UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Selous – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Selous – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Selous on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 760W, on driving under influence: drugs, what the proposed timetable is for the steps his Department proposes to take to communicate the new drug driving offence.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Officials working on the new drug driving legislation meet regularly with stakeholders from both the law enforcement and healthcare sectors. These meetings include discussions on how the new offence will be communicated.

    The medical profession has assisted the Department in developing guidance to healthcare professionals to use in discussion with their patients. We expect to publish the guidance later in the summer and will circulate it to the medical profession. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently working with pharmaceutical companies to update the product information of those medicines implicated by the new legislation. MHRA also expect to issue a ‘Drug Safety Update’ article later in the summer to include details about the new offence for healthcare professionals. This will be accompanied by an article for patients. MHRA also work closely with the British National Formulary to update the prescribing information for medicines as new safety information emerges and will ensure this new information is brought to their attention. The Think! campaign is in the process of being developed but we expect to start informing the public about the new offence just prior to its introduction followed be a more concentrated campaign on its introduction.

  • Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide an update on the use of his Department’s resources to help efforts to locate abducted girls in northern Nigeria.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Ministry of Defence is contributing to the international effort to find the missing school girls through the deployment of a Sentinel surveillance aircraft to help improve the intelligence picture, complementing other international intelligence and surveillance assets. UK military personnel have also been deployed to a multi-national intelligence fusion team based in Nigeria, whose role is to assist the Nigerians in their efforts to locate the girls.

  • Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Dobbin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 41W, on drinking water, whether his Department has conducted a study of levels of psychotropic drugs in UK rivers and seawater.

    Dan Rogerson

    Currently no psychotropic drugs have been identified as Priority Hazardous Substances, Priority Substances or UK Specific Pollutants under the Water Framework Directive. As such no routine monitoring is carried out for these substances in England.

    However, previous research by the Environment Agency on pharmaceuticals in surface waters included environmental monitoring for the psychotropic drug fluoxetine (an anti-depressant). In 2005, monitoring was undertaken in rivers downstream of a number of sewage works across England and Wales. Thirty-nine samples were taken with fluoxetine occurring in 85% of samples with a maximum concentration of 0.044 microgrammes/litre (µg/l), and norfluoxetine in 51% of samples with a maximum concentration of 0.083 µg/l.

    During 2011, a programme of monitoring for pesticides was undertaken in six catchments. The psychotropic drugs carbamazepine and gabapentin were detected in all six catchments with maximum levels of 0.7 µg/l and 1.2 µg/l respectively.

    The report published by the Drinking Water Inspectorate evaluated the risk from psychotropic drugs in river water used for abstraction for drinking water supplies.

  • Gordon Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gordon Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Brown on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will visit Dalgety Bay to discuss the time taken to clean up radiation contamination there.

    Mr Mark Francois

    In 2006 the then Health Protection Agency (HPA) Radiological Protection Authority advised that radioactive contamination on Dalgety Bay presented a low risk to the public. A more recent scoping risk assessment undertaken in 2011 by the HPA Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards at the bequest of the Scottish Government concluded that the risk to health was very low.

    The view of the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (now part of Public Health England) remains unchanged. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is completing a detailed quantitative risk assessment to inform the longer term management strategy which will be available in due course.

    Copies of the advice received by MOD together with a copy of the more detailed risk assessment, when published, will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the General Dental Council’s fitness to practise regime.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department has made no recent assessment of the efficacy of the General Dental Council’s fitness to practise regime.

    It is the role of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) to independently review the performance of the regulators on an annual basis, to check how effective the regulators have been in protecting the public and promoting confidence in health and care professionals.

    Further information on the PSA reviews can be found on their website using the following link:

    www.professionalstandards.org.uk/

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, within what time period Ofsted is required to provide feedback to a school after it has reported to his Department.

    Mr David Laws

    This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

  • John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport renewals have been completed within the advertised three week turnaround time from receipt in the last period for which figures are available.

    James Brokenshire

    Straightforward passport applications from applicants in the UK have a published expected turnaround of three weeks. For the financial year 2013-14,
    99.58 percent of customers received their passports within that period.

    Achievement of turnaround times is a national objective and specific targets are not focused on individual offices. This approach allows HM Passport Office
    to channel resources and distribute applications to meet capacity.

  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools can provide free school meals for infant children by September 2014.

    Mr David Laws

    The Government is providing substantial funding to enable schools to offer free meals to all infant pupils from September 2014, including over £1 billion additional revenue funding over the two years 2014 to 2016 and £150 million capital funding in 2014-15. The revenue funding includes transitional funding to small schools, worth a minimum of £3,000, which qualifying schools will be able to use to help them overcome delivery challenges.

    We are also funding a national support service, run by school food experts, which is providing advice and guidance to schools that need assistance in implementing universal infant free school meals. The support includes a telephone helpline, the sharing of good practice, and an intensive face-to-face support service for schools facing significant challenges.

  • Pat Glass – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Pat Glass – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pat Glass on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she has taken to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has adequate resources to ensure a peaceful marching season.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The issue of police resources is primarily a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. However, I have regular discussions with the Chief Constable and David Ford concerning police resources.

    The additional £231 million funding provided to the PSNI by the Government for national security matters releases resources to assist with the policing of matters such as parading and public order.

  • Gemma Doyle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gemma Doyle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gemma Doyle on 2014-05-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the first Service Complaints Ombudsman to take up his or her duties.

    Anna Soubry

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.