The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first Type 26 frigate will be ready for service.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2015 to Question number 8460 to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the proposed extension of the time limit of restoration of Electrical Shore Supplies to nuclear powered submarines at HMNB Clyde from 20 minutes up to a maximum of three hours.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews nuclear related processes and procedures with industry partners and with regulators, which includes independent safety scrutiny. Safety remains our priority.
I cannot comment on specific timescales for the restoration of Electrical Shore Supplies to nuclear powered submarines nor reports produced in connection with this, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what response she has made to the proposal put forward on 21 October 2015 for a partnership between Westinghouse and the Government to develop small modular nuclear reactors.
Andrea Leadsom
Receipt of the proposal was acknowledged by officials and it will be considered as part of Government’s wider work on SMRs, which includes evidence building through the techno-economic assessment and engagement with SMR vendors where appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on that country’s ratification of the International Covenant on civil and political rights.
Mr Hugo Swire
We have regular discussions with the Chinese authorities on a range of human rights issues, and have raised China’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on numerous occasions. We last discussed this in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year, and also raised it at China’s most recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Campbell on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients referred to the About Health Group from practices in the North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group under the General Practitioners’ Referral Management System were subsequently refused treatment.
Ben Gummer
NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has introduced a formal referral management system across a small number of clinical specialties. This is a local initiative and not part of a wider scheme. The data requested are not collected centrally. This is a matter for the North Tyneside CCG who can advise on data availability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the healthcare chapter of the Armed Forces Covenant has been implemented.
Ben Gummer
The Department and NHS England are committed to meeting the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant and have established a number of services specifically tailored to meet the needs and requirements of the armed forces community. There are regular communications on the Covenant commitment to National Health Service trusts, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and health professionals.
As set out in the NHS Mandate for England CCGsare responsible for general healthcare for veterans and for the delivery of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant. NHS England assuresCCGs’ delivery of their commitments and many CCGs are joint signatories to their local community covenants.
The NHS Constitution has recently been updated to strengthen this accountability by stating that ‘the NHS will ensure that in line with the Armed Forces Covenant, those in the armed forces, reservists, their families and veterans are not disadvantaged in accessing health services in the area they reside.’
The Department and the NHS in England are held to account by the Ministry of Defence and UK Departments of Health Partnership Board and the Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the criteria are for choosing the credible commentators referred to in paragraph 46 of her Department’s Counter-Extremism Strategy, published on 19 October 2015.
Karen Bradley
We have taken the question to mean the credible commentators referred to in paragraph 65 of the Counter-Extremism Strategy. We are determining the requirements and precise funding allocation for research to be commissioned. We will be working closely with a range of experts, including academics and universities, to improve our understanding of extremism. Opportunities for part-funded research will be allocated competitively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) cleanliness, (b) degree of crowding and (c) safety of (i) prisoners and (ii) prison staff in HMP Liverpool.
Andrew Selous
The Governor and staff at Liverpool are determined to improve the prison and action is already being taken to address the recommendations made in the most recent report. We are working closely with Lancashire Care NHS Trust to improve the healthcare provisions. More prisoners are out of their cells in work, training or education, and a range of initiatives are also in hand to reduce violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2015-10-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Severn bridges to return to public ownership.
Andrew Jones
The Severn River Crossings concession is expected to end in the first half of 2018. At the end of the concession, the Severn Crossings will revert to public ownership.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will revise the country guidance for Eritrea so that asylum applicants from that country are favourably considered for protection as refugees, in the light of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights on Eritrea and other reports of human rights abuses in that country.
Lord Bates
We have updated our country information and guidance on Eritrea. This takes into account the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report as well other sources reporting on the human rights situation. The revised documents, covering illegal exit and national service, were published on 9 September and are available on the Gov.uk website. They recognise that there are human rights challenges in Eritrea – particularly around the national service programme – but, as with all asylum applications, stress the need to consider each claim on its individual merits.
All EU Member States have a responsibility to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We are confident that our European partners understand and apply this, whether to Eritrea or anywhere else. We are in regular discussions with our EU counterparts – individually and via the European Asylum Support Office – to discuss various aspects of asylum policy and practice.