Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent reports of aerial bombardments, including against schools, on the humanitarian situation in the Eastern Ghouta region in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We remain deeply concerned by reports of attacks by pro-regime forces on civilians and civilian infrastructures, including on healthcare facilities and schools. This, alongside continued obstruction of humanitarian access by the regime, is contributing to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta. The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported the UN and international non-governmental organisations to deliver aid to hard-to-reach and besieged areas, including Eastern Ghouta. DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta providing life-saving healthcare, food, and protection, but humanitarian access remains severely constrained. We continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to press the regime and its backers to allow unfettered access so that aid can reach those in desperate need. We call on all parties to adhere to agreed ceasefires in order to bring about the conditions for a political settlement that will end the suffering of the Syrian people.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of living in temporary accommodation on the health, well-being and life chances of children.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
England has a strong homelessness safety net, providing protection to the most vulnerable in our society. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
Homeless households do not have to wait as long for settled accommodation as the law was changed in 2012 allowing councils to place families in private rented accommodation meaning less time in temporary accommodation. The cost of temporary accommodation varies depending on the local housing market and the type of temporary accommodation used as well as the numbers of households in temporary accommodation.
We provide a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant to local authorities for them to use more strategically to prevent and tackle homelessness. This amounts to £402 million over the two years from 2017/18.
Devolving the funding to local authorities provides incentives to move families out of temporary accommodation and into settled accommodation more quickly, and with more certain upfront funding local authorities are able to tackle homelessness more pro-actively, pushing the balance of the investment away from crisis intervention and towards prevention.
The number of children living in temporary accommodation is down from its peak in 2006 but we know there is room for improvement. That is why Government is committed to setting up a homelessness reduction taskforce that will focus on prevention and affordable housing.
Also, from April 2018 we are implementing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades, the Homelessness Reduction Act. It significantly reforms England’s homelessness legislation, ensuring that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place.
Asked by: Nigel Evans (Conservative - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the imprisonment of three protestors involved in the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement of 2014.
Answered by Mark Field
During my visit to Hong Kong on 23/24 August, I discussed this case with the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam. During my meeting, I stressed the UK's commitment to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and 'One Country, Two Systems'. I also made clear that it is essential that Hong Kong enjoys, and is seen to enjoy, the full measure of its high degree of autonomy and commitment to the rule of law enshrined in the Joint Declaration and Basic Law. On 17 August an FCO spokesperson issued a statement on the case, which said that "the UK remains a staunch supporter of the right to peaceful protest and we believe it is vital that Hong Kong's young people have a voice in politics. Hong Kong's way of life is underpinned by its rule of law. We note the decision reached by the Court of Appeal on the case of Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow and we hope the decision on this case will not discourage legitimate protest in the future."
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations her Department has received from primate users to reassess its prospective assessment of the term severe for non-human primates subjected to head and/or body restriction and water and/or food restriction on neuroscience research.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office regulator maintains engagement with the neuroscience community, as recommended by the Weatherall report 2006. To understand the ongoing relevance of primate research the regulator attended meetings in 2016, arranged by funders and neuroscientists, at which severity assessment was discussed. The regulator also engages regularly and pro-actively with the breadth of stakeholders across the life science community through to animal protection and welfare groups.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the introduction of cell-free DNA non-invasive prenatal testing of the finding of the report of the Pro-Life APPG, Abortion on the grounds of disability, published in July 2013, that many parents feel steered towards abortion on receiving a diagnosis of fetal abnormality and that they do not receive adequate information about other options.
Answered by Jane Ellison
There is a long established Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (NHS FASP) that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has recommended that non-invasive prenatal testing for Down’s syndrome should be introduced as an additional test into the NHS FASP as part of an evaluation. Ministers are currently considering this important recommendation from the UK NSC which would give pregnant women and their partners more accurate information and should reduce the number of women having to undergo unnecessary invasive testing which carries a risk of miscarriage.
The UK NSC recommendation does not change the offer to prospective parents of participating in the programme, nor the options and choices available when testing identifies a fetus with Down’s, Edwards’ or Patau’s syndrome.
Existing guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists already makes it clear that women and their partners should receive appropriate information and support from a properly trained multidisciplinary team, who must adopt a supportive and non-judgemental approach regardless of whether the decision is to terminate or continue the pregnancy. This should include referral to other professional experts (including palliative care) and referral for counselling when this can help, as part of a co-ordinated package of care.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25199, what steps he is taking to encourage the development and implementation of improved HGV design.
Answered by Andrew Jones
We are working with our European counterparts on specifications for safer and more aerodynamic cab designs in HGVs. We will continue to work pro-actively with the European Commission and other EU Member States, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Transport for London and other stakeholders to improve the safety of HGVs.
The Department for Transport’s “British Road Safety Statement” published in December 2015 sets out a number of measures to further improve safety of vehicles. The Department plans to consult on sideguard provisions in the second half of 2016 to ensure these important safety devices remain on the vehicle throughout its life.
Department for Transport officials have negotiated improved requirements for mirrors on the passenger side of the largest heavy goods vehicles and these will apply from 1 July 2016. Camera monitoring systems will be permitted to replace mirrors from around 1 September 2016, which should further improve driver vision around HGVs.
Officials have worked with our European partners to require fitment of technology helping HGVs avoid collisions. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) has been gradually rolled out to all new HGVs and the final phase will be implemented on 11 July 2016, when it will become compulsory on certain smaller HGVs below 12 tonnes laden weight. Advanced Emergency Braking Systems were recently made compulsory on new HGVs over 8 tonnes laden weight, and we expect it will become compulsory on goods vehicles between 3.5 and 8 tonnes laden weight from 1 November 2018.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the effect on the UK economy of UK supply chain contracts being awarded to overseas bidders.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has worked jointly with Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and UKTI to encourage investment in UK energy supply chains, in both UK-owned and UK-based companies, and to achieve higher levels of UK content in energy infrastructure. We have worked constructively with project developers to enhance the opportunities for UK-based companies to win contracts and with top tier suppliers to encourage them to invest in the UK.
BIS continues to work with DECC and the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) to encourage investment in the UK Continental shelf (UKCS) and these arrangements include the formation of a Supply Chain Board to promote development of the oil and gas supply chain. Subsequent to the Oil & Gas Skills Analysis Report we maintain a regular dialogue with Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), the oil and gas skills body, who advise on skills gaps.
For large renewable energy projects, developers are required to have their Supply Chain Plans approved by Government, setting out how they will boost competition, innovation and skills, before they are eligible to apply for price support under the Contract for Difference regime. BIS has supported the GROW: Offshore Wind programme to help SMEs in England to compete in the offshore wind supply chain and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult to help companies bring new technologies to market.
Open competition is important to bring down the costs of energy and, in open competition, UK bidders do not always win the contracts. We have made no specific assessment of the impact of UK contractors failing to win contracts on the UK economy, including the Scotland economy, and on the UK skills base.
More widely, the Government is taking a number of steps to strengthen UK manufacturing supply chains and help these businesses compete in global markets.
First and foremost, we are building a strong economy and a competitive business environment. We are backing manufacturers by cutting corporation tax, slashing red tape by a further £10billion and investing £6.9billion in the UK’s infrastructure. This is creating the right economic conditions to encourage the business investment crucial to UK manufacturing productivity growth and jobs.
Through the sectors councils we are working closely with manufacturing companies to understand their needs and remove barriers in their path. The Government continues to invest in our world leading aerospace, automotive, defence and transport sectors and has reformed procurement rules so the supply chain can reap maximum benefit; whilst the High Value Manufacturing Catapult shows how companies can adapt to new technologies reduce their costs and boost productivity. One in six manufacturers have reshored production over the past three years and around one third of the 2,000 new Foreign Direct Investment projects landed in 2014/15 were in the areas of advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Business has the confidence to invest and make things in the UK again because the Government is getting the fundamentals of the economy right and creating a highly competitive, pro-business environment.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to encourage (a) UK-owned and (b) UK-based private sector companies to invest in UK energy and manufacturing supply chains.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has worked jointly with Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and UKTI to encourage investment in UK energy supply chains, in both UK-owned and UK-based companies, and to achieve higher levels of UK content in energy infrastructure. We have worked constructively with project developers to enhance the opportunities for UK-based companies to win contracts and with top tier suppliers to encourage them to invest in the UK.
BIS continues to work with DECC and the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) to encourage investment in the UK Continental shelf (UKCS) and these arrangements include the formation of a Supply Chain Board to promote development of the oil and gas supply chain. Subsequent to the Oil & Gas Skills Analysis Report we maintain a regular dialogue with Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), the oil and gas skills body, who advise on skills gaps.
For large renewable energy projects, developers are required to have their Supply Chain Plans approved by Government, setting out how they will boost competition, innovation and skills, before they are eligible to apply for price support under the Contract for Difference regime. BIS has supported the GROW: Offshore Wind programme to help SMEs in England to compete in the offshore wind supply chain and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult to help companies bring new technologies to market.
Open competition is important to bring down the costs of energy and, in open competition, UK bidders do not always win the contracts. We have made no specific assessment of the impact of UK contractors failing to win contracts on the UK economy, including the Scotland economy, and on the UK skills base.
More widely, the Government is taking a number of steps to strengthen UK manufacturing supply chains and help these businesses compete in global markets.
First and foremost, we are building a strong economy and a competitive business environment. We are backing manufacturers by cutting corporation tax, slashing red tape by a further £10billion and investing £6.9billion in the UK’s infrastructure. This is creating the right economic conditions to encourage the business investment crucial to UK manufacturing productivity growth and jobs.
Through the sectors councils we are working closely with manufacturing companies to understand their needs and remove barriers in their path. The Government continues to invest in our world leading aerospace, automotive, defence and transport sectors and has reformed procurement rules so the supply chain can reap maximum benefit; whilst the High Value Manufacturing Catapult shows how companies can adapt to new technologies reduce their costs and boost productivity. One in six manufacturers have reshored production over the past three years and around one third of the 2,000 new Foreign Direct Investment projects landed in 2014/15 were in the areas of advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Business has the confidence to invest and make things in the UK again because the Government is getting the fundamentals of the economy right and creating a highly competitive, pro-business environment.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Directorate in his Department produced guidance on the provision of non-judgemental counselling; which Directorate has policy responsibility for implementation of this guidance; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Departmental officials have made a number of visits and have had informal discussions with a number of counselling providers which included pro-life and pro-choice organisations; these are listed below.
Organisations visited or with which contact was made:
- Brook Advisory Centre, Brixton
- British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Richmond
- Care Confidential, Alternatives Trust, Newham
- City Pregnancy Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, Islington
- Homerton NHS Trust, Hackney
- Hull Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Partnership
- Life Care Centre, Walsall
- Marie Stopes International, Brixton and Bristol
- Norwich Contraception and Sexual Health Clinic
- Plymouth Community Healthcare
The Government produced guidance on the provision of non-judgemental abortion counselling in A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (March 2013). The Framework was produced by the sexual health policy team in the Public Health Directorate.
The Sexual Health Policy team is made up of the following staff at each grade:
1 Senior Civil Servant (who also manages policy areas other than sexual health)
1 Grade 6
2 Grade 7
1 Senior Executive Officer
1 Higher Executive Officer (.7 whole time equivalent)
1 Executive Officer
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) formal and (b) informal discussions officials had with (i) pro-life organisations, (ii) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (iii) Marie Stopes International and (iv) pro-choice organisations before the publication of guidance on the provision of non-judgemental counselling; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Departmental officials have made a number of visits and have had informal discussions with a number of counselling providers which included pro-life and pro-choice organisations; these are listed below.
Organisations visited or with which contact was made:
- Brook Advisory Centre, Brixton
- British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Richmond
- Care Confidential, Alternatives Trust, Newham
- City Pregnancy Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, Islington
- Homerton NHS Trust, Hackney
- Hull Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Partnership
- Life Care Centre, Walsall
- Marie Stopes International, Brixton and Bristol
- Norwich Contraception and Sexual Health Clinic
- Plymouth Community Healthcare
The Government produced guidance on the provision of non-judgemental abortion counselling in A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (March 2013). The Framework was produced by the sexual health policy team in the Public Health Directorate.
The Sexual Health Policy team is made up of the following staff at each grade:
1 Senior Civil Servant (who also manages policy areas other than sexual health)
1 Grade 6
2 Grade 7
1 Senior Executive Officer
1 Higher Executive Officer (.7 whole time equivalent)
1 Executive Officer