Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the needs of people with MS as part of the Government's recently launched consultation on disability, health and work.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government wants all disabled people and people with a long term health condition to have the opportunity to work and share in the economic and health benefits that appropriate work can bring. That is why we published ‘Improving Lives the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’ setting out the action we plan to take and starting a far-reaching, national debate on what more we can do to ensure everyone, including people with multiple sclerosis, is supported to reach their full potential.
During our three-month consultation, we heard from a wide range of stakeholders, including organisations who work with and represent people with multiple sclerosis. We are now taking stock of what we have heard.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Sudan and South Sudan.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Despite some improvements, the security situation in Sudan remains concerning; particularly in Darfur and the Two Areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. We continue to urge the Government of Sudan and the opposition to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities to allow for humanitarian access. We are deeply troubled by the fighting and displacement in South Sudan, particularly in the regions of Greater Upper Nile and the Equatorias. The UK continues to pursue every opportunity to call on all parties to cease hostilities, allow access for humanitarian workers and engage in genuine dialogue.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to build capacity in countries facing a food crisis.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
DFID invests in long-term planning, preventative programmes and putting systems in place to build the capacity of countries at risk of food insecurity. Early warning mechanisms and resilience systems put in place with DFID support since 2010/11 have strengthened the response to the food crisis across the Horn of Africa this year. For example, with DFID support the response in Somalia has mobilised much earlier this year compared to 2010; in Kenya the Hunger Safety Nets Programme has enabled emergency support to be delivered at scale to drought affected households much quicker than in previous crises.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to use drones to drop emergency aid in Syria; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Aid delivered by road, by trusted humanitarian partners who ensure it gets to those who need it most, is the most effective way to meet needs in Syria. We are pushing the Assad regime to allow this, while working tirelessly with our partners to examine all other options for getting aid into besieged areas.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the long-term economic prospects for Montserrat.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
DFID’s first responsibility is to support Montserrat in delivering essential public services to its citizens, including health, education and social services. Ongoing consideration of the island’s long term economic prospects is a key feature of our development partnership, where we have a shared objective of enabling Montserrat ultimately to manage fully its own financial and economic affairs.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has responded to FairFuelUK's letter of 7 April 2017 requesting a meeting on taxation and diesel cars; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
HM Treasury has responsibility for taxation and the letter has been passed on for the responsible Minister to respond.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to allow people over the age of 16 to vote in elections.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Since the 2015 general election, Parliament has debated lowering the voting age to 16 a number of times and has repeatedly voted against it.
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Gordon dated 2 March 2017 on behalf of a constituent.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I apologise for the delay in responding to your letter on behalf of your constituent Ms Kimberly Roy. A response has been issued to you today (26 April 17).
Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding he expects will be received from the application made to the EU Solidarity Fund to assist people in Gordon constituency who were flooded by Storm Frank in January 2016.
Answered by David Gauke
The Devolved Administrations have received significant financial support through the application of the Barnett formula to flood recovery support for local authorities in England. The Draft Amending Budget for the UK’s application to the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), relating to damage incurred through flooding in Winter 2015-16, has now been approved by the European Council and the European Parliament. As explained in the Written Ministerial Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 16 January 2017, the funding received following this application does not offer additional support, but is to reimburse a small portion of the significant financial support that has already been provided by the Government.Asked by: Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to devolve policy on the medicinal use of cannabis to the Scottish Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and, in its raw form, currently has no recognised medicinal benefits in the United Kingdom. It is therefore listed as a Schedule 1 drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
There is a clear regime in place, administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to enable medicines (including those containing controlled drugs such as cannabis) to be developed, licensed and made available for medicinal use to patients in the UK. It is important that all medicines containing controlled drugs are thoroughly trialled to ensure they meet rigorous standards so that doctors and patients are sure of their efficacy and safety. This is important to ensure fulfilment of all established and necessary regulations for approving medicines in the UK.
There are no plans to devolve policy on the medicinal use of cannabis to the Scottish Parliament.