Tag: The Marquess of Lothian

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of concerns about the increase in antibiotic resistance, what assessment they have made of the recent study by researchers at King’s College London, published in the British Journal of General Practice, reporting a link between patient satisfaction and the prescription of antibiotics, in particular given that patient satisfaction is a contributory factor to GPs’ performance-related pay.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government is aware of the research from King’s College, which shows the pressures that general practitioners face to prescribe antibiotics, even when they are not clinically appropriate.

We have already taken steps to address this issue, in particular, through measures to educate the public on the value of antibiotics and when the use of these drugs is inappropriate. For example, the Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking work to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice through low cost and scalable interventions designed by behavioural scientists. In addition, PHE has developed the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to improve prescribing behaviours amongst healthcare professionals and to encourage the public to use antibiotics responsibly. Furthermore, all prescribers are encouraged to support antimicrobial stewardship by following guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence on antimicrobial stewardship, published in August 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take for the protection of air passengers following the recent report of the UK Airprox Board of four near-miss incidents involving drones at UK airports.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The safety of the public is of the uttermost importance to the Government and whilst I recognise the potential significant economic benefits that drones can have to the UK, it is vital that they are operated safely and in a way that does not put members of the public and other aircraft at risk.

There are existing regulations for users of small unmanned aerial vehicles. Article 166 of the UK Air Navigation order 2009 (ANO) requires operators of small unmanned aircraft to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purposes of avoiding collisions. It also states that an operator may only fly the aircraft if they are reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.

In addition, Article 138 of the ANO 2009, which also applies to small unmanned aircraft, states that “a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. This includes persons within another aircraft, and of course the aircraft that those persons are within.

We are talking to both the Civil Aviation Authority and airports to find technical solutions to the problems around airport, these include mandated geo-fencing or frequency jammers.

The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

The department is leading efforts with international bodies to develop a stringent regulatory framework focusing on safety. We are currently undertaking public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options and a database to increase transparency on the use of drones for the general public.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last raised the importance of the freedom of the press with the government of Turkey, in particular in the context of Turkey’s application for EU membership and other current negotiations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. The Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when he met Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Şimşek on 12 March. We continue to underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last discussed with the government of Tunisia the security improvements required before the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s current advice against all but essential travel to Tunisia can be lifted.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We discuss progress on improving security with the Tunisian government on a very regular basis, both bilaterally and through the G7, most recently on 25 May. We still consider the threat level to be specific enough to advise against all but essential travel. Our Travel Advice is under constant review and we will change it as soon as the security situation and the threat level permit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are employed by Border Force; whether that number has decreased in the past year; and what assessment they have made of whether Border Force has sufficient immigration officers to operate effectively.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

This Government has always made the integrity of the UK border a priority and we will never compromise on keeping the people of this country safe from terrorism, criminality and illegal immigration.

We have pursued an ambitious programme of reform at the border to keep this country safe. Border Force has transformed its working practises, command and control and leadership. And we have invested in new technology, like e-Gates at airports and heartbeat monitors at freight ports, to improve security and prevent illegal entry to the UK to improve security, benefit passengers and deliver efficiencies.

These reforms are working. Border security has been enhanced. Border Force continues to perform 100 per cent checks on scheduled passengers arriving in the UK.

Deployments are made across a wide range of activities based on levels of demand and intelligence and will take into consideration the requirement for deployment of a flexible seasonal workforce, which is prone to fluctuations depending on seasonal pressures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Strategic Defence and Security Review to be (1) completed, and (2) published.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Work on the Strategic Defence and Security Review is progressing well and we expect it to be completed and published by the end of the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have on the extent to which Daesh is establishing and consolidating control of territory in Afghanistan, in particular in the east, and what action they plan to take to prevent that.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Daesh affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan which identifies as Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP) primarily consists of former Taleban. While ISKP has influence in the eastern province of Nangahar, it has not yet demonstrated any national presence. The Taleban see ISKP as a threat and there have been repeated clashes between the two groups in Nangahar. The UK, through our support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), provides Train, Advise and Assist support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces to help them tackle the extremist threat in Afghanistan. Together with our NATO partners we continue to monitor the situation closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Burundi; and whether they are concerned that the present levels of violence could lead to genocide.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The current situation in Burundi remains grave. The number of fatalities is high with at least 130 killed in December 2015. There is a daily rhythm of violence during the nights followed by quiet mornings. We were deeply concerned to hear of allegations that the police and the ruling party’s youth league are responsible for much of the violence, including sexual violence. The conflict remains essentially political in nature. Whilst there have been some limited signs of ‘ethnicisation’ of the crisis, these have not yet formed the kind of pattern that was seen in the run-up to previous genocides. The immediate risk is of a decline into multi-sided civil war. We continue to work closely with African and international partners to bring an end to the violence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia in the case of the death sentence by crucifixion of Ali al-Numr.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government is very concerned about the case of Ali al-Nimr, and has raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities, most recently on 12 March, at a very senior level. Our expectation remains that he will not be executed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of people who visited a hospital Accident and Emergency department in the UK on (1) a weekday, or (2) a Saturday or Sunday, in 2015.

Lord Prior of Brampton

In 2014-15, there were an average of 52,883 attendances at accident and emergency per day on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and of 52,426 attendances per day at the weekend (Saturdays and Sundays).