The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on how many occasions a special adviser in her Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
My Special Adviser has accompanied me on four overseas visits since May 2015; three official visits to Dublin and one official visit to the USA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people of each gender work in her Department.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID provides quarterly reports to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The information provided at 31 December was as follows:
|
Gender |
Headcount |
|
Male |
914 |
|
Female |
1152 |
|
Total |
2066 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the contribution of the Employment Minister at 1 February 2016 Official Report: column 638, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all individuals receiving dialysis and in-work qualify for personal independence payment.
Justin Tomlinson
We have no plans to do so. Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the effects of disability on a person’s life and not on any particular or specific disability, illness or treatment received. The PIP assessment is designed to treat all health conditions and impairments fairly, including for those with renal or kidney disease. If someone is found to be entitled to PIP they can continue to receive the benefit whether they are in or out of work.
The Government provides a range of employment support for disabled people or people with health conditions that affect the way they work, such as: Access to Work, which offers financial awards to pay for additional support beyond an employer’s statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments; Work Choice, which provides tailored support to help unemployed disabled people enter and retain work; and Specialist Employability Support, which focuses on helping disabled people who need intensive, specialist support to either enter work or engage in employment related courses or activities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-02-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they attach to acquiring and deploying autonomous underwater vehicles, and for what purposes they plan to use those vessels.
Earl Howe
The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.
It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of non-natural deaths (a) in police custody and (b) on the prison estate.
Mike Penning
Every death in police custody and on the prison estate is a tragedy and this is a priority area for the Government.
The Ministerial Council for Deaths in Custody looks at this issue across Government. The Council considers what lessons can be learnt following a death in custody and the development of a clear and robust legislative and policy framework to help prevent deaths in any state custody setting.
The Home Secretary announced a major review into deaths in police custody on 23 July. This review is being led by Dame Elish Angiolini who is working closely with victims, families and the police. At its heart will be the experience of the families of those who have died in custody. The review is scheduled to report in the summer of 2016. My officials also work closely with police forces, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the National Offender Management Service and other partners to take action to minimise the risks to detainees and prevent deaths from occurring in custody environments. Police forces are required to refer all matters concerning deaths in police custody to the Independent Police Complaints Commission who will decide whether the matter should be investigated and, if so, what form that investigation should take.
All deaths in prison are subject to a police investigation, an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and a Coroner’s inquest. The Ministry of Justice works hard to learn lessons from each death, and has accepted and acted on the vast majority of recommendations from recent investigations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves, and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has put in place additional resources to undertake this safer custody work.
Health partners are engaged in supporting all prisoners’ physical and mental health and wellbeing, and play an important role in the identification and management of prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide.
On 17 December 2015 the Government published its response to the Harris Review into the deaths in custody of young adults and reaffirmed its commitment to reducing the levels of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in custody.
NOMS has an extensive programme of work aimed at preventing self-inflicted deaths and reducing levels of self-harm.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the exemption from the anti-lobbying clause is limited to Research Councils, National Academies and the Higher Education Funding Council for England; and if he will delay the implementation of that clause until a full consultation has taken place.
Matthew Hancock
As I made clear in the House on 27 April, we are continuing to consider the comments of all interested parties, ahead of the introduction into grant agreements of the clause aimed at protecting taxpayers’ money from being wasted on government lobbying government. We are pausing the implementation, pending a review of the representations made, and to give further time to consider any necessary adjustments to the wording of the clause, or the policy on its implementation, to help to deliver this policy in the best possible way for all involved.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-06-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 33503, in what locations his Department plans to deliver the 400,000 affordable homes referred to in that Answer; and at what level a home will be defined as affordable in (a) London and (b) England.
Brandon Lewis
The 400,000 affordable homes will include:
We do not pre-determine how much affordable housing funding is allocated to different areas. Local Authorities will set out their affordable housing requirements as part of the planning process.
The definition of affordable housing is set out in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will represent the Government at the UN General Assembly meeting on refugees and migrants on 19 and 20 September 2016; and if the Government will make a commitment at that meeting to creating safe, legal routes for refugees to enter the UK.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Her Majesty’s Government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high level meeting on refugees and migrant on 19 September and at the Leaders’ Summit on refugees hosted by President Obama on 20 September. Who will attend is to be confirmed.
The Government has no plans to introduce additional pathways for refugees to come to the UK. The UK is already a leading resettlement state, offering a number of safe and legal pathways for refugees. In the year ending June 2016, a total of 3,439 people were resettled in the UK.
In addition to the 20,000 Syrian refugees and up to 3,000 vulnerable persons from the Middle East and North Africa region that the Government has committed to resettle by 2020, the UK has also committed to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from France, Greece and Italy. Under the family reunion policy we have reunited around 22,000 refugees with their immediate family over the past five years and will continue to do so. The Government supports the principle that those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. This allows vulnerable persons to receive help quickly rather than risking their lives on hazardous journeys into and across Europe or falling victim to criminal gangs who are exploiting the situation. Providing humanitarian aid in the region is the best way to provide much needed support to the majority of those fleeing persecution while working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle the most vulnerable who cannot reasonably remain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Review of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, whether her Department plans to encourage the collection of biometric identification for those going through the NRM for victims of slavery and human trafficking.
Sarah Newton
We are committed to doing all we can to identify and support UK-based victims of modern slavery. Following a review of the NRM, and in consultation with law enforcement and NGOs, we are piloting ways of improving the efficacy and efficiency of existing arrangements in two regions. The pilot will be evaluated and the findings will inform any reforms that we decide to roll out. Putting the NRM on a statutory footing would require secondary legislation and we will consider whether there is a need do so at the end of the pilot.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mims Davies on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many public access defibrillators there are in (a) England and Wales and (b) public buildings in England.
Jane Ellison
This information is not collected centrally.
Following our 2015 Budget commitment on defibrillators, we have awarded the British Heart Foundation £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England.
The provision of defibrillators in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.