Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) total cost and (b) cost per sortie mission flown has been of UK military action in Syria since 2 December 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    It is not possible to separate out the costs of UK military action in Syria from that of wider Counter-Daesh operations due to the inter-related nature of the UK’s military activity. However, information on the net additional costs of Counter-Daesh operations during the financial year 2015-16 will be published in the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts, with £75 million approved by Parliament at Main Estimates in July 2015 to meet the initial net additional costs of such operations in 2015-16. We will update this estimate in our 2015-16 Supplementary Estimates which Her Majesty’s Treasury plan to lay before the House in February.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to monitor whether the number of refugee places for victims of domestic violence is increasing or decreasing.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We have invested over £280,000 in UK Refuges on Line (UKROL) to monitor the number of refuge bedspaces around the country to ensure that victims get the support that they need. It will also ensure victims calling the National Domestic Violence Helpline looking for refuge get additional help in finding the support they need.

    Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that shatters lives. That is why we are committed to ensuring that no victim is turned away from the support they need. To support this ambition, we have committed long term fund of £40 million over the next four years which will offer support to victims of domestic abuse. This increased funding, which triples our funding in the last spending period, complements Government’s wider approach and support for violence against women and children’s services, which will be set out in the forthcoming refresh of the Strategy.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bus operators have an incentive to invest in new vehicles when franchising is an option open to local authorities.

    Andrew Jones

    Local transport authorities with access to bus franchising powers will wish to ensure that local operators are aware of their intentions, so that investment decisions can be taken and services continue to be provided in the best interests of passengers.

    Any authority that chooses to implement franchising will have the ability to specify its requirements of operators as part of any franchise contract. This could include requirements relating to the standards of vehicles to be used by operators.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the ambulance service.

    Jane Ellison

    Recruitment and retention of ambulance service staff is the responsibility of individual ambulance trusts. Many are taking direct action in this area now with national and international recruitment campaigns.

    There are almost 2,000 additional paramedics in the system now than in 2010 and we are training another 1,900 over the next five years.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports he has received on the NHS investigation into the performance of the non-urgent transport service provided by Coperforma in Sussex; who will conduct that investigation; what the terms of reference and expected duration of that investigation are; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England advises that the High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), on behalf of all seven Sussex CCGs, has begun an enquiry on 18 April 2016 into the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) in Sussex.

    We are informed that the CCG has engaged TIAA, an independent company and a provider of assurance services to the public sector, to carry out the enquiry. This is an independent investigation into the transition and mobilisation of the PTS contract from the South East Coast Ambulance Service to Coperforma and is supported by the CCGs in Sussex, Coperforma and the South East Coast Ambulance Service. We are advised the CCG has asked for a draft final report to be available for review by June 2016 with interim progress reports.

    We are advised the following terms of reference have been agreed by South East Coast Ambulance Service, High Weald Lewes Havens CCG and Coperforma:

    ― consideration of the transition arrangements set out in such as contract specification and tender submission;

    ― the extent to which compliance with agreed handover arrangements can be evidenced;

    ― a root cause analysis of a sample of incomplete bookings;

    ― establishing the causes of poor service delivery on commencement of the new contract and whether these could have been reasonably anticipated prior to the contract commencement date;

    ― the appropriateness and timeliness of the actions taken by the CCG; and

    ― any lesson learned which could be incorporated into other future major contracts let by the CCG.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what international safeguards and oversight mechanisms will be in place throughout the implementation of the Khartoum Process to prevent trafficking and bribery, and to ensure that human rights are respected.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Rome Declaration launching the Khartoum Process and the Valletta Summit Political Declaration both make clear that all participants should work to combat people trafficking and smuggling with full respect for human rights. The UK will continue to work closely with partners to ensure that all work supported under the Khartoum Process is fully human rights compliant.

    While helping the countries of the Horn of Africa cope with migratory flows and tackling the root causes of migration is firmly in the UK’s interests, we remain mindful of the broader humanitarian and political concerns regarding countries in that region.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with victims of press intrusion on the Leveson 2 inquiry.

    Matt Hancock

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport met victims of press intrusion in March 2016 to discuss the Leveson Inquiry. Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry,including the appeals process, have not yet completed. We have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44262 on Diego Garcia, since what date the existing procedures referred to have been in place.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until the end of December 2036.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of hours worked per week by junior doctors is.

    Ben Gummer

    We do not hold this information centrally.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness King of Bow – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the research by Savills into the opportunities for estate regeneration in London, commissioned by the Number 10 Policy Unit.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    A copy of the report by Savills into the opportunities for estate regeneration in Central London will be made available in the Library of the House once published.