Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential role of the UK in reducing the number of people trying to cross the Mediterranean in dangerous circumstances; and what plans he has to tackle the issue of deaths in the Mediterranean of people attempting to make that crossing.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government’s focus is on addressing the root causes of irregular migration so as to reduce the need for people to make perilous journeys to Europe. We have taken action to tackle smugglers and save lives at sea: HMS Enterprise is deployed as part of the EU’s counter migration operation, Operation Sophia. The UK has rescued almost 18,000 people, and disrupted suspected people smugglers, in the Mediterranean since 2015. At the G7 Summit in Japan on 27 May, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced that the UK will work on a plan to boost the capability of the Libyan coastguard to stem the flow of illegal migration across the Mediterranean into Europe. Following adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2292 on 14 June, we are working with EU partners to ensure Op Sophia can begin its new taskings as soon as possible, including capacity building for the Libyan Coastguard. As the Prime Minister announced following the June European Council, RFA Mounts Bay will also be deployed to stop the flow of weapons to terrorists, particularly Daesh, in Libya. As the Prime Minister also said at the G7, the UK stands ready to deploy an additional naval vessel to the South Central Mediterranean.

  • Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average earning rate is of graduates who studied medicine 10 years after graduation; and if he will make a comparative assessment of that level of earning with the average earning rate of (a) all, (b) mathematics and computer science, (c) law, (d) economics and (e) nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy graduates.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in April 2016 looked at graduate earnings 10 years after graduation.

    Only economics and medicine graduates are outliers with much higher earnings than would be expected given A-level performance as compared with their peers in other subjects.

    Selected graduate earnings (£000s) by subject of degree (includes those without earnings)

    Female

    Male

    Percentile

    Percentile

    20th

    50th

    90th

    20th

    50th

    90th

    Medicine

    23.7

    45.4

    68.8

    33.0

    55.3

    84.7

    Maths and computer science

    3.3

    22.0

    53.3

    6.4

    26.8

    57.5

    Law

    4.8

    26.2

    62.8

    3.5

    30.1

    79.5

    Economics

    20.3

    38.2

    93.9

    6.6

    42.0

    121.4

    Subjects allied to medicine

    4.2

    22.1

    40.6

    7.1

    27.9

    49.1

    “

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gerald Kaufman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she intends to answer the letter of the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 28 September 2015, on John Rooke.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    I responded to the Rt Hon Gentleman’s letter on 6 November 2015.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Syrian refugees will qualify for (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) UK citizenship after five years of residence.

    Richard Harrington

    Syrians who are resettled under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme are given a five year humanitarian protection visa. At the end of the 5 years they can apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) and if granted they can apply for UK citizenship 12 months later. Each application for settlement and citizenship is decided in accordance with our guidance for these routes.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to require local authorities to conduct a needs assessment of local sexual health and contraceptive services before issuing tenders.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department’s Framework for Sexual Health Promotion in England (2013) sets out our ambitions and objectives to improve sexual health for all people. It takes account of the commissioning arrangements from 2013 including the new role for local authorities (LAs) as commissioners of most sexual health services. Later this month Public Health England (PHE) will undertake a survey of local commissioning arrangements for sexual health. It has also produced sexual health and reproductive health profiles to help LAs and others monitor the sexual and reproductive health of their populations and the performance of local public health related systems.

    It is for LAs to decide on what research and evidence they need to inform their tenders for sexual health and reproductive health services in line with procurement requirements and good practice. In 2014 PHE published Making it Work, a guide to commissioning for sexual health across the whole system, to improve the sexual health of both individuals and the wider public.

    We have made no formal assessment of the effect on sexual health services of reductions in the Public Health Grant to LAs for 2015/16, although PHE continues to monitor relevant outcomes data for every LA in England. Decisions on local public health spending are a matter for LAs. They are mandated by legislation to commission open access sexual health services that meet the needs of their local population. Officials meet regularly with sexual health organisations who would raise any concerns if LAs were not meeting their mandatory requirements for sexual health services.

    The Framework for Sexual Health Improvement includes as a priority reducing unwanted pregnancies and highlights the need to increase access to long acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods and emergency contraception for women of all ages. We have no plans to evaluate the effect on general practitioner surgeries of LA commissioning of LARCs.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department offers to people affected by overpowering odour escapes from landfill sites.

    Rory Stewart

    The permits issued to landfill operators by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 regulations include conditions covering the management of odour. Operators of landfill sites are required to take appropriate measures to prevent odour pollution or minimise it when prevention is not practicable.

    In addition, as landfill sites are likely to give rise to odour problems operators are often required to submit an Odour Management Plan (OMP) for approval to the Environment Agency. The provisions in a site’s OMP, once it is approved, are treated as part of the permit and must be complied with.

    The Environment Agency undertakes routine monitoring to verify compliance with permit conditions and will respond to and investigate public complaints about odour. The Environment Agency will consider enforcement action to ensure compliance with permit conditions in accordance with its published guidance on enforcement and sanctions.

    Environmental permitting will usually provide sufficient protection against overpowering odour from landfill sites. If not, Local Authorities also have powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to take action against smell from industry, trade or business premises if found to be a statutory nuisance.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) stakeholders involved in poverty reduction in Malawi on the contents of a new tax treaty with Malawi.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Secretary of State for International Development has not had any such discussions. Negotiation of tax treaties with the UK is carried out by officials from HM Revenue and Customs under the direction of HM Treasury ministers.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote provision of international support to the Government of National Accord in Libya in (a) governing effectively, (b) managing that country’s security situation, (c) achieving political unity and (d) achieving international recognition.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK has been at the forefront of international support to Libya; promoting political participation, strengthening security, and supporting economic growth. We have allocated up to £14 million in the new financial year to support Libya and to tackle some of the challenges emanating from that country, such as migration and the terrorist threat.

    We hosted a meeting with the UN in London in October 2015 to create the international community support plan. Representatives of 40 countries, UN agencies, and international bodies, as well as a number of independent Libyan experts attended. We co-hosted with the UN a follow-up meeting in Tunis on 12 April, with Government of National Accord representatives in attendance.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will investigate the case for sales of gift vouchers by retailers to be backed by cash collateral held in independent escrow.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Her Majesty’s Government has asked the Law Commission to consider the treatment of gift vouchers and pre-payments in the event of retailer insolvency. The Government will consider carefully any recommendations that may emerge on this question once the Law Commission’s report is published in the summer of 2016.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the effect on the role of chief nursing officer will be of the decision to abolish the nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals policy unit.

    Ben Gummer

    As part of the DH 2020 plan, the Department is making significant changes to the way it works. The Department’s approach is to flexibly access professional advice from a wide range of sources, including arm’s length bodies, regulators and professional bodies, rather than from a fixed standing team of internal advisers.

    These changes do not affect the role of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), who as CNO of the Department already advises, and will continue to advise all Ministers and the Department on the range of nursing issues.

    All staff in the Department, including staff in the current nursing, midwifery and allied health professions policy unit are eligible to apply for new roles in the organisation or to apply for a voluntary early severance scheme.