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Category: Speeches

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1535, what the estimated transition period is for stability post war.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The International Syria Support Group has set out a target timeline for transition. This timeline includes the start of Syrian-led negotiations under UN auspices by 1 January 2016; transition within six months; and free and fair elections within 18 months. We are working with international partners to meet those targets and to provide the support needed to ensure that Syria can return to stability.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health trusts (a) Simon Stevens and (b) Sir Bruce Keogh have visited in each year since their appointments as Chief Executive and Medical Director respectively of NHS England; and on what dates they visited which health trusts in which locations.

    George Freeman

    This information is not held by the Department. NHS England has advised that this information is not routinely collected and it could only be collated and provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times the Child Protection Taskforce announced by the Prime Minister on 24 June 2015 has met; and when that taskforce plans to publish its first report.

    Edward Timpson

    The Child Protection Implementation Taskforce has met on four occasions since June 2015. As set out in the terms of reference, Taskforces are responsible for monitoring and driving the delivery of the Government’s priorities. The Department for Education published a paper in January 2016 ‘Children’s Social Care reform: A vision for change’[1] which outlines the three areas of work undertaken by the Taskforce thus far.

    As it is responsible for monitoring implementation rather than developing policy, the Taskforce does not have any plans to publish a report at this time.

    [1]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491968/Childrens_social_care_reform_a_vision_for_change.pdf

    “

  • Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for an operation in (a) Pennine Acute NHS Trust and (b) Bolton NHS Trust was in the last year for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    Patients have a legal right, set out in the NHS Constitution, to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. The following table shows the average median waiting time in weeks for patients whose wait ended during the month with an inpatient or day case admission to Pennine Acute NHS Trust or Bolton NHS Trust. Only a proportion of inpatient or day case admissions would have resulted in an operation.

    Table: average median waiting times1, 2 in weeks for patients whose wait ended during the month with an inpatient or day case admission3, 2015

    Month

    Bolton NHS Trust

    Pennine Acute NHS Trust

    January 2015

    8.2

    10.8

    February 2015

    8.7

    11.1

    March 2015

    7.6

    9.8

    April 2015

    7.6

    10.6

    May 2015

    7.9

    10.6

    June 2015

    7.0

    11.4

    July 2015

    6.6

    11.1

    August 2015

    6.3

    10.9

    September 2015

    6.9

    10.9

    October 2015

    7.1

    11.1

    November 2015

    7.0

    10.6

    December 2015

    5.7

    10.5

    Source: Consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times, NHS England

    Notes:

    1. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.
    2. Until September 2015, adjustments were permitted for clock pauses, where a patient declined reasonable offers of admission and chose to wait longer. From October 2015, there is no longer any provision to report pauses or suspensions in waiting time clocks.
    3. Not every admission to hospital is for an operation, but hospital episode statistics suggest that 94% of elective finished admission episodes involve some form of procedure or intervention.
  • Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of new private rented homes that will be needed to meet demand in the next five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    It is difficult to determine the number of new private rented homes needed to meet demand as this is affected by a variety of outside impacts, including the affordability of home ownership, household formation rates and prospective sharing arrangements. The Government is committed to delivering 1 million new homes by the end of this parliament.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with the Information Commissioner’s Office reasons to refer consumer complaints to equivalent bodies overseas in addressing nuisance telephone calls from abroad.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government recently made an amendment to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), requiring direct marketing companies registered in the UK and those making calls on behalf of UK companies from outside the UK, to display Calling Line Identification. This measure will make it easier for the ICO to investigate and take enforcement action against callers who persistently and deliberately flout the rules.

    In addtion, both the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Ofcom engage with the Do Not Call Forum of the London Action Plan, which includes overseas regulators with responsibility for tackling nuisance calls. The ICO is joint secretariat and works with other members, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, to target organisations, share investigation methods and drive forward coordinated actions. The group are drafting an operational plan to strengthen cooperation at international level

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for farming and agriculture through the CAP in the post-2020 Multi Annual Framework.

    George Eustice

    No decisions on post-2020 funding have been taken yet. The post-2020 Multi Annual Framework negotiations will be led by HMT.

  • Jo Churchill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jo Churchill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Churchill on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support tourism through increasing the number of UNESCO-recognised World Heritage sites in the UK.

    Tracey Crouch

    World Heritage Sites are internationally recognised. As a result, they attract visitors from near and far.

    In July, the Gorham Cave Complex in Gibraltar became the UK’s 30th World Heritage Site. I very much hope to see the Lake District become our 31st in 2017.

    The Prime Minister’s Tourism Action Plan sets out how we are working to make it easier for visitors to travel around our country and discover these sites for themselves.

  • Lucy Powell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the amount and proportion of funding for the free childcare entitlement which is currently retained by local authorities to support wider early years work.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Data from local authority planned spend for 2016-17 shows that nationally local authorities plan to centrally retain 7% (£149 million) of their delegated budget for three and four year olds and 7% (£36m) for the two year old entitlement. The total local authority delegated budget for three and four year olds is £2.3 billion and £523 million for two year olds. This excludes the planned budget for the early years pupil premium.

    This data is as reported by the local authorities.

    Our recent consultation on changes to funding for three- and four-year-olds proposed that all local authorities must pass 93% in 2017-18 then 95% in 2018-19 of early years funding to providers. This would maximise funding to the frontline.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are being put in place, in co-operation with the government of France, to support asylum seekers in Calais this winter.

    Lord Bates

    The French Government is responsible for the care of migrants in Calais, including support over the winter. However, both governments are committed to finding a sustainable solution to the situation in Calais. One aspect of the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August committed the UK to providing £3.6 million (or €5 million) per year for two years to help support a range of work to manage the migrant population in Calais. Additionally, the UK has provided £530,000 to fund a project to identify those in the camps at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and to provide them with appropriate support within the French system.

    The UK and French Governments are unified in their response to these migratory pressures and both governments recognise the importance of close partnership and collaboration.