30

    20

    Note: figures show intake to UK Regular Forces, both trained and untrained, which comprises new entrants, re-entrants, direct trained entrants (including professionally qualified Officers), intake to the Army from the Gurkhas and intake from the reserves. They exclude all movements within the Regular Forces; including flows from untrained to trained strength, transfers between Services and flows from Ranks to Officer due to promotion. All numbers are rounded.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to encourage more females into STEM professions.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government continues to work with partners to raise awareness and interest in STEM careers, including among females.

    The Government launched the £30m Inspiring Science Capital Fund in January 2016, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust. The fund will help UK science centres invest in exhibitions and education spaces, and reach those who think science is not for them.

    We also support STEM Ambassadors, a nationwide volunteer network of over 32,000 people from STEM companies or academia, who visit schools to encourage more young people into STEM.

    In 2014 the Government helped to establish the industry-led Your Life campaign. Your Life has built a strong social media presence to inspire young people, particularly young girls, to study maths and physics as a gateway to exciting and wide-ranging careers.

    DfE is funding programmes such as the Stimulating Physics Network (£2.15m in 2015-16) and the Further Maths Support Programme (£5m in 2015-16) to support schools and colleges to increase take up of maths and physics with a particular focus on engaging more girls.

    109, 000 women were accepted onto STEM higher education courses in 2015. This represents an increase of 19.1% since 2010.

  • Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the decision to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS, whether they will put into place, and ensure the appropriate funding for, any recommendations made about minimum standards and quality of such police custody healthcare services for vulnerable detainees as a result of the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody.

    Lord Bates

    The decision not to pursue the transfer of custody healthcare commissioning from Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to NHS England was taken in the context of wider decisions about the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2016/17, details of which were announced to Parliament in a written statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims on 17 December.

    The Government is clear that Police and Crime Commissioners should retain full flexibility to be able to prioritise resources towards police custody healthcare functions based on their local needs.

    A number of sources of information and guidance are available to PCCs to inform their commissioning of custody healthcare services.

    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework for custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing, has published Approved Professional Practice (APP) on custody and detention. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to the APP in discharging their responsibilities.The APP references wider guidance published by professional medical bodies including the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. In addition there is a NHS England national service specification setting out clinical standards for the commissioning and provision of police custody healthcare functions. This is currently being reviewed and updated.

    In many police force areas the close ties which PCCs have established to local NHS England commissioners over recent years have already helped to drive up the standards and quality of provision. On 11 February my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners and NHS England Commissioners encouraging them to continue to build upon this work to further improve healthcare service delivery.

    Any recommendations made by the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be carefully considered in due course.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations she made on raising the EU’s 2030 greenhouse gas target at the Environment Council on 4 March 2016.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State represented the UK for the climate change discussion at the Environment Council on 4th March and spoke in support of the Presidency’s assessment of the Paris Agreement. In his intervention, my noble Friend noted that the Paris Agreement is a historic step forward but that the current level of commitments does not put us on a pathway to meet the well below 2°C global goal. He said it was vital we push for another moment in 2020 to raise collective mitigation ambition and that the EU continue its climate leadership role and maintain the momentum created in Paris. He therefore called for the EU and its Member States to be prepared for the first ambition cycle in 2018-2020.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department made of the evidential basis for the capacity for process emissions to be further reduced in cement manufacturing when designing the UK and French government’s tiering proposals under the next phase of EU Emissions Trading.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government supports the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a market-based approach to achieve least-cost decarbonisation and maintain a level playing field across the EU. The Government recognises the large proportion of process emissions within some industrial sectors, such as cement. We have engaged with the cement and other sectors’ bodies to understand the enablers and barriers to deep decarbonisation, including through the joint industry-Government decarbonisation roadmaps, which considered the wider policy context and technological barriers. The proposed tiering scenarios are indicative and do not represent a confirmed Government position.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of carers aged 16 and under looking after a relative in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 166,000 young carers in 2011.

    The Government has changed the law so that all young carers have been entitled to an assessment of their needs for support since April 2015, regardless of who they care for, what type of care they provide, or how much time they spend caring. Around 60%, of young carers are thought to be eligible for free school meals, and those who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years will attract pupil premium funding to the schools that they attend.

    We do not specifically estimate the amount of financial support provided to young carers.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve the training available to medical practitioners on the treatment of people with chronic diseases.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    It is the responsibility of the professional regulators, such as the General Medical Council (GMC), to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in the treatment of people with chronic diseases.

    Higher Education Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the regulators upon graduation.

    The Royal Colleges, for example the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Surgeons, also have responsibility for developing curricula for doctors and nurses, in particular postgraduate curricula.

    In England, Health Education England works with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients, including those with chronic diseases.