Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 28059, whether representatives of ex-intraveneous drug users and former sex-workers will be invited to sit on the working group being formed by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs as part of its review of blood donor selection criteria.

    Jane Ellison

    Stakeholder representation on the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissue and Organs’ Donor Selection Criteria Working Group consists of the Terence Higgins Trust, National Aids Trust, Patients Association, Sickle Cell Society, Thalassemia Society and the LGBT Consortium. A Stakeholder meeting is planned alongside the first meeting of the Working Group and a wider range of stakeholders is to be invited. Relevant stakeholder representatives such as former sex workers and ex-intravenous drug users will be invited to attend the Working Group when it is considering particular aspects of donor selection criteria.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants and diplomats form part of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU; how many such officials there were in each pay band in each of the last five years; and what the total staffing cost of UKREP was in 2015-16.

    Mr David Lidington

    UKRep includes staff from a number of different Government Departments. The number of staff employed by UKRep varies throughout the year, depending on changing requirements at the Representation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has 122 full time posts at UKRep, both UK based and Locally Engaged. Details of the current senior team at UKRep can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-representation-to-the-eu/about/our-governance .

    A breakdown of officials by pay band for the last five years could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost; however FCO’s annual report and accounts for each financial year, including an overview of salary costs, can be found on GOV.UK .

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to support the establishment of independent international monitoring mechanisms in Yemen to investigate human rights violations on all sides of the conflict.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights. It is important to continue to support this process until the Commission has reported back to the Human Rights Council in September 2016 where the discussions about the need for any alternative measures can be properly informed.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprentices who are of an ethnic minority.

    Robert Halfon

    In 2014/15, 10.6% of those starting an apprenticeship had a BAME background.

    The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of apprentices from a BAME background by 20% by 2020.

    We want to increase the quality and quantity of all apprenticeships, including for those from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background.

    We have taken action through our current marketing campaign, ‘Get in Go Far’ to ensure that there is clear representation from BAME apprentices. Research undertaken prior to the campaign ensured that it could reach a diverse audience. In addition, we have established a network of employer Diversity Champions, who are committed to sharing good practice and raising awareness of apprenticeships amongst employers.

    Research has been commissioned to explore potential barriers that BAME applicants for apprenticeships face so that we can provide support to improve the rates of success for this group. We have started detailed analysis of apprenticeship data to identify areas of under-representation and areas of potential for growth. We are currently developing options to take forward.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

    James Brokenshire

    My Department does not directly employ any cleaning staff within the Westminster estate, we utilise contracted services provided by HM Treasury.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the career progression of people aged 16 to 24 who have completed an apprenticeship since 2010.

    Nick Boles

    The Department assesses the impact of apprenticeships on career progression in a number of ways including measuring longer term wage and employment outcomes, short term employment outcomes and self-reported impacts. We also measure progression of advanced apprentices to higher education. Where possible the data are broken down by age band. Links to the relevant reports are provided below.

    Wage returns and employment outcomes for Further Education, including apprenticeships are published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-comparing-labour-market-economic-benefits-from-qualifications-gained

    Experimental data showing the learning and employment outcomes of learners completing further education training between 2010 and 2013 is published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-further-education-outcome-based-success-measures-experimental-data-2010-to-2013

    Short term employment outcomes and self-reported impacts are published in the Evaluation of apprenticeships: learner survey which is published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-evaluation-learner-survey-2014

    Progression of advanced apprentices to higher education broken down by year and age band is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progression-of-apprentices-to-higher-education-second-cohort

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  • Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of their obligation under EU law to prevent VAT evasion.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In considering fraud against European own resources, including VAT collection, the European Court recently clarified in the Taricco judgment that Member States are obliged under EU law (Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) to have in place effective and dissuasive criminal penalties against VAT fraud. The UK applies a full range of penalties to address various behaviours from dishonesty and deliberate inaccuracies through to criminal prosecutions for VAT offences.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 19 January (HL4840), why the independent review of the contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare Partnership will only focus on the commissioner perspective.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We are advised that NHS England’s review of the contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare Partnership will focus on the commissioner perspective. Monitor, as the sector regulator for health services in England, will also be conducting a review.

    However, Monitor’s review will assess the contract from the perspective of the providers involved and consider how relevant issues might be mitigated in the future. Monitor and NHS England will share their respective findings with each other.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of fixed odds betting terminals on levels of crime; and if she will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not collect information centrally on the reasons why police officers are called out to specific locations. The Home Office has no plans for a formal assessment of the impact of fixed odds betting terminals on levels of crime.

    It is for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to decide crime priorities at a local level, and the most appropriate response in their areas.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in immigration detention of each nationality have been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    As of December 2015 there were 1,274 foreign national offenders in immigration detention.

    The Home Office does not provide nationality specific data. The data is withheld where disclosure would be likely to prejudice diplomatic relations between the UK and a foreign government and where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice the operation of immigration control.

    Caveats

    (1) The figures quoted have been derived from management information from the Home Office databases and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

    (2) A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case on the Home Office’s Case Information Database, and may include individuals with asylum cases.

    (3) Figures relate to main applicants only and are a snapshot of cases as at the end of December 2015 taken from the Case Information Database (CID).