The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the US’s decision to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system in South Korea.
Mike Penning
The Secretary of State for Defence has not discussed this issue with his US counterpart.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria he will use to decide whether to extend the placement of jobcentre advisers in food banks beyond the current pilot.
Priti Patel
Jobcentre Work Coaches undertake outreach work every day in local communities, and have recently been helping people with back-to-work support and advice at the Lalley Centre in Manchester. Early feedback has been very positive. We will reflect on this and see if there is potential for extending engagement where there is local need and Jobcentre Plus are invited to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) volume and (b) value of (i) raw milk, (ii) butter, (iii) cheese, (iv) cream and (v) condensed milk was exported in each year from 1995-96 to 2014-15.
George Eustice
The information requested is set out in the tables attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-12-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 September (HL2043), when they expect to publish updated guidelines relating to lower-risk drinking.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Chief Medical Officer, with advice from a group of independent experts, has reviewed current drinking guidelines. The proposals will be published shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the financial monitoring and accounts returns submitted to his Department, which NHS (a) trusts and (b) foundation trusts have reported that their planned agency nursing spend (i) will and (ii) will not exceed the ceiling trajectory set by Monitor.
Alistair Burt
Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority have confirmed that they plan to publish data on the implementation of the agency caps in coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Prime Minister, what special advisers have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully sought his permission to work on a EU referendum campaign.
Mr David Cameron
The arrangements for special advisers who wish to work for a campaign are set out in the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 23 February. It is not appropriate to publish personal data about individual special advisers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of increased suppression of demonstrations, civil society organisations, and of threats to Iraqi citizens from Iraqi government forces and militias.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are following demonstrations by civil society organisations which are currently taking place in Iraq. These follow large demonstrations which took place during summer 2015. We welcome the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of these demonstrations and the measured manner in which they have been policed. Demonstrators commented on the good treatment by and positive interaction of the Iraqi Security Forces. This is in stark contrast to 2011 when lethal force was used against demonstrators. We are also following similar demonstrations in Iraqi Kurdistan.
However, we are concerned by recent reports alleging that Iraqi Security Forces, Kurdish Security Forces, Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces and militias have committed human rights abuses and violations during recent military operations. We have been clear that Iraqi forces need to do everything they can to protect civilians and demonstrate that they are fighting on behalf of all Iraq’s communities. Prime Minister Abadi and Kurdish Regional President Barzani have committed to investigating all reports and ensuring those responsible are held to account. We regularly underline with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government the importance of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against school exclusion were heard at the First Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disabilities) in each year since 2010.
Caroline Dinenage
Information about the number of appeals (a) heard against school exclusion and (b) how many were found in favour of the appellant is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly. The most recent statistics for the First-tier Tribunal SEND are for the period 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015, published on 10 December 2015, which can be viewed at:
These statistics cover the years 2011/12 to 2014/15.
The statistics for earlier years can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/385777/sen-tables-2014.xls.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 3 May 2016 to Question 35165, on Personal Independence Payments, what steps his Department is taking better to understand why sufficient documentary evidence is not being sought during the assessment and mandatory reconsideration stages.
Justin Tomlinson
The 75% can be broken down as follows:
Cogent oral evidence – 66%
Cogent documentary evidence supplied at the appeal – 9%
These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded, and are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.
The Department encourages claimants to provide as much relevant evidence as necessary to support their claim. The “How your disability affects you” form and accompanying guidance sets out the range of information that can help the Department reach a decision. The guidance for Health Professionals also sets out sources of further evidence which could help inform their advice to the Department.
At the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, again claimants are encouraged to provide any further evidence about their disability. Following the first independent review of Personal Independence by Paul Gray, the Department is reviewing all communications (including those used by Assessment Providers) it has with claimants throughout the claim, assessment and reconsideration process to ensure that claimants clearly understand the importance of providing sufficient evidence to support their claim and application.
Further, once a claimant has submitted their claim, the Department has created a new Standard Work Instructions (SWI) for its decision making staff to gain further evidence, where appropriate. For Mandatory Reconsideration, the SWI puts a process in place to establish what the areas for dispute are, consider any gaps in the evidence, ensure any expected further medical evidence is received and referring that to the Assessment Provider. “
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-07-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many independent child trafficking advocates will be needed to fulfil the requirements under section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
As the Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime set out on 28 June::
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-06-28/debates/16062854000001/IndependentAdvocatesForTraffickedChildren
The Government is committed to commencing section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act and developing the accompanying secondary legislation and statutory guidance. As part of the commencement process, we will work with interested parties, including Non-Governmental Organisations to determine the scale of the service.