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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU in each year since 2010; and what proportion of such staff in each such year were of administrator grade.

    Mr David Lidington

    The General Secretariat of the Council of the EU does not publish statistics on numbers of permanent staff by nationality. According to our own internal records, the total numbers of UK nationals employed by the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, including secondees, in each year since 2010 are:

    2010: 159 (98 at AD)
    2011: 100 (50 at AD)
    2012: 99 (52 at AD)
    2013: 91 (56 at AD)
    2014: 87 (55 at AD)
    2015: 93 (56 at AD)

    The latest figure available is for May 2016 and is 101 (62 at AD).

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are supporting the government of Rwanda in its work to provide civil and political rights for its citizens.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Rwanda has made impressive gains in securing economic and social rights; we want to see these continue. We support the Government of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 development programme which sets out their commitment to “the rule of law and the protection of human rights”.

    We speak candidly with Rwanda, publicly and privately, and have been clear that Rwanda needs to do more to make these aspirations a reality. For example, we submitted recommendations on media freedoms and political space during the Universal Periodic Review on Rwanda. The Department for International Development’s work in Rwanda is underpinned by an agreement on four Partnership Principles, which include respect for human rights and promoting good governance. Our regular private discussions with the Government of Rwanda are reinforced at Ministerial level, including during visits to Kigali by the former Minister of State at the Department for International Development, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfied (Grant Shapps), in September and the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) in December last year.

    We are also delivering training in partnership with the Rwandan National Police on a range of topics from public order management to gender based violence. This training supports the security forces to carry out their role of protecting the population in a human rights compliant manner.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in pharmacy funding on waiting times for NHS prescriptions.

    David Mowat

    The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, under the National Health Service Act 2006.

    Our assessments include consideration of the potential impacts on the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services, including the supply of medicines, access to NHS pharmaceutical services, supplementary hours, non-commissioned services, individuals with protected characteristics, impacts on other NHS services, health inequalities, individuals with restricted mobility and access to healthcare for deprived communities.

    An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

    Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. We believe these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them.

    Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

    We want a clinically focussed community pharmacy service that is better integrated with primary care and public health in line with the Five Year Forward View. This will help relieve the pressure on general practitioners and accident and emergency departments, ensure better use of medicines and better patient outcomes, and contribute to delivering seven day health and care services.

    The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, Dr Keith Ridge has commissioned an independent review of community pharmacy clinical services. The review is being led by Richard Murray, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund. The final recommendations will be considered as part of the development of clinical and cost effective patient care by pharmacists and their teams.

    NHS England is also setting up a Pharmacy Integration Fund to support the development of clinical pharmacy practice in a wider range of primary care settings, resulting in a more integrated and effective NHS primary care patient pathway.

    The rollout of the additional 1,500 clinical pharmacists announced by NHS England will help to ease current pressures in general practice by working with patients who have long term conditions and others with multiple medications. Having a pharmacist on site will mean that patients who receive care from their general practice will be able to benefit from the expertise in medicines that these pharmacists provide.

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the 34 current OECD countries include international students within their national immigration statistics, and which do not.

    Lord Bates

    The majority of our major competitors for the brightest and best students, including Australia, Canada and the USA, include international students in their national migration statistics.

    The UK’s immigration statistics, published by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS), follow the internationally agreed United Nations definitions. These define a migrant as someone who changes their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants.

    The categories of migrant included by other OECD countries in their statistical returns to the OECD is contained in the annex to the OECD International Migration Outlook at: http://www.oecd.org/migration/international-migration-outlook-1999124x.htm

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 1.242 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what estimate he has made of the amount that the two per cent precept for adult social care would raise for each local authority if used fully.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Spending Review set out that, if fully used, the additional council tax flexibility could raise nearly £2 billion a year by 2019-20. We will set out further details alongside the provisional local government finance settlement later this month, including an equality impact assesment in the New Year.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effects of the ban on fishing for bass on the North Devon fishing industry.

    George Eustice

    The overall estimated reductions of the EU bass measures for the main gear groups in the commercial sector are set out in the following table; at this stage calculated for the UK fleet. This is an estimate which takes into account the effects of the initial 6 month moratorium, related derogations, and the subsequent monthly vessel catch limits.

    Those parts of the industry that use hook and line and fixed gillnets will benefit from derogations in the form of higher monthly catch limits and a moratorium of 2 rather than 6 months.

    More in depth analysis also taking into account additional factors such as the effects of last year’s increase of the minimum conservation reference size for bass and reduced availability of bass will be undertaken.

    Gear type

    Previous average tonnage 2011-13

    Estimated tonnage catch potential in 2016

    Estimated % reduction from 2011-13 average

    Bottom Trawl

    131

    37

    72%

    Nets

    378

    224

    41%

    Hook and line

    171

    167

    2%

    Purse seine

    56

    21

    63%

    pelagic trawl

    77

    11

    86%

    Totals

    813

    460

    43%
  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what change there has been to the level of the Equality and Human Rights Commission budget since 2007; and if she will make a statement.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Following the results of the Spending Review the Department for Education is currently finalising budgets over the review period for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) along with other budgets for which the Department is responsible. I am not in a position to confirm the level of funding that the EHRC will receive until this process is complete.

    The EHRC’s budget is available in its annual report, which is available to view here: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/about-commission/corporate-reporting/annual-reports

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to inform families with young children who were born before the cut-off for the new meningitis B vaccination programme about the symptoms of meningitis.

    Jane Ellison

    The introduction of meningitis B (MenB) immunisation in September 2015 was supported by a comprehensive media and communications campaign led by Public Health England (PHE) in association with health partners and meningitis charities. Key objectives of this campaign were two-fold: to promote vaccination to parents of eligible children and raise awareness of the disease among parents, and to emphasise that not all strains can be prevented by immunisation. This led to significant coverage of the disease and its symptoms across social media, national, local and parenting media. The coverage included practical advice on recognising the symptoms, and the need to act quickly, supported by interviews with families affected by the disease on major news channels. The introduction of the adolescent MenACWY campaign in August 2015 was supported by a similar campaign that provided further opportunities to raise awareness of meningococcal disease.

    PHE also produces a range of leaflets for the public providing detailed information to help parents with young children identify the early signs of meningitis. The leaflets include links to the web sites of meningitis charities and NHS Choices for those parents wishing to access more extensive information about meningococcal disease. PHE also supports influential meningitis charities in the implementation of awareness campaigns. In addition, PHE undertakes detailed surveillance of the disease, publishing routine reports and taking appropriate action to alert the public to any increase in incidence or change in the pattern of the disease. Appropriate media and communications activities are implemented to coincide with these publications, often ahead of the winter, when cases of the disease peak.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of women in England who were diagnosed with fibroadenomas in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The number of women who were diagnosed with fibroadenomas in each of the last five years, and the proportion of women with fribroadenomas who went on to develop breast cancer in 2015, is not held.

    In addition, information on the number of women who had fibroadenomas surgically removed in each of the last five years is not held.

    There are several types of benign breast lump, including fibroadenomas. Although most lumps are not breast cancer, any unusual changes to the breasts should be checked by a general practitioner (GP) as soon as possible. If a GP finds a lump on examination, they will routinely refer the patient to be seen by a hospital specialist.

  • Byron Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Byron Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Byron Davies on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Chief Medical Officer’s revised guidelines on alcohol consumption on consumer behaviour.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Institute for Health Research has awarded funding to The University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group to evaluate the new drinking guidelines. The details will be worked through once the conclusions of the consultation are published.