Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the evidence his Department has received which illustrates that a change in the level of employment and support allowance work-related activity group funding will support claimants into work.

    Penny Mordaunt

    A number of international studies, and a 2005 report[1] by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development argued that “financial incentives to work can be improved by either cutting welfare benefit levels, or introducing in-work benefits while leaving benefit levels unchanged”.

    There will be new funding worth £60 million in 2017/18, rising to £100 million in 2020/21, which will support those with limited capability for work to move towards and into suitable employment. We will also soon publish a Green Paper that will explore a range of options for long-term reform across different sectors, targeting the factors which contribute to the Disability Employment Gap.

    [1] http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/36780865.pdf

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  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will intervene on behalf of Khalid Younis so that he receives drugs needed to treat his chronic myeloid leukaemia condition.

    George Freeman

    Ministers are unable to intervene in or comment specifically on an individual patient’s clinical care, which is a matter for the relevant clinicians.

    In the absence of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, funding decisions for individual treatments should be made by the relevant National Health Service commissioner, based on an assessment of the available evidence. Commissioners are also required to have processes in place for the consideration of exceptional funding requests.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has invested in cycling in each of the last three years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In the last three years, the Department for Transport (DfT)’s budgets for cycling programmes were:

    DfT budgets: (million)

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Cycle-Rail

    £7.0

    £7.5

    Bikeability

    £11.7

    £11.7

    £11.7

    Junction safety

    £30.0

    £5.0

    Linking Communities

    £8.0

    £7.5

    Cycling Ambition – Cities/National Parks

    £46.6

    £46.6

    Highways Agency

    £4.8

    LSTF- Cycling

    £37.8

    £37.8

    £37.8

    Total DfT

    £94.5

    £120.9

    £96.1

    In 2014-15, the Department’s dedicated cycling programmes were Bikeability, Cycle Ambition Cities, Cycling in National Parks and the Highways Agency’s cycling programme. The Department funds cycling programmes through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, with around 28% of the LSTF being spent on cycling. The Department secures a range of match funding contributions from local authorities for these programmes: the LSTF secured 99% match funding.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Whitaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider the work undertaken by Thames Valley Police in their newly published review of good practice in policing local Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities to be innovative; and what plans they have to encourage other police forces to undertake a similar approach to policy and practice in their areas.

    Lord Bates

    Equality and diversity are important – people across all communities want the police to fight crime while having confidence that their needs will be understood and respected.

    The Government are pleased that Thames Valley Police have undertaken this piece of work which was co-authored by one of the Executive Directors of the national Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Police Association.

    The Government established the College of Police as the professional body for policing to set standards, establish an evidence base for policing and disseminate what works.

    It remains a matter for forces how they deal with issues to do with Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities. However, we would expect the College of Policing to make an assessment of effective policing practice and share effective and innovative practice where they find it.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many young people in children and adolescent mental health services waited longer than (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) six months between referral and treatment in (i) England, (ii) London, (iii) each London borough and (vi) each London health trust in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012, (D) 2013, (E) 2014 and (F) 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Moonie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many abortions there were in 2015 at 23 weeks gestation and above.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This data is not currently available. Abortion data for 2015 will be published by the Department in May.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will estimate the proportion of rebel ground forces in Syria which could be considered moderate.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) stated in Parliament in December 2015 that we assessed at that time that there were around 70,000 non-extremist fighters in Syria, standing up to both the tyranny of the Asad regime and the poisonous and murderous ideology of Daesh. Since the time of that assessment, there have been significant shifts on the ground, particularly as a result of Russia’s military escalation, the majority of which has directly targeted the moderate opposition.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to take action against hospital trusts which continue to breach mixed-sex accommodation guidance.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    All patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and the Government has made it clear that providers of National Health Service funded care are expected to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation, except where this is in the overall best interest of the patient, or reflects their personal choice.

    Since 2010, there has been a fall from almost 12,000 patients in mixed-sex accommodation to 753 reported in March 2016. We will continue to monitor monthly breach data and performance across the NHS in partnership with NHS England. The financial penalty for non-delivery of the operational standard is mandated through the NHS Standard Contract 2016/17, and applies to all providers of acute, cancer and mental health services.

    Under the terms of the Contract, where a breach occurs, the commissioner whose patient is affected must levy the financial sanction specified by the Contract. That sanction is £250 for each day that patient is affected by the breach.

    Delivering zero breaches for every trust, every month, is unlikely. This is because there will be some occasions where patients are mixed appropriately, even when their clinical care needs do not demand it (for example if a patient is admitted in the middle of the night and the only way to release an appropriate bed is to awaken and move other patients).

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what step they are taking to ensure that British businesses in Colombia do not contribute to human rights abuses there.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Encouraging businesses to respect human rights is a global priority for this Government. We recognise that communities such as indigenous and afro-descendant people and those in isolated rural areas are particularly vulnerable.

    The UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights sets out how the Government is implementing the UN Guiding Principles. British firms are expected to uphold these principles in their overseas operations, as well as in the UK. It is for each country to implement a National Action Plan to ensure compliance with the Guiding Principles.

    We worked closely with the Colombian authorities to develop their National Action Plan, published in December. All companies operating in Colombia, including British ones, should comply with the requirements and guidelines set out in that National Action Plan.

    The Minister for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend, the Lord Price of Sturminster Newton, launched a campaign for British businesses to support peace, primarily through respect for human rights, during his visit to Colombia last month. Twenty of the largest British companies operating in Colombia subsequently agreed to align themselves to the Colombian National Action Plan for business and human rights.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current security situation in Afghanistan and the stability of that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The security situation in Afghanistan remains challenging. It is the second year of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) independent operations and their capability continues to gradually improve. The work of NATO’s non-combat advisory mission, Resolute Support, remains critical to this effort. In 2016, ANDSF have faced particular pressure from the insurgency in Helmand and Kunduz. Where significant population centres have been threatened, government forces have repelled Taleban assaults.

    At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, NATO agreed to sustain Resolute Support’s “Train, Advise and Assist” mission through 2017. Donors also pledged around $4.5bn in funding to the ANDSF through to 2020 and reaffirmed NATO’s Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan. This clear signal of international resolve demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding the gains made in Afghanistan and to supporting the Government of Afghanistan to deliver security for its citizens.

    HMG Ministers will be discussing these issues, and related development issues, with partners at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on 4-5 October.