The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency call handlers were employed in each year since 2010.
Jane Ellison
This information is not held centrally.
It is for individual ambulance trusts to ensure that they have a workforce capable of meeting the demands on the service, both numerically and in levels of skill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had (a) with his international counterparts and (b) within international organisations on private sector marine vessels conducting armed anti-piracy operations in support of merchant shipping in international waters.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government has had no discussions with international counterparts on private sector marine vessels conducting deliberate operations against pirate vessels (i.e. ‘private navies’). The Government does however discuss the use of Vessel Based Armouries (VBAs) at the International Code of Conduct for Private security in Switzerland and with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). VBAs allow Private Maritime Security Companies to off-load and collect weapons from international waters before leaving and entering the High Risk Area for piracy. The UK Government only permits the use of armed guards on UK flagged vessels operating inside the East Africa/Indian Ocean ‘High Risk Area’ as defined by industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Pound on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will re-open the consultation on pharmacy dispensing models and displaying prices on medicines that closed on 17 May 2016 in order to allow respondents to take into account revised information on the safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing models.
Alistair Burt
The consultation on changes to medicines legislation including on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing did not rely on any specific safety profile of hub and spoke dispensing. Instead, the consultation document specifically asked consultees to provide evidence on the issue. Nevertheless, the responses to the consultation have raised issues around removing the bar on ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing between retail pharmacies that are not part of the same business that the Department would like to explore in more detail with stakeholders’ representatives before progressing any legislation. It does not now envisage changes to the legislation on this issue commencing on 1 October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) groups and (b) individuals his Department has invited to work with the Government on developing a strategy for carbon capture and storage in the UK.
Jesse Norman
The Department continues to engage with the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry, including with individual developers and the CCS Association as well as others such as the Committee on Climate Change, on the next steps on CCS in the UK. The Department also continues to host the CCS Development Forum, which brings government and the CCS industry together.
In addition, BEIS officials are providing support to Lord Oxburgh’s CCS Advisory Group which will report to Government on their findings and recommendations on the future of CCS in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to raise the issue of stateless North Koreans with the government of China; and what steps they plan to take to aid stateless North Koreans in need if the government of China is unwilling to assist them.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports of thirty North Koreans being sent back to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) after a period of detention in China.
Despite claims by the DPRK authorities that forcibly repatriated refugees are well treated and reintegrated into DPRK society, reports suggest that they are often mistreated by the authorities.
We will raise the issue of non-refoulement at the next UK-China Human rights Dialogue, scheduled to take place this month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to (a) support the Safe Schools Declaration which arose from the Oslo conference on safe schools in May 2015 and (b) implement the Guidelines on Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
Mr Philip Hammond
The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during Armed Conflict. While we support the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with other countries such as Australia, Canada and France, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles to help the UK meet the 2050 carbon budget.
Andrew Jones
This Government is committed to the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles, recognizing the economic and environmental benefits this will bring. We believe that both hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles together with battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will play an important part in the ongoing decarbonisation of our road transport.
The Government’s vision, as set out in the Carbon Plan is that by 2050 almost every car and van on the road will be an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV). We announced at the Spending Review that we will spend more than £600 million between 2015-16 and 2020-21 to support uptake and manufacturing of ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK, maintaining the global leadership that has seen 1 in 4 of all European electric vehicles built here and keep the UK on track for all new cars to be effectively zero emission by 2040. This investment will save 65million tonnes of carbon and help deliver the long term answer on urban air quality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons.
Mike Penning
There is an urgent need to step up efforts to stop guns getting into the hands of criminals and extremists. The Government works closely with other EU Member States and the Commission in taking forward this important work. Discussion on the EU Firearms Directive (which sets tighter controls on owning and trading firearms) which would prohibit the private ownership of high-powered semi automatic weapons, is underway.
At the recent G6 meeting, the Home Secretary welcomed the action of her EU counterparts on reducing the illegal movement and sale of high-powered semi-automatic weapons and agreement on improved deactivation standards. She also raised the need for more to be done particularly on the threat from Acoustic Expansion Weapons (AEWs) and trafficking routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers who were trained through the Troops to Teachers scheme are employed in state-funded schools.
Nick Gibb
As the Troops to Teachers programme is an employment-based Initial Teacher Training route, all trainees are employed in state-funded schools throughout their training. The first cohort of trainees completed the training programme in December 2015. 28 of the 29 trainees who completed the programme achieved Qualified Teacher Status with the remaining individual working towards it. A further two trainees plan to re-join their training in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.
Karen Bradley
The Home Department procures consultancy as a service against deliverables and outputs and not in terms of individuals. The Home Department has not terminated any consultancy service engagements early in any of the last six years and therefore has not incurred any such costs.