Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote the development of brownfield land.

    Brandon Lewis

    We are creating a £2 billion long term housing development fund to unlock housing on brownfield land. We will also require local authorities in England to maintain registers of brownfield land that is suitable for housing. In addition we are consulting on whether it would be beneficial to strengthen national planning policy on the development of brownfield land for housing. The consultation closes on 22 February.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the new national curriculum can be taught in primary schools to mixed-age classes.

    Nick Gibb

    Schools can choose to teach pupils of different year groups together.

    Maintained schools are required to cover the whole of the programme of study for each national curriculum subject by the time pupils reach the end of the key stage period. In planning how best to teach the curriculum, schools should consider all relevant circumstances, including the needs of their pupils, and make decisions accordingly.

    The programmes of study for primary English, mathematics and science are set out on a year-by-year basis to provide a guide as to the pace that the material should be taught in these key subjects.

    The national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge that must be taught, allowing teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools and how it is taught. Teachers are free to use their professional judgement and take account of local circumstances in deciding how best to organise their classes, including whether it would be suitable to teach mixed age pupils together. The Department has no involvement in these decisions.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the outcomes have been of her Department’s programme of post-conflict development in Northern Uganda.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Post-Conflict Development Programme for Northern Uganda aims to improve service delivery in health, support the most vulnerable and help young people find employment, amongst other activities. This is in line with the new UK Aid Strategy which includes tackling the root causes of instability and conflict. Some of the main achievements include:

    • Training 15,000 youth in vocational skills.
    • Training 14,000 youth in entrepreneurialism.
    • Construction of 1,738 homes for health workers and teachers to allow them to provide vital services in an under-served region, and reduce drivers of instability.
    • Testing 60,992 children under five with high fevers for Malaria and providing treatment for those who were shown to be infected.
    • Providing 10,000 food transfers in return for work to families at risk of malnutrition and unable to access employment opportunities due to the post conflict environment.
  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of named day written parliamentary questions have been answered after the specified date by each Minister in her Department since May 2015.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education received 787 named-day written parliamentary questions that were due for answer between 1 May 2015 and 28 April 2016. Of these, 675 (86%) received responses on the specified date, 107 (14%) received replies after their specified date and 5 (1%) had passed their specified date and were still awaiting a response when this data was compiled on 3 May 2016. [1]

    The breakdown by answering minister for the above period was as follows:

    Answering minister

    Number of named-day PQs due for reply

    Number and % answered after the named day

    Edward Timpson

    302

    43 (14%)

    Nick Boles

    35

    8 (23%)

    Nick Gibb

    284

    41 (14%)

    Nicky Morgan

    1

    0 (0%)

    Sam Gyimah

    165

    15 (9%)

    Total

    787

    107 (14%)

    [1] These percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian support and assistance her Department plans to provide to aid agencies in Yemen in each of the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

    Sir Desmond Swayne

    The UK more than doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen in 2015-16 to £85 million, making us the fourth largest donor last year. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict. Over the next twelve months, we will continue to work with a range of partners to address the widespread humanitarian needs across Yemen, as well as helping to de-escalate the conflict, improve commercial and humanitarian access, lay the groundwork for recovery and push for a sustainable political solution. Budgets for 2016/17 will be announced in due course.

  • Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to publish a comprehensive plan for resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK by 2020.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We intend to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. We will continue to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify appropriate cases, prioritising the most vulnerable. The numbers resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and care packages in the UK. We will manage the flows based on need and in support of the wellbeing of the people and communities involved, rather than rushing to meet arbitrary targets. However, we are clear that we want to help as many people as we can as quickly as possible.

  • Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Price on 18 October (HL2097), whether they have assessed that the Secretary of State’s curriculum vitae (CV) demonstrates experience of working inside British business; and if so, which part of that CV.

    Lord Price

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s CV is available on gov.uk.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on the implementation of the Rare Disease Strategy.

    George Freeman

    The implementation of the UK Rare Disease Strategy is monitored by the UK Rare Disease Forum which includes representatives from all the devolved administrations. The Forum will publish their first assessment of the progress made in implementing the UK Rare Disease Strategy at the end of February 2016.

    The Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG) makes recommendations to NHS England and the devolved administrations of NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and NHS Northern Ireland on developing and implementing the strategy for rare diseases and highly specialised services. The membership of RDAG also includes representation from the devolved administrations – NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and NHS Northern Ireland.

  • Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to provide (a) humanitarian visas, (b) facilitated refugee family reunion and (c) other safe legal routes for migrants to enter the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given a visa to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection and we have no plans to change this.

    However, we recognise that families may become fragmented because of the nature of conflict and persecution and the speed and manner in which those seeking asylum often flee their country of origin. Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK, are able to sponsor their pre-flight family members to join them under the family reunion policy.

    We also operate three discretionary resettlement schemes for recognised refugees for whom resettlement is the most appropriate answer. We operate these schemes in partnership with the UNHCR: Gateway; Mandate; and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme.

    We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament under the VPR scheme.

    Migrants wishing to enter the UK for other reasons such as work or study can apply for a visa for that purpose. They will need to meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rule under which they apply in order to qualify for a visa. Details about the criteria and how to apply are available on gov.uk.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for removing treatment options for (a) multiple myeloma and (b) other rare cancers from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

    George Freeman

    No such assessment has been made. NHS England is responsible for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) and decisions on which treatments are included on the national CDF list are made by the CDF expert clinical panel, which includes expert oncologists, oncology pharmacists and patient representatives.