Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis have made a new application for personal independence payments in each year since these payments were introduced; and how many of those people have received those payments in each nation of the UK.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearances split by geographical area within Great Britain (region), by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) and by main disabling condition for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims for each month from the introduction of PIP in April 2013 to the last available data in January 2019, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
Please note that a PIP claimant’s disability is not recorded until they attend an assessment so the Department does not hold data on how many claimants with a particular condition made an application for PIP. Data on the number of registrations (applications) to PIP each month from April 2013 to January 2019 is available on Stat-Xplore.
Please note that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is only responsible for benefits in Great Britain. Social security benefits including PIP are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and your questions regarding PIP in Northern Ireland should be directed at the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland who are responsible for PIP.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis in receipt of disability living allowance have been reassessed for personal independence payment in each year since those payments were introduced; and how many of those people have received those payments in each nation of the UK.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest available data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearances split by geographical area within Great Britain (region), by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) and by main disabling condition for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims for each month from the introduction of PIP in April 2013 to the last available data in January 2019, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
Please note that a PIP claimant’s disability is not recorded until they attend an assessment so the Department does not hold data on how many claimants with a particular condition made an application for PIP. Data on the number of registrations (applications) to PIP each month from April 2013 to January 2019 is available on Stat-Xplore.
Please note that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is only responsible for benefits in Great Britain. Social security benefits including PIP are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and your questions regarding PIP in Northern Ireland should be directed at the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland who are responsible for PIP.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the results of the Red Arrows feasibility study.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
As announced in summer 2018, the RAF intends to close RAF Scampton, the home of the Red Arrows by 2022, as part of wider Defence Estate rationalisation. The MOD are currently undertaking a number of feasibility studies in relation to the Red Arrows basing, the outcome of which will be announced to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional funding will be provided for supply teachers while permanent staff undertake the accelerated teaching programme.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Through the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund, the Department for Education is funding Accelerate – a professional development programme that will provide specialist support for early career teachers.
Accelerate, delivered by the Education Development Trust, is free to eligible teachers in their first five years of teaching. As a part of the programme, schools will be remunerated for teachers or leaders who are involved in aspects of delivery, for example, for coaching participants. No additional funding is provided to cover supply staff costs for staff undertaking the programme.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if will make representations to his counterpart in Bahrain on the failure of prison authorities in Isa Town Prison and local oversight bodies to facilitate a mammogram for political prisoner Hajer Mansoor Hassan who is being denied access to medical care for a lump in her breast.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The British Embassy and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to follow the case of Ms Mansoor and have raised the issue of access to medical care with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level.
The Government of Bahrain have given categorical assurances that Ms Mansoor has had a mammogram and is awaiting the results, and will continue to receive access to appropriate medical care, as guaranteed by the constitution of Bahrain.
We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report them to the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body. We continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such concerns or allegations.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question HL13338 on Sheikh Ali Salman, whether the Minister for the Middle East called for the release of Bahraini opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman during his meeting with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to London on 5 November 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Honourable Lady will have seen my statement of 4 November where I expressed my concerns on the further sentencing of Sheikh Ali Salman. On 5 November I discussed these concerns with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the UK and again with the Bahrain Minister of Foreign Affairs on 20 February 2019. We will continue to closely monitor the case. The UK has raised this case at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 15 November 2018 to Quesrion 188258, whether any steps have been taken on behalf of Bahraini female political prisoners Hajer Mansoor, Najah Yusuf and Medina Ali to ensure that the Bahraini authorities allow them to see their families without the physical barrier which was imposed in September 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
As the Honourable Lady will know from answers in this House and the other place, our Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the cases of Hajer Mansoor, Najah Ahmed Yusuf and Medina Ali.
We continue to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We also continue to encourage these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such allegations. We understand that the National Institution for Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman are aware of these cases and have been in contact with the three individuals in question.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of Fire and Rescue services choosing to re-engage fire service staff following their retirement on that service’s commitment to equality and diversity.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In May 2018, revisions were made to the Fire and Rescue National Frame-work for England to discourage fire and rescue services from re-engaging staff following retirement except in exceptional circumstances when such a decision is necessary in the interests of public safety. Any such appointment must be transparent, justifiable and time limited.
No specific assessment has been made of the effect of this practice on equality and diversity, however we have been clear with fire and rescue service leaders that the current lack of diversity amongst firefighters is unacceptable and must be tackled.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the level of humanitarian need in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with nearly 80 per cent of the entire population – 24 million people – requiring some form of humanitarian assistance and protection. The number of food insecure people has also risen from 17 million to over 20 million and for the first time, there are people (almost 240,000) in the most severe food security category, IPC 5 - at high risk of death.
The UK is providing £170 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen this financial year, including food for the equivalent of 4 million Yemenis for one month. Our funding over the next three years will screen 2.2 million children under the age of five for malnutrition and provide urgent treatment for 70,000 of the most vulnerable children. However, a political settlement is the only way to address the worsening humanitarian crisis and we encourage further constructive engagement from all parties to achieve this.
Asked by: Karen Lee (Labour - Lincoln)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when scoping is planned to start for the review of NICE technology appraisal methods set out in the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.
Answered by Steve Brine
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will begin scoping what will be considered in the review of its technology appraisal methods in the 2019/20 business year.