Tag: Parliamentary Question

Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to make funding available for remedial work on the flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble, east of Miller Park; and when that remedial work is planned to take place.

Rory Stewart

Remedial work on flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble, to the east of Miller Park, will take place in two phases.

Preston City Council started the first phase of temporary repair work on 18 January 2016. The target date for completion is 22 January 2016.

The Environment Agency recovery programme will prioritise repair works across Cumbria and Lancashire using a risk based approach. The level of protection offered by flood defence assets will be restored by autumn 2016. This programme will include the second phase of permanent repairs to the flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble.

The Environment Agency is not aware of any damage to flood defences east of Miller Park requiring remedial works.

01/01/2023
David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) the UK and (b) Bolton have been included in the Bowel Cancer Screening programme for over-60s in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme is a biennial programme, in which eligible men and women are invited every two years to be screened.

Roll out of the programme began in 2006 and completed in 2010 offering screening from the ages of 60-69. The Programme then extended the screening age up to 74.

In the last five years, over 19 million men and women have been invited to take part in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

Since the Programmes introduction in 2006, over 24,000 cancers have been detected and over 146,000 patients have been managed for polyps, including polyp removal.

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme will be publishing further data with regards to local areas at a later date.

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many offices were operated by the (a) Skills Funding Agency and (b) Education Funding Agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles

In response to your question:-

Year	EFA	SFA
April 2012	11 sites	21 sites
April 2013	11 sites	18 sites
April 2014	7 sites	20 sites
April 2015	6 sites*	21 sites
April 2016	6 sites*	15 sites

* In addition a small number of EFA staff are based at a satellite office in Bristol

EFA is co-located on all sites with other parts of the Department for Education and the reduction in the number of sites since 2012 was part of a DfE wide change programme.

01/01/2023

Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 31014, whether her Department has (a) paid and (b) been issued with any fines for not meeting the aim of achieving good status for all water bodies by December 2015.

Rory Stewart

The Department has not been issued with any fines relating to any aspect of its implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

The exemptions referred to in my reply to PQ 31014 are:
- Article 4(4) provides for extensions of the deadline to 2021 or 2027 for reasons of disproportionate cost or technical feasibility;
- Article 4(5) provides for setting of less stringent objectives where it would be disproportionately expensive or technically infeasible to achieve good status due to natural conditions or the effects of essential human activity;
- Article 4(6) allows for temporary deterioration due to natural causes such as extreme floods or prolonged drought; and
- Article 4(7) allows for deterioration from high status to good status and failure to achieve good status to allow for new sustainable development activities.
The application of each of the exemptions is subject to conditions set out in the above provision.

River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment. Updated plans covering the period 2016 to 2021 were published by the Environment Agency (EA) on 18 February.

The Plans for England confirm over £3 billion investment in the water environment by 2021, leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies by 2021, including an overall target to enhance at least 8,000km of fresh waters by 2021. The EA is currently working with Defra to profile the delivery of this target over the six years that the RBMP covers, and is also working with partners to explore opportunities to deliver more.

The EA coordinates action by water companies, farmers, local groups, businesses and councils to achieve the targets set out in the Plans. These actions include reducing pollution from sewage treatment works, managing water abstraction, opening up rivers to salmon and other fish species, and improving the physical habitat.
01/01/2023
Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the North Korean authorities about the treatment of British journalists and the continued breach of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights pertaining to the free flow of information, and restrictions on freedom of speech in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We made immediate representations to the North Korean authorities when we were informed of the detention of a BBC journalist in Pyongyang. Our Embassy in Pyongyang provided consular assistance prior to the journalist’s departure. As part of our policy of critical engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea we consistently raise human rights issues, such as freedom of speech and freedom of expression, directly with the regime and in international fora.

01/01/2023
Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budgeted expenditure is in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 on facility improvements at Barrow-in-Furness to support the Trident renewal programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

The infrastructure and facilities investments being made at the Barrow-in-Furness and Faslane sites are for all our submarines not just the Successor programme. I am withholding internal Ministry of Defence forecasts on future programme expenditure as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice on-going commercial negotiations.

01/01/2023
Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the South Korean government on the dog meat trade.

Alok Sharma

I spoke to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador on 12 September, ahead of a Westminster Hall Debate on the dog meat trade in ROK, to raise the issue of the dog meat trade and highlight the strength of feeling among the British public and Parliamentarians on this issue. As I stated in the Westminster Hall Debate, there is evidence that attitudes among the ROK public towards the dog meat trade and animal welfare are changing. We hope to encourage that change. The British Ambassador in RoK most recently raised the dog meat trade directly in Seoul on 1 September, highlighting our concerns about the treatment and welfare of animals. The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and the British Government will continue to promote animal welfare with our international partners.

I have included a copy of the transcript of the 12 September Westminster Hall Debate with this answer.

01/01/2023
Baroness Redfern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise awareness of mental health issues, to address the impact of stigma and discrimination on those affected, and to engage with local businesses to develop employment opportunities for those affected.

Lord Prior of Brampton

It is important that local authorities employ individuals who possess the necessary skills to engage effectively with those with mental health problems. Local authorities should make training opportunities available to all staff.

Mental health social workers empower individuals with mental illness and their families, carers, and communities to lead fulfilling, independent lives. On 1 September this year applications for a new fast track route into mental health social work careers opened for an intensive on-the-job programme called Think Ahead. The programme aims to attract promising students and graduates into mental health careers.

Health Education England, working with NHS England, aims to ensure that there are sufficient therapists and other staff with the right skills to support the identification of mental health issues.

Community mental health services, which include community mental health teams, crisis and home resolution teams, assertive outreach teams and early intervention in psychosis teams, all have a key role in supporting people with mental health problems either to avoid the need for in-patient care or to provide them with on-going support once in-patient treatment is no longer necessary.

From April 2016, the first set of mental health waiting time standards will be introduced which requires that 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis are treated with a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved package of care within two weeks of referral; 75% of adults referred to the national programme for psychological therapies will be treated within 6 weeks, and 95% within 18 weeks.

This is supported by an £80 million funding package for 2015-16 from NHS England’s budgets, breaking down as:

‒ £40 million recurrent funding to support delivery of the early intervention in psychosis (EIP) standard;

‒ £10 million to support delivery of the new psychological therapies standards; and

‒ £30 million to support liaison psychiatry in acute hospitals.

The Time to Change initiative is an ambitious national programme being delivered by leading mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness to reduce stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems. The Department, the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief have all provided funding for the programme.The Department funded the campaign with over £16 million between 2011-12 and 2014-15 and is continuing to fund the programme with £2.5 million in 2015-16. Time to Change continues to work with people with experience of mental health problems to challenge attitudes and discrimination; run social marketing campaigns and work with local and regional partners on community-led activity. To date, more than 350 organisations across England have committed to tackling mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace.

01/01/2023
Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the criteria used for determining the points allocation given to a person receiving dialysis at home for the purpose of a personal independence payment allocation.

Justin Tomlinson

The PIP Assessment Guide for Health Professionals carrying out assessments includes guidance on the assessment criteria and how they should be applied.

Activity 3 – ‘Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition’ (page 97) explains how to assess a person receiving dialysis at home. This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449043/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

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01/01/2023
Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ban the sale of zombie knives in the UK.

Karen Bradley

The Government continues to work with the police and partners to ensure we reduce violence and knife crime, and in the year ending June 2015, knife crime recorded by the police was 17% lower than 2010. We are aware of concerns about zombie knives and we are currently considering representations including the letter of 13 January from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands and on 21 January from the prospective mayoral candidate for London Zac Goldsmith. A reply will be sent shortly and we will offer to meet with the PCC.

We are currently considering what action to take against the prevalence of zombie knives on our streets. We are talking to retailers, including Amazon, about the action they can take. There are strict laws on the sale of knives to under 18s and on how knives can be marketed. We are concerned about any knives being carried in public especially if used to threaten and inflict violence. It is a criminal offence to possess a knife in public without good reason, and if a person is convicted a second time they now face a minimum mandatory custodial sentence following the introduction of this change by the Government in July 2015.

01/01/2023