Category: Speeches

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The tables below contain information on the overtime spend by the Department for Transport, including the following agencies, for February 2014 – January 2016:

    • Department for Transport (central)
    • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
    • Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
    • Maritime and Coastguard Agency
    • Vehicle Certification Agency
    • Highways Agency (February 2014 – March 2015 only. From April 2015 HA became Highways England.)

    Month

    Feb-14

    Mar-14

    Apr-14

    May-14

    Jun-14

    Jul-14

    Overtime spend

    £1,239,198

    £1,599,619

    £927,703

    £1,280,082

    £1,268,173

    £1,261,126

    Month

    Aug-14

    Sep-14

    Oct-14

    Nov-14

    Dec-14

    Jan-15

    Overtime spend

    £1,249,497

    £1,341,766

    £1,413,538

    £1,160,553

    £1,158,340

    £1,122,994

    Month

    Feb-15

    Mar-15

    Apr-15

    May-15

    Jun-15

    Jul-15

    Overtime spend

    £1,247,224

    £1,664,032

    £1,395,002

    £1,339,767

    £1,290,854

    £1,403,393

    Month

    Aug-15

    Sep-15

    Oct-15

    Nov-15

    Dec-15

    Jan-16

    Overtime spend

    £888,400

    £911,069

    £1,051,989

    £775,587

    £357,148

    £446,784

    Both the twelve month periods shown above – February 2014 to January 2015 and February 2015 to January 2016 – show a reduction in overtime spend compared to the first twelve-month period of the Coalition government in 2010/11.

  • Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to NHS trusts on ensuring future reductions in frontline staff numbers are not made for the purpose of reducing trusts’ deficits.

    Ben Gummer

    The National Health Service has taken a number of steps to reduce trusts’ deficits. We have introduced tough new financial controls to cut down on waste in the NHS – including clamping down on rip-off staffing agencies and expensive management consultants, and introducing central procurement rules.

    We are also introducing a £2.1 billion Sustainability and Transformation Fund in 2016/17 to support providers to move to a financially sustainable footing. This will give the NHS the space to transform services so they are world class for decades to come.

    The purpose of these actions is to put NHS finances on a sustainable footing to ensure high quality care, now and in the future.

    Trusts should focus on the numbers and skillmix needed to deliver quality care, patient safety and efficiency, taking into account local factors such as acuity and casemix.

    Two communications to NHS trusts (a letter on safe staffing and efficiency dated 13 October 2015 from NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS England, Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; and a letter dated 15 January 2016 from Chief Executive-designate of NHS Improvement, Jim Mackey, and the CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards) asked trusts to consider quality and finances on an equal footing in their planning decisions; stated that it is not the case that NHS trusts could only achieve their financial targets at the expense of quality, or that improving quality is more important than staying in financial surplus; and emphasised that responsibility for staffing rests (as it has always done) with trust boards.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department’s 25-year food and farming plan will contribute to delivering the Government’s emissions reduction plan.

    George Eustice

    The Food and Farming Plan will explore the role of technology in reducing emissions through improved feed efficiency, among other issues. It will also set out how we will work with industry to deliver emissions reductions across the rest of the food chain, including supporting the Courtauld 2025 objective of reducing food and drink emissions by 20% between 2015 and 2025.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions there have been of applicants for asylum who have arrived without documents and concealed their identity to frustrate removal in each of the last 10 years.

    James Brokenshire

    The number of individuals prosecuted for arriving without documents and concealing their identity is 50. The figures are illustrated below.

    1st April 2014 – 31 March 2015 26

    1st April 2015 – 31 March 2016 22

    This information was not held centrally prior to 2014.

    The Home Office works closely with the NCA and other law enforcement agencies, and prosecuting authorities in the UK and abroad, to ensure criminal investigations are robustly progressed in accordance with Criminal Justice standards.

  • Stephen McPartland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen McPartland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials of his Department have had with their counterparts in (a) Wales on the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan and (b) Scotland on the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework.

    David Mowat

    There have been no discussions with counterparts in Wales on the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan or Scotland on the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework.

    Public Health England contributes to the Lancet Commission on Liver Disease and the Lancet Commission have also reviewed the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the Government maintaining its EU climate obligations after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK remains firmly committed to tackling global climate change. This commitment is enshrined in our domestic legislation via the Climate Change Act 2008. In line with this, we recently set the UK’s fifth domestic carbon budget in law. The UK remains a member of the European Union and existing rules apply.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Michael Fabricant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on (a) passenger and (b) freight traffic on the West Coast Mainline following completion of Phase 1 of High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The construction of High Speed 2 (HS2) will release capacity on the existing network, including the West Coast Mainline, reducing crowding, improving resilience and reliability across the network, and improving journey opportunities for passengers. This released capacity could also provide space for at least an extra 20 West Coast Main Line freight paths helping to meet forecast freight demand and taking lorries off the road network. Phase One of HS2 will also bring substantial benefits in its own right, providing additional capacity and improved connectivity.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are consulting the governments of Iraq, the United States and Italy about the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River, and in particular about the case for downstream flood warnings and preparations, and repairs and maintenance work, to prevent collapse.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are in close touch with the Governments of Iraq, the US and our European partners, as well as the UN, about the Mosul Dam.

    The Government of Iraq has begun to take measures to improve the structural integrity of the Mosul Dam as there is a risk the dam could fail. It is currently impossible to accurately predict if or when this might occur. A failure could lead to major flooding in the Tigris river valley, from Mosul to Baghdad.

    Alongside the US, we are working with the Government of Iraq, the UN and other partners to ensure Iraq has effective contingency planning in place, including early warning and humanitarian planning, to enable ordinary Iraqis and the international community to respond in the event of failure. Our Embassy has plans to ensure staff are safe and we have updated our travel advice to highlight the risk to the general public.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received a request from the Kurdistan regional government for replacement ammunition rounds for British-gifted heavy machine guns; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We receive periodic requests from both the Government of Iraq and from the Kurdistan Regional Government for assistance. We have previously provided some 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and nearly half a million rounds of ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga. The Global Coalition considers any requests, taking account of each contributing nation’s own requirements and stocks. Availability and provision of ammunition to the Peshmerga were discussed during a recent senior British military visit to Erbil and, should a decision be taken that we can provide further assistance, this would be notified to Parliament in the normal way.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars his Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.