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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has in place to be executed in the event of further Russian aggression on the Ukrainian border.

    Mr David Lidington

    As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) told the House on 8 April, we are gravely concerned about the situation in Crimea and in the east of Ukraine. We have consistently condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea including in public statements, international fora, and in bilateral contacts with the Russian Federation.

    The UK has played a key role in ensuring a tough and united response from the international community. We have reviewed all bilateral engagement with Russia and have frozen military cooperation, refused export licence requests which may be used by the Russian military, and postponed a number of planned Ministerial Summits. Along with other G7 members, the UK has withdrawn participation in the planned G8 Summit in Sochi in June, and will instead take part in a G7 meeting in Brussels.

    The Foreign Secretary has taken part in a number of discussions on sanctions at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), in which the European Commission has also been involved. On 14 April, the FAC agreed to expand the second tier of sanctions and to add further names to the list of individuals subject to those sanctions. The FAC agreed on the urgency of completing work on a possible third tier of more far reaching sanctions, which might be implemented in the absence of meaningful diplomatic engagement by Russia or further provocation against Ukraine. The European Commission was tasked to identify such economic measures.

    As the Foreign Secretary has made clear to the Russian Foreign Minister, the EU remains prepared to impose additional sanctions should that become necessary. Russia should be clear that any deliberate escalation of this crisis may bring serious political and economic consequences.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on AWE, what his most recent estimate is of the (a) anticipated out-turn cost and (b) projected in-service date of each of the new build projects in the Atomic Weapons Establishment Site Development Context Plan.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The tables show the current new build projects, with approved costs and in-service dates, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

    Projected in-service dates are shown in bandings to avoid prejudice to national security and defence. No costs are attributed to projects detailed in table 2 as these have yet to be approved.

    Table 1 – current new build projects that have been through the Ministry of Defence approval process

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    Projected

    In-Service Period

    Approved cost

    £million

    Conventional Manufacturing – Phoenix

    Manufacturing/production

    2014-15

    57

    Hydrodynamics trials-Technology Development Centre

    Testing/research

    2014-15

    40

    High Explosives fabrication – Circinus

    Manufacturing/Production

    2014-15

    231

    Warhead assembly/disassembly – Mensa

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    734

    Uranium components – Pegasus

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    634

    Table 2 – projects currently planned for but which have yet to go through the formal Ministry of Defence approvals process

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    Projected In-Service Period

    Salts Processing – Octans

    Testing/research

    2020-25

    Initiator system manufacture-Taurus

    Manufacturing/production

    2020-25

    Large Scale formulations-Scorpius

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Small Scale formulations-Cepheus

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New Plutonium (Pu) Facility – not yet named

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New depleted Uranium Facility

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Assembly for Trials-Columba

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    High Explosive Climatic Trials

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Non-Metallics & materials R&D-Libra

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Chemical processing-Astra

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the role independent pharmacies play in relieving pressures on other health and welfare services; and what steps he has taken to disseminate best practice.

    Norman Lamb

    Pharmacy already plays a vital role in supporting the health of people in their local communities, providing high quality care and support, improving people’s health and reducing health inequalities. However, as we move to more integrated care, there is real potential for pharmacists and their teams to play an even greater role in the future, particularly in keeping people healthy, supporting those with long term conditions and helping make sure patients and the National Health Service get the best use from medicines.

    NHS England’s public consultation, Improving care through community pharmacy – a call to action, which closed on 18 March, has provided an important opportunity to explore the contribution community pharmacists and their teams can make. This will inform a strategic framework for commissioning wider primary care services in the autumn. A copy of the consultation document is at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/calltoaction/pharm-cta/

    In the meantime, NHS England’s The earlier, the better campaign, launched in January 2014, specifically sought to raise the profile of community pharmacy with the public, to increase the number of people accessing community pharmacy services when they have a minor ailment and reduce pressures on other parts of the NHS.

    On 14 April, the Department and NHS England published Transforming Primary Care – Safe, proactive, personalised care for those who need it most. This sets out plans for more proactive, personalised and joined up care, part of which is harnessing the potential of pharmacists. This recognises the vital role that pharmacists have in optimising medicines use, helping to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and supporting people to manage their own care. A copy has been placed in the Library.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the criminal offences introduced between 1997 and 2013 in a form easily understood by the general public.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government wants to avoid bringing in new criminal offences where they are not needed and will continue to scrap unnecessary and out of date laws, but where there is a genuine need to create a new criminal offence we will continue to do so.

    To publish an accessible list of criminal offences introduced between1997 to 2008 would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.

    During this parliament, however, the Government committed to publishing the number of offences it created each year. My department is responsible for doing so and publishes an annual statistical bulletin on the number of new criminal offences added to the statute book. The bulletins cover primary and secondary legislation containing criminal offences enforceable in England and Wales. The latest bulletin covering the period 2009 to 31 May 2013 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-new-criminal-offences-statistics-in-england-and-wales-june-2009-may-2013. The next bulletin should be available in December and will cover the period from 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014.

    “

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward from 42 weeks the period for inducing labour in at risk expectant mothers.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The induction of labour is a clinical decision for healthcare professionals. These decisions are based on the latest available evidence and take account of the risk and other clinical factors for each individual pregnancy.

    To assist healthcare professionals, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidelines on the induction of labour, which are available on the NICE website at:

    www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12012/41256/41256.pdf.

    The NICE guidelines advise that women with uncomplicated pregnancies should usually be offered induction of labour between 41+0 and 42+0 weeks.

    Women can be deemed high risk for a multitude of reasons. Each reason will carry its own set of criteria for delivery. It is not possible to say that induction for all at risk pregnancies should be brought forward as these should be reviewed according to individual needs.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many consultation documents his Department issued which received fewer than 100 separate responses in each of the last four years.

    Jenny Willott

    Data on consultation response rates is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mark Hoban – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hoban – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hoban on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that health professionals are trained in the identification and notification of (a) all special educational needs and (b) educational needs related to cerebral palsy in children under two years of age.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Government works with Health Education England, which provides leadership on the training of the health workforce, and the professional regulatory bodies, such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which set professional standards, to ensure that health professionals are appropriately trained in identification and support of children with special educational needs, or cerebral palsy.

    Clinical commissioning groups are under a statutory duty to make arrangements to notify the local authority where a provider is of the opinion that a child under compulsory school age has special educational needs (having first discussed this with the child’s parents). The Children and Families Act introduces new arrangements for local authorities and health services to work together to support children with special educational needs.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Tees Valley City Deal.

    Greg Clark

    All City Deals are available on gov.uk.

    A copy of the Tees Valley City Deal has been placed in the Library of the House.

  • John Spellar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    John Spellar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will introduce legislative proposals to protect police dogs by recognising them as an extension of their handler as a police officer.

    Simon Hughes

    The Government agrees that attacks of any sort on police dogs, horses or any other police animal should be dealt with severely under the criminal law. However, it is not necessary to create a new offence in order to do this.

    An attack on a police dog can be treated as animal cruelty under s4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The maximum penalty is six months imprisonment, or a fine of up to £20,000, or both.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons Mapeley has not come to an agreement with Network Rail regarding the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site for the construction of new parking facilities for Dover Priory railway station.

    Mr David Gauke

    Commercial arrangements in relation to the land at the Priory Court site are a matter for discussion between Network Rail and Mapeley. The Crown does not own the land.