Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the Smith Commission's recommendations to devolve the licensing of fracking companies to Scotland.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The UK Government has welcomed the Smith Commission Agreement and has committed to delivering draft clauses by 25 January 2015. That was the clear commitment made to people during the referendum.
The Department will now prepare draft clauses in order that the Agreement can be implemented, but most of the powers needed to make Scottish decisions on Shale are already devolved to Holyrood, including all decisions on whether or not to grant planning and permitting consent for shale development.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinicians he consulted when developing his policy in relation to the Off-patent Drugs Bill.
Answered by George Freeman
We have not consulted on this Bill. In developing our response to the Bill, we have taken advice from clinicians and officials at NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and taken account of views expressed by other stakeholder organisations.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-UK citizens living in the UK have been convicted of a criminal offence.
Answered by Karen Bradley
There are 11,000 foreign nationals in prison in England and Wales.
In relation to foreign nationals not in prison, we are improving our ability to access their criminal conviction data in their home country; in particular those from the EU. In the last year of the previous administration the UK made and received only 7,000 requests for conviction data related to EU nationals, but last year under this Government 41,000 such requests were made and received. A huge improvement.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes to the nursery milk scheme on the ability of schools to fulfil the requirements of the School Food Standards in relation to milk.
Answered by Dan Poulter
A modernised Nursery Milk Scheme is currently under development and expected to be tendered in due course.
The assessment of any effects of the changes to the Nursery Milk Scheme are part of ongoing discussions between officials via a cross Government Nursery Milk Scheme Task and Finish Group.
The changes have no impact on either the current School Food Standards Regulations or the new School Food Standards Regulations which come into force on 1 January 2015.
The Nursery Milk Scheme is available to all children under five who attend an eligible childcare setting for two hours per day or more. Eligible settings include child-minders, day care providers, private and local authority run nurseries. The School Food Standards apply to schools rather than nursery and private childcare and child minder settings.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects of changes to the nursery milk scheme on the supply of milk.
Answered by Dan Poulter
A modernised Nursery Milk Scheme is currently under development and expected to be tendered in due course. The aim of the scheme remains to supply nursery milk to all eligible settings.
The Government’s response to the consultation document Next Steps for Nursery Milk was published on 27 March earlier this year setting out the preferred option for modernising the scheme. The Impact Assessment, also published on 27 March sets out the impact of the preferred option, including any impact on the supply of milk. These documents are attached and also available at the following web links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-the-nursery-milk-scheme-more-cost-effective
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2014/110
It is the Department’s intention to ensure that a modernised Nursery Milk Scheme includes opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, and farmers, to be fully involved with the scheme.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were naturally stillborn before 24 weeks' gestation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Information on the number of pregnancy losses before 24 weeks’ gestation is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on changing the law relating to designation of babies born before 24 weeks' gestation as stillborn.
Answered by Dan Poulter
A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified eight items of correspondence received since 1 July 2013 about the law relating to the designation and registration of pregnancy losses before 24 weeks gestation. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.
Since 1 July 2013, two written parliamentary questions have been received about the law relating to the designation and registration of pregnancy losses before 24 weeks gestation.
I met the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) in April 2014 to discuss the Registration of Stillbirths 2013-14 private members (ten minute rule) Bill. The Bill was also raised by several hon. Members in a Westminster Hall debate about stillbirth and infant mortality on 26 March 2014.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received about the establishment of a register of babies stillborn before 24 weeks' gestation.
Answered by Dan Poulter
A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified eight items of correspondence received since 1 July 2013 about the law relating to the designation and registration of pregnancy losses before 24 weeks gestation. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.
Since 1 July 2013, two written parliamentary questions have been received about the law relating to the designation and registration of pregnancy losses before 24 weeks gestation.
I met the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) in April 2014 to discuss the Registration of Stillbirths 2013-14 private members (ten minute rule) Bill. The Bill was also raised by several hon. Members in a Westminster Hall debate about stillbirth and infant mortality on 26 March 2014.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will establish a register of babies naturally born before 24 weeks gestation.
Answered by Dan Poulter
All live births in England and Wales must be registered, regardless of gestational age. Data on live births by gestation are collected by the Office for National Statistics and published annually (as part of the statistical bulletin on gestation-specific infant mortality in England and Wales).
There are no current plans to establish a separate register of babies born before 24 weeks gestation.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide for whistle-blowers to report concerns over breaches of animal experimentation licences.
Answered by Norman Baker
The Animals in Science Committee report on "Lessons to be Learnt" recommended that Establishment Licence holders should ensure that all those involved with work under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have a readily accessible means of raising ‘causes for concern’ with the management of their establishment. The Government response confirmed that we will take this forward.
Mechanisms for raising causes of concerns should be an integral component of a good culture of care and therefore bought into the remit of the Home Office Inspectorate. The Inspectorate has already worked with several organisations to develop guidance for interested parties.
Establishment licence holders should have systems in place to facilitate reporting of concerns as part of the requirement of the Animal Welfare & Ethical Review Body to establish and review management and operational processes for monitoring, reporting and follow up in relation to the welfare of animals housed or used in the licensed establishment.
The processes put in place are monitored as part of the inspection regime.