The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many official visits he has made to local authorities since May 2015 where the primary purpose of the visit was in connection with the Northern Powerhouse policy.
Greg Clark
As part of my Ministerial duties I visit local authorities across the country, including regular visits in connection with the Northern Powerhouse.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of science and research and charity organisations on the potential effect of including anti-lobbying clauses in grant agreements.
Matthew Hancock
The new clause in government grants makes sure that taxpayers’ money is not diverted from their intended purpose and wasted on political campaigning and political lobbying.
As indicated at the House of Lords Science Technology Committee, BIS and Cabinet Office are looking into how this new clause will apply to academic research.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of 20 April 2016, Official Report, column 995, whether Daesh has committed crimes that should be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Mr Philip Hammond
The Government has condemned repeatedly Daesh’s atrocities against both minorities, and the majority Muslim populations of Iraq and Syria. There is a growing body of evidence that terrible crimes have been committed by Daesh. The UK is supporting efforts to gather and preserve that evidence.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her statement of 8 April 2015. The Rome Statute provides for "situations" rather than organisations to be referred to the ICC. Therefore, referral would cover all potential crimes within a specified geographic area, rather than a specific organisation.
As neither Iraq nor Syria is a State Party to the Rome Statute, the ICC has no territorial jurisdiction over crimes committed on their soil.
In order for Daesh’s crimes in Iraq and Syria to be investigated by the ICC, Iraq and Syria would have to declare their acceptance of the Court’s jurisdiction, or the UN Security Council would have to refer the situation in those countries to the Court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of (a) Lyme disease and (b) chronic Lyme disease have been made in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
The existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance supports primary care doctors in managing Lyme disease but to further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned NICE to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.
Public Health England (PHE) provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.
NHS Choices also publishes information on its website to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection.
The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbor ticks. PHE works with interested local authorities to raise tick awareness, and has produced joint public information with local authorities in areas such as the New Forest with a significant incidence of Lyme disease.
The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded.
Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category.
There is no clear definition for chronic Lyme disease, and no general acceptance of what the term means, so no data is available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-07-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients suffering with radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer are not denied treatment due to the timeframes applied by NHS England for access to the new Cancer Drugs Fund.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England has advised that systemic therapy is available for patients with radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer through the continued funding of sorafenib for this indication via the Cancer Drugs Fund. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been asked to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of sorafenib and lenvatinib for this indication.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much time has been allocated for the public consultation on the sustainability and transformation plans for Birmingham and Solihull and the Black Country and West Birmingham; and if he will ensure that the feedback from this public consultation will be published.
David Mowat
NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website. Local proposals for health and care transformation are not expected to have gone through formal local National Health Service or other organisations’ board approval and/or formal public engagement or consultation at this early stage. We expect that areas will publish a version of their STPs between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will undertake public engagement during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. Every area will be working to a different timeframe, based on its own circumstances and how well-progressed its plan is.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish guidance to commissioners on their duty to pay excess treatment costs.
George Freeman
NHS England has confirmed that guidance to commissioners on their duty to pay excess treatment costs will be published by the middle of November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are assisting Burundi and its neighbours to prevent further sectarian violence.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has been actively working with the international community to prevent sectarian violence in Burundi. Our activities in New York, the EU and the region, including calls from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), to the Burundian Foreign Minister, Ugandan Foreign Minister and African Union (AU) Peace and Security Commissioner have had an impact. There are signs the Burundian government is taking a more conservative approach in using the police and security forces. We have also pushed for the EU to start Article 96 negotiations with Burundi. Burundi has agreed to participate in Article 96 negotiations, having initially refused. We support a sanctions regime for Burundi whereby four individuals have been listed so far and the EU and AU are considering further sanctions on individuals. We continue to work with the AU who are mobilising the financial and political resources to assist with the mediation process between the East Africa Community and Burundi.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates’ courts opened in each local justice area in each year since 2010.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The tables below show magistrates’ courts that have opened since 2010. Each of these new courts replaced multiple smaller facilities, providing modern and efficient premises in place of buildings which were unfit for purpose.
|
2011 |
|
Westminster Magistrates Court |
|
2012 |
|
Aberystwyth Justice Centre |
|
Chelmsford Magistrates Court |
|
Colchester Magistrates Court |
|
Newport Magistrates Court |
It is not possible to present the above sites by their local justice areas as many local justice area boundaries change over time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Tim on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) kilometres of duct and (b) poles have been installed with financial support from BDUK.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Openreach predominately uses existing duct and pole infrastructure in BDUK project areas, but where state funded infrastructure has been used, they report it on their website at: https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/ductandpolesharing/contracts/contracts/downloads/State_Aided_Infrastruture_One_Truth.xlsx“