The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of trade was between the UK and Israel in each of the last five years.
Anna Soubry
This information can be found in the United Kingdom Balance of Payments – The Pink Book 2015 which can be found on the ONS website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults under 21 years old in Dundee will be affected by changes to housing benefit.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not available.
To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home.
We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have informed his Department of plans to reduce staff in the last 12 months.
Andrew Selous
All Community Rehabilitation Companies informed the MoJ of their plans to restructure as part of the bidding process, which was robustly evaluated. They are contractually required to maintain a professional and appropriately skilled workforce to deliver the services set out in their contracts. We are robustly managing the contracts to make sure the providers deliver services which reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the application of section 175 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 on the payment of compensation relating to terrorism cases in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 requires the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland or, in relation to most criminal offences in Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice, to pay compensation where a person’s conviction for a criminal offence has been reversed or he has been pardoned on the grounds that a new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice. The amount of compensation awarded in these cases is assessed by an independent assessor.
Section 175 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 inserted subsection (1ZA) into section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, providing a statutory definition of “miscarriage of justice”. In accordance with this new provision, the Secretary of State will only pay compensation for a “miscarriage of justice” where the new or newly discovered fact (on the basis of which the conviction was reversed) shows beyond reasonable doubt that the person did not commit the offence of which they were convicted. In Northern Ireland this new definition applies in relation to applications for compensation in cases involving sensitive national security information, which applications are determined by the Secretary of State rather than the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.
I believe that this clear definition enshrined in statute makes decisions on eligibility more transparent and less likely to be the subject of legal challenge and ensures (in those cases in Northern Ireland to which it applies) that compensation will only be paid where it is clear the person did not commit the offence of which they were convicted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to provide more information to people potentially affected by floods to enable them to access grant schemes from local authorities.
James Wharton
Our immediate priority remains doing everything we can to help local communities repair and recover from floods. This means ensuring all those affected can benefit from the £200 million grant schemes offered by the Government and know that they can do so.
We have provided information on the Gov.uk website and have worked with local authorities to ensure their websites are up to date. We have also developed a simple fact sheet for individual property owners explaining the Property Level Resilience grant scheme and how to apply for it.
We are in regular contact with local areas and are continuing to look at ways to help support their residents and businesses take full advantage of the grants available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of respect for freedom of religion in Nepal in the period after the adoption of its new constitution.
Mr Hugo Swire
The right to freedom of religion is enshrined as a fundamental right in article 26 (1) of the new constitution. We do however have concerns about the interpretation of the proposed legislation relating to Article 156 of the Penal Code, particularly around changing religion.
Our Embassy in Kathmandu has publicly encouraged Nepali Members of Parliament to ensure that the political settlement meets Nepal’s international human rights obligations, including ensuring the protection of the right to change religion. During the 2015 UK-Nepal bilateral talks my officials also emphasised the importance that the UK places on the freedom to change religion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-05-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the design and running of early phase clinical trials and all phases of drugs development of the reduction in the number of consultant clinical pharmacologist posts being held in the NHS.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that there has not been a reduction in the number of consultant clinical pharmacologists employed in the National Health Service in England.
As part of its workforce planning, Health Education England (HEE) take account of a range of factors including forecast rates of retirement. HEE has recently undertaken a review of the clinical pharmacology and therapeutics workforce, the findings of which will contribute to future workforce planning for this specialty in England.
It is for the respective Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to consider workforce planning for their health system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the constructive engagement of the Saudi-led coalition with the UN on the question of its de-listing as a state or armed group that violates children’s rights during conflict.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
[This question was tabled before the sad death of the Honourable Lady but the subject remains important and the Government’s response ought to be placed on the public record.]
The UN Secretary General’s annual report on Children in Armed Conflict was published on 2 June. The report includes a section outlining the impact of the conflict in Yemen on children.
The conflict in Yemen has had a significant impact on children, in terms of the numbers of child casualties, the recruitment of children as soldiers, and attacks on hospitals and schools.
We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and Saudi Arabia on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings of the Westminster Commission on Autism, A Spectrum of Obstacles: an inquiry into access to healthcare for autistic people, published in July 2016, if he will put in place annual health checks for people diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder who find it difficult to communicate co-morbid physical health and mental health issues.
David Mowat
NHS England has been working with NHS Digital to develop reporting from the new Mental Health Services Data Set. This mandatory data set includes provision for the diagnosis of autism to be recorded, and reporting on these data has been prioritised. Experimental data reports on the number of people diagnosed with autism are expected to be published by the end of 2016.
The National Health Service is taking action to increase the health checks and cancer screening programmes for people with learning disabilities, including those who also have autism. In 2015, NHS England commissioned the world’s first Learning Disability Mortality Review Programme to support local areas to review deaths of people with learning disabilities and to use the information to improve service provision so that physical and mental health problems can be identified and addressed. Information from the programme will help with what more can be done to support regular health monitoring to address the health care needs of people diagnosed with autism.
In 2015, the Department reviewed and updated the autism statutory guidance for the NHS and local authorities in England. In line with this statutory guidance, local authorities and the NHS should be providing autism awareness training to all frontline staff in contact with adults with autism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the recommendations of the Cole Commission on UK exports they have implemented.
Lord Maude of Horsham
As ministers take forward plans to reform and improve the UK’s export and investment effort, they will take into consideration recommendations in the Cole report, as well as advice and suggestions from a broad range of stakeholders.