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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) carried out by his Department in the last three years on the reputation of the UK abroad; and if he will make a statement.

    Alok Sharma

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any research on the UK’s global reputation.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a network of 268 Posts in 168 countries and territories, including 9 multilateral organisations, who regularly report on the relationship with the UK in their host countries and organisations.

  • Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Farron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school days have been lost to snow closures in each of the last three years.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department does not collect information on the number of school days lost due to snow closures.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to his American counterpart on Guantanamo Bay in the last five years.

    Dominic Raab

    It has been a long standing policy of successive British Governments to seek the release and return of those UK nationals and former legal residents who were held at Guantanamo Bay and, in doing so, assist the US administration in its efforts to close the detention facility.

    We remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close Guantanamo Bay by facilitating engagement with countries that have agreed to accept former detainees, and by sharing experience and advice on managing the return process.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Office of the Independent Adjudicator is able to send the complaint outcome to the complainant and member higher education provider within 90 days of the reviewer’s determination that the file is complete.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Annual Report (2014), which contains the latest published figures available, states that it took an average of 207 days to close a complaint from the time the student first submitted a complaint form. Provisional figures indicate that improvements have been made since then and the 2015 Annual Report is likely to show a significant reduction in this figure.

    The European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution, which came into force on 9 July 2015, now requires dispute resolution bodies such as the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) to issue complaint outcomes within 90 days of receiving the full complaint file, unless the case is highly complex. The OIA and other alternative dispute resolution bodies are required to report to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which is monitoring compliance with the Directive.

  • Lord Inglewood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Inglewood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Inglewood on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Forestry Commission permits forms of shooting on any of its land in circumstances which fall within its definition of free shooting”.”

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Forestry Commission only associates the term free-shooting with the control of grey squirrels for the protection of red squirrel populations and the reduction of damage to timber crops, not any other wildlife management activity.

    There may be occasions where free-shooting takes place by the holders of Game Shooting Leases or by its own wildlife rangers. There may also be free-shooting of grey squirrels carried out where there are retained sporting rights over which the Forestry Commission does not exercise any direct control.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle websites which promote and encourage anorexia; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making it a criminal offence to publish pro-anorexia material online.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government is committed to continue working with the internet industry in the United Kingdom to keep young people safe on-line and to promote access to positive support for those children and young people who are vulnerable to suggestion from so called pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites.

    The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups, and government departments to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. As part of this work, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, published good practice guidance in 2015 for providers of social media and interactive services, to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” and make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18. A wide range of partners contributed to this project, including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft.

    UKCCIS has also published a guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media. The guide includes practical tips about the use of safety and privacy features on apps and platforms, as well as conversation prompts to help families begin talking about on-line safety. It also contains pointers to further advice and support. The Government is clear that what is illegal off-line is illegal on-line and is not currently considering making it an offence to publish pro-anorexia material on-line.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33365, on interpreters, what the average length of delay was that his Department attributes to late or absent interpreters since Capita took over the contract.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested is not collected centrally. The volume of trials requiring relisting due to the unavailability of an interpreter is at the lowest level it has been since 2011.

    Further information on the volume of trials listed in the criminal courts, and those which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter absence, is published in the Criminal Court Statistics, which can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics

    “

  • Lord Tyler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Tyler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the capital value for which (1) ermine robes, and (2) other garments, used by Peers and Officers of the House during the State Opening of Parliament are insured.

    Lord Laming

    The capital value of Members’ robes donated to the House is £217,453 (as reported in the House of Lords Resource Accounts: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/2015/HL-resource-accounts-2014-15.pdf). No public money was spent on acquiring these robes. The Administration does not capitalise other garments used by Members and staff of the House during the State Opening of Parliament. The House is self-insuring.

    “

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the capacity of specialist dermatology centres to support people living with hidradenitis suppurativa.

    David Mowat

    Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care. For those patients with the most serious forms of HS who cannot be managed in this way, a referral to a specialised service may be appropriate.

    NHS England commissions specialised services for people with rare and complex skin conditions and has set out what providers must have in place in order to offer specialist dermatology care. The level of service provision nationally is based on an assessment of the likely patient population who will need to access specialised care. It is estimated that about 10% of patients requiring dermatology services (about 10,000 each year) need care from specialised dermatology centres.

    Specialised services may provide more intensive therapies with the involvement of a range of health and care professionals, subject to a patient’s needs. More information can be found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a12-spec-dermatology.pdf

    “

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many newly qualified GPs are waiting to be added to the national list for medical performers.

    David Mowat

    NHS England advises that, currently, there are approximately 720 applications for general practitioner (GP) trainees to be added to the performers list.

    The processing of applications to join the National Performers List was taken over by Capita in September 2015, and there have been some delays in Capita’s processing of applications. NHS England is working closely with Capita to identify all cases which may be affected by delays in processing applications, and those identified are being investigated and urgent cases prioritised. NHS England expects all GP trainees to be on the performers list by the end of October when their grace period for inclusion ends.

    The decision to admit a GP trainee to the performer list is the sole responsibility of NHS England rather than Capita. There have been some instances where Capita have informed GPs that they cannot practice because their application to the performer list has not been completed. Where we are aware of such instances, those GPs have been contacted by NHS England and provided with the correct advice relating to their individual circumstances. Where necessary, NHS England has taken further action to expedite the performers’ list process.