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Category: Speeches

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 21 March 2016 to Questions 31227 and 31228, if he will review what guidance is given by his Department to local authorities on public private partnerships.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    There are no current plans to produce updated guidance for local authorities on public private partnerships. However, my Department continuously reviews developments in the sector and if it is identified that take-up of new public private partnerships by local authorities is increasing, I will reconsider this position.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are being vetted to ensure that they do not constitute a security risk.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    All employees with access to a security restricted area of an UK airport and access to aircraft undergo, as a minimum, background and criminal record checks, on recruitment and thereafter. Those undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting. We keep our aviation security measures under constant review in light of new threat information from a wide range of sources.

  • Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Sharkey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sharkey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 July (HL883), which Muslim organisations affected by the withdrawal of banking services they continue to work closely with…to better understand their experiences and encourage dialogue with the banking sector”; how that working closely manifests itself; and what is their assessment of the outcomes of that close working.”

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Ministers and officials have received representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals who have been affected by account closure. Officials have discussed the issue of access to banking with individual Muslim organisations as well as representative groups such as the Muslim Charities Forum and Bond.

    The Government remains concerned about the growth of de-risking and the implications it has for NGOs, economic growth, financial inclusion and financial stability. We recognise that this trend remains a global problem, and have taken concrete steps to address this. We put the issue on the G20 agenda in 2015 and, closer to home, we have encouraged the banking sector to produce new guidance to help those affected by de-risking to open a UK bank account, by setting out what information banks will require in order to comply with relevant regulation and the questions they will need to ask. We have encouraged those affected to consider using their bank’s formal complaint service or, if they believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably, to consider referring the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We have also encouraged those affected to use the Business Account Finder provided by MoneyFacts to locate an alternative account provider.

    In order to continue dialogue with the NGO community on these matters, a Government-NGO Working Group will shortly be convened to explore concerns and identify solutions on the impact of regulation and banking practices on NGO operations in fragile states. The group will examine the specific challenges faced in getting aid into hard-to-reach communities.

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the daily payment for unaccompanied asylum seeking children was for (a) under 16 and (b) 16-17 year olds in each of the last six financial years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    From 1 October 2010 until 1 July 2016 the funding rate for the majority of local authorities for supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children was £95 per day for a supported child under 16 and £71 per day for a supported child aged 16 or 17. These rates were increased on 1 July 2016 to £114 per day for supported children under 16 and £91 for supported children aged 16 and 17. Enhanced levels of funding have been provided to a small number of ”Gateway” local authorities, in recognition of the large numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in their care. The most recent funding instructions can be accessed here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-uasc-grant-instructions

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the longest a patient waited for discharge from hospital after being declared fit to leave was in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) each health trust in London in (i) the last month for which figures are available and (ii) that month in each year from 2010 to 2014.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not available in the format requested.

    Official statistics for National Health Service trusts in England are published by NHS England on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month.

    It is not possible to calculate the longest wait from these data.

    Health is a devolved matter in Wales.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) simplify and (b) increase the effectiveness of regulatory standards on trade in horses.

    George Eustice

    Defra is taking a number of steps to simplify and strengthen existing rules for horses. These include implementation of new tighter EU legislation for equine identification, introduction of a new UK equine database recording horse identification information, and continuing to take an intelligence-led and risk based approach to enforcing the regulatory framework which relates to the domestic and international trade in horses.

  • Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the implications are for his Department’s policy of the analysis undertaken by the Resolution Foundation set out in its report, The Pinch, published on 10 December 2015, of (a) the effects of the financial events of the last 10 years on those aged 16 to 44 relative to those aged 55 to 64 and (b) the changes in that period in levels of real median weekly earnings across different cohorts of the population.

    Nick Boles

    The financial crisis triggered the worst recession in living memory. However, GDP surpassed its pre-recession level in Q2 2013 and the UK’s economic recovery is now well established. Since 2010, on average, the UK has been the joint fastest growing economy in the G7 and the labour market has continued to make strong progress.

    According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), excluding full-time students under the age of 25, the employment rate of people aged 16-49 fell from 76.9% in the three months to May 2008 to a post-recession low of 74.0% in the three months to March 2010. Since mid-2011, the employment rate for this group has increased over time and the latest data shows that it reached a record high of 77.7% in the three months to October 2015.

    While the recession had less of an impact on the employment rate of people aged 50-64, their current employment has also reached a record high for this group, of 70.0%.

    The analysis in Resolution Foundation’s report you mention looked at real median weekly earnings of various cohorts over time. While not strictly cohort analysis, more recent cross-sectional data from the ONS’s Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) shows that the increase in nominal median gross weekly pay between April 2014 and April 2015 varied across age groups as follows[1]:

    • 16-17 year olds: 8.2%[2]
    • 18-21 year olds: 4.0%
    • 22-29 year olds: 3.2%
    • 30-39 year olds: 1.1%
    • 40-49 year olds: 2.6%
    • 50-59 year olds: 2.5%
    • 60+ year olds: 1.9%

    CPI inflation over the same period was -0.1% in the year to April 2015.

    Pay, and ultimately living standards are strongly linked to productivity. That is why the Government is working hard to boost productivity, and therefore wages, with the ambitious measures outlined in our Productivity Plan. Our higher pay, lower tax, lower welfare society is the route to raising living standards for everyone in the UK.

    [1] Employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence

    [2] Figures for 16-17 year olds include employees not on adult rates of pay

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the implications are for the Government’s policy of bringing into force provisions of the Easter Act 1928 to fix a date for Easter of recent comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    I understand that the Archbishop of Canterbury has recently indicated that he is working with other Christian churches to agree on a fixed date for Easter. At present, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon following the spring equinox. The suggestion is that Easter be fixed in the second or third Sunday in April. The Easter Act 1928, which remains on the Statute Book, would set the date for Easter to fall on the Sunday that follows the second Saturday in April (i.e. between 9 and 15 April). The Act has not been brought into force. To so would require an Order in Council, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament. The Act also requires that, before the Order is made, “regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian Body." If the Christian churches were to agree on moving to a fixed date for Easter then the Government would consider, depending on what date is agreed, whether to bring into force the Easter Act 1928 or to make such other legislative provision as may be needed. However, there is no indication yet whether or when a date will be agreed or what that date would be.

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what obligations NHS England has to provide patients access to a GP practice.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.

    To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.

    There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22896, whether his Department records the number of junior doctors working 91 hours or more each week.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department does not collect this information centrally; it is collected by local National Health Service employers.

    We agreed with the British Medical Association that 91 hours’ work in any seven day period is too long and not safe. That is why, in the new contract, there is a contractual maximum of 72 hours’ work in any seven day period even for junior doctors who opt out of the working time regulations.