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172295

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Syria
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to sign up to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3879 HL3880 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:17 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172296

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Syria
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what criteria they based their estimate that the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme would support several hundred refugees over three years.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3879
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3878 HL3880 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172297

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Syria
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in the light of the call by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 100,000 further humanitarian admission places in 2015 and 2016.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL3878 HL3879 question first answered 13/01/2015 14:37:17 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172298

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Syria
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking regularly to review the number of people offered resettlement places in the United Kingdom under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to ensure that the scheme is responsive to need.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>When we launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme from January 2014, we wrote to local authorities to invite them to participate. As the scheme has progressed, we have continued to engage closely with local authorities who have expressed an interest in participation. Following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pledging conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014, a number of additional local authorities have also expressed an interest, and we are in discussions with them. We are grateful to the local authorities who are supporting the scheme, and we remain confident that we can continue to meet the needs of arrivals in the UK under the scheme as planned. We expect the scheme to help several hundred Syrians over three years, and we welcome further offers of support from local authorities as the scheme progresses.</p><p>With millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict, the Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact and help the most people in need through humanitarian aid in the region and actively seeking an end to the crisis. We have committed £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis, making the UK the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and this funding is helping to support hundred of thousands of people. Compared with aid, resettlement can only ever help a minority of those in need. However, we recognise that some very vulnerable people cannot be supported effectively in the region, and we launched the VPR scheme to complement our aid by offering protection in the UK to particularly vulnerable individuals and their families, prioritising women and children at risk, those in need of medical care and survivors of violence and torture. Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR on this basis. The VPR scheme is therefore based on need rather than fulfilling a quota. However, it was necessary for planning purposes to estimate the scale of potential arrivals under the scheme, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, UNHCR’s capacity and the need to have suitable care and support in place for these very vulnerable individuals as soon as they arrive in the UK.</p><p>We believe that substantial aid, actively seeking an end to the crisis and providing protection for some of the most vulnerable people are the most effective ways for the UK to help those displaced by the crisis and their host countries, rather than larger scale resettlement. We therefore have no current plans to expand the VPR scheme, and we made our position clear at the UNHCR pledging conference on 9 December. However, we continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the surrounding region and work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict to ensure that the scheme remains appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 13/01/2015 14:36:07 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172299

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	National Security Council
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many countries of concern have been identified by the National Security Council, and how many countries have been prioritised for activity under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>The governance arrangements for the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) are currently being considered. The CSSF will support delivery of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy, National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review using the full range of government capabilities and expertise in tackling conflict, instability and insecurity. Cross Whitehall Regional Boards for Africa, Americas, Asia/Pacific, Middle East &amp; North Africa, South Asia and Wider Europe and have been established, and will be responsible for disbursing the funding allocated to the countries in their region. Updates on the development of the CSSF can be provided once Ministerial agreement of these governance arrangements has been secured.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 15/01/2015 14:05:39 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172300

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	National Security Council
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Security Council will have a strategy for each of its priority countries, and, if so, what those strategies will include.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
uin	HL3883
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is one part of a broader approach to UK prioritisation in fragile states, governed by the National Security Council (NSC). With the NSC at the core, the Government has been making strategic decisions for the most effective use of limited departmental resources. This process is still ongoing and updates on the development of the CSSF can be provided once Ministerial agreement of these arrangements has been secured.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 15/01/2015 14:06:13 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3895 label Biography information for Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

172301

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	HIV Infection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether funding for the national HIV prevention programme will be reduced from April 2015, and if so, by how much.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3884
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>We have no plans to reduce funding for the national HIV prevention programme for 2015-16.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL3885 HL3886 question first answered 20/01/2015 11:57:58 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

172302

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	HIV Infection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation has taken place about the possibility of a reduction in funding for the national HIV prevention programme.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3885
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>We have no plans to reduce funding for the national HIV prevention programme for 2015-16.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL3884 HL3886 question first answered 20/01/2015 11:57:59 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

172303

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	HIV Infection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact of a reduction in funding for the national HIV prevention programme from April 2015 on rates of HIV transmission in the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3886
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>We have no plans to reduce funding for the national HIV prevention programme for 2015-16.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL3884 HL3885 question first answered 20/01/2015 11:57:58 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

172304

registered interest
date	06/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Hepatitis: Drugs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the use of sofosbuvir in the treatment of hepatitis C has not been published nearly 11 months after it received its marketing authorisation.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3887
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was asked to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of sofosbuvir within its marketing authorisation for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in October 2013. Sofosbuvir received its marketing authorisation for this indication in January 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NICE published initial draft guidance in June 2014 which stated it was minded not to recommend use of sofosbuvir within its marketing authorisation and requested further information from the manufacturer. NICE published further draft guidance for consultation in August 2014, in which it recommended sofosbuvir for certain patients. Following consideration of the responses to this consultation on its draft recommendations, NICE requested further analyses from the company, which necessitated additional Committee discussion. NICE then carried out a further consultation in December on a proposal to extend the mandatory timescale for National Health Service commissioners to fund its recommendations on sofosbuvir. A similar consultation was also undertaken for simeprevir, another drug currently undergoing a NICE appraisal for chronic hepatitis C. A timeline of the process for the development of NICE’s guidance on sofosbuvir is published at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-tag445" target="_blank">www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-tag445</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have not made an assessment of the impact of this delay on patients with hepatitis C. Until NICE’s final guidance comes into effect, NHS England has in place an interim commissioning policy on sofosbuvir with ledipasvir and an interim policy for simeprevir which makes these treatments available to patients meeting specified clinical criteria during 2014-15. So far, this has made an additional £38 million available to cure patients at risk of liver failure. In addition, NHS England has made an assessment of need for patients with cirrhosis from April 2015 and will be finalising its plans shortly for this wider patient group.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NICE’s consultation on extending the funding period closed in December and we understand that it expects to publish the outcome of that consultation, along with its final draft guidance on sofosbuvir, shortly. The Department’s response to the consultation will be published alongside other stakeholders’ comments. We are confident that NICE will carefully consider all the comments it has received before taking a final decision.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>NICE currently expects to publish its final guidance on sofosbuvir in February 2015, although this is subject to any appeals being received.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe grouped question UIN HL3888 HL3889 question first answered 19/01/2015 12:14:44 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath