Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will expedite the work of the cross-governmental working group on drones; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to mitigate the safety risks posed by civilian drones.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world.

    There is legislation in place that requires users of small drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle, and that requires users to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit their vehicle to endanger any person or property.

    It is already illegal to operate a drone recklessly or negligently, and the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted where there has been persistent reckless behaviour.

    Education of drone users is vital. The DfT is working with the CAA on raising awareness of responsible drone use. This includes the CAA’s ‘Drone Code’ safety awareness campaign and the issuing of safety leaflets at the point of sale.

    We will continue to keep our policies and regulation under review to ensure public safety remains paramount. This currently includes working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he assessed the levels of consumption by children of drinks products affected by the sugar levy.

    Mr David Gauke

    The evidence about children’s consumption of soft drinks comes from the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: the evidence for action’ published in October 2015.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 April (HL7529), whether badger predation on hedgehogs is increasing or decreasing.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    There has been no assessment of whether badger predation on hedgehogs is increasing or decreasing. Badgers have, however, been identified as one of a range of factors that could potentially have an impact on hedgehog populations.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan has adequate supplies of electricity; what assessment they have made of the effect of power cuts and power rationing on that hospital’s ability to provide treatment; whether they have raised the issue of the lack of electricity at the Juba Teaching Hospital with the government of South Sudan; and what steps they will take to ensure that that government takes action.

    Baroness Verma

    The Government of South Sudan has provided one year’s supply of fuel to the Juba Teaching Hospital. The fuel was delivered and electricity was restored to the hospital at the end of May 2016. The Government has also recently signed a contract with a private company to undertake general renovation of the hospital.

    The South Sudan Government’s annual budget allocations for health and education are amongst the lowest in the region averaging 6% for education and 4% for health, compared to an average of 17% and 15% respectively in other East African countries. The UK has consistently lobbied for increased budget allocations to these sectors. The UK is pressing the Government of South Sudan to increase funding for health in the 2016-17 annual budget which will be set in July, particularly for medicines, hospital infrastructure, recurrent running costs including fuel, and personnel for hospitals and clinics. This issue was most recently raised in a meeting with the Minister of Health, Riek Gai Kok on 21 June 2016.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax and national insurance revenue was received from the self-employed courier sector in each of the last three years; and how much tax credit expenditure that sector received in each of those years.

    Jane Ellison

    Income tax and national insurance contributions are charged on total income after allowances and reliefs therefore it is not possible to determine how much income tax or national insurance contributions were generated solely from self-employment income sources from the courier sector.

    Tax credit expenditure received by this sector could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Alistair Burt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alistair Burt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Burt on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to announce details of the discretionary support scheme for people affected by contaminated blood.

    Nicola Blackwood

    As part of the wider reforms of the Infected Blood Payment support schemes in England, a new discretionary scheme is in design and will be delivered once a new scheme administrator is established in 2017/18. Details of the discretionary support scheme will be provided at that stage. A new discretionary scheme will replace the existing three discretionary schemes.

  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the number of human rights activists and community leaders killed in Colombia during the first eight months of 2015.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The latest report from the NGO coalition ‘Somos Defensores’ recorded 51 murders of human rights defenders in the first nine months of 2015, compared to 55 for the whole of 2014 which indicates a worrying upward trend. Despite recent significant developments on the peace process we remain concerned by this increase in violence and threats against human rights defenders there. I again raised the issue of human rights with the Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister, Patti Londono, on 29 September. Officials in London met British NGOs on 9 November, to understand their concerns in greater detail.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what formal guidance exists on the role of social care providers in helping to formulate discharge procedures within NHS hospitals.

    Alistair Burt

    The Care Act 2014 requires the National Health Service to notify local authorities whenever a hospital patient is likely to have care and support needs once they are discharged from hospital. This requirement was part of the wide ranging consultation on the draft regulations and guidance for implementation of the Act. The Care and Support Statutory Guidance sets out these procedures in more detail; they are designed to ensure that local authorities and the NHS work together to ensure that people have the correct support on leaving hospital.

    In addition, NHS England’s guidance on Monthly Delayed Transfer of Care Situation Reports highlights the importance of the role of the multi-disciplinary team, including social workers, in determining patients’ on-going health and social care needs once they leave hospital.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also recently published its guideline on transition between hospital inpatient settings and community or care homes for adults with social care needs. It aims to improve people’s experience of admission to, and discharge from, hospital by better coordination of health and social care services.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which, if any, of the recommendations of the report on the welfare of immigration detainees by Stephen Shaw have been rejected, and on what grounds.

    Lord Bates

    The Government’s position on the Stephen Shaw review was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016.

    The Government accepts the broad thrust of Mr Shaw’s recommendations. In particular the Government accepts Mr Shaw’s recommendations to adopt a wider definition of those at risk, including victims of sexual violence, individuals with mental health issues, pregnant women, those with learning difficulties, post-traumatic stress disorder and elderly people, and to recognise the dynamic nature of vulnerabilities. We will introduce a new “adult at risk” concept into decision-making on immigration detention with a clear presumption that people who are at risk should not be detained, building on the existing legal framework.

    A more detailed mental health needs assessment in immigration removal centres, using the expertise of the Centre for Mental Health, will be carried out and is expected to report in March 2016. NHS commissioners will use that assessment to consider and revisit current provision to ensure healthcare needs are being met appropriately. The Government will also publish a joint Department of Health, NHS and Home Office mental health action plan in April 2016.

    We will also be considering a number of operational recommendations made by Mr Shaw, on a case by case basis, taking account of available resources.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to end the offering of compensation in personal injury claims when there is no medical evidence.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government is determined to crack down on fraud and the compensation culture.

    The Government recognises that offers to settle made to claimants without medical evidence may encourage opportunistic and fraudulent claims. The Government introduced new court rules in October 2014 to discourage such offers and we continue to keep the matter of third party capture, including the impacts on motor premiums, under review.