Category: Speeches

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Trussell Trust on the placement of Jobcentre Plus advisers in foodbanks.

    Priti Patel

    Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches already undertake outreach work every day in local communities. Work Coaches recently began offering back-to-back support in the Lalley Centre in Manchester. Early feedback has been positive. We will reflect on this, and consider if there is potential for expansion

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to cut off oil supplies to ISIL, and the revenue obtained from them, before they engage in military action in Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK has led efforts at the UN to make it illegal for any state, company or individual to trade in oil and oil products with Daesh, including co-sponsoring UN Security Council Resolution 2199 in February 2015. This resolution requires all states to prevent the transfer of economic resources to Daesh. We have worked to ensure that individuals involved in brokering oil deals between Daesh and the Assad regime have been sanctioned by the EU. We work closely, and continually, with allies particularly in the region, to ensure Resolution 2199 is implemented, sanctions are enforced and all smuggling is stopped. We are also working with the private sector to ensure it takes seriously its responsibilities to ensure Daesh cannot access the spare parts and fuel additives it needs for its oil industry to function. On Wednesday 2 December, the democratically-elected House of Commons voted to support UK military action against Daesh in Syria.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what remuneration is provider to the Chair of the Office for Tax Simplification.

    Mr David Gauke

    Angela Knight has been appointed as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification, and will be paid £400 a day, in line with other public appointments.

    In 2011, the Treasury Select Committee held a post-appointment hearing for the Chair and Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification, and has done so for appointments to other bodies. Angela Knight is appearing before the committee, in her role as the new Chair, on 12 January.

  • Baroness Taylor of Bolton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Taylor of Bolton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes have taken place in the last two years to improve the measurement of babies in the final stages of pregnancy.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Fetal growth restriction is widely recognised as a major determinant of stillbirth. Knowledge to inform the effective identification and management of these babies continues to grow, particularly around what constitutes ‘normal’ growth for each baby.

    We are advised by NHS England that it is developing the Saving Babies’ Lives “care bundle”. This is a package of measures which includes a recommendation to improve the detection of growth restricted babies. This includes use of a growth chart to plot fundal height (the distance from the maternal pelvis to the top of the growing womb) and estimated fetal weight, both measures to estimate a baby’s growth. The recommendation is also designed to tackle variable practice amongst clinicians in carrying out measurements. We understand this will be published as a guidance document later in 2016 and will be followed by an implementation toolkit.

    The care bundle is now being voluntarily implemented by maternity care providers while its recommendations are tested, formally evaluated in practice and refined over time and in the light of new evidence.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many key lock incidents there have been in each month since May 2010; how many such incidents related to doors of gates left unlocked; and in which establishments those incidents took place.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 6.158 of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of Tier 2 migration, published in December 2015, if she will commission an in-depth review of skills shortages in the IT industry.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government thanks the Migration Advisory Committee for their report and we are currently considering the findings carefully. We will announce our response in due course.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Ministers: quarterly return October to December 2015, published on 24 March 2016, whom he met during the visit to Kuwait that began on 26 November 2015; and what the agenda was at those meetings.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I travelled to Kuwait on 26 November 2015 to co-chair the seventh UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group meeting with my Kuwaiti counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al Jarallah. This six-monthly discussion covers a range of bilateral issues, including migration, healthcare, defence, security, education, energy and trade. In addition to the Steering Group, I also had bilateral meetings with the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, which focussed on Gulf Strategy, Typhoon, COP21 and regional and humanitarian issues.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with medical organisations on using DNA tests to help in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    We are not aware of any discussions with medical organisations on using DNA tests to help in the diagnosis, and treatment, of breast cancer.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the National Audit Office investigation into the collapse of the Uniting Care Partnership Contract in Cambridge and Peterborough, whether they plan to dismantle the Strategic Projects Team.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department welcomes the National Audit Office (NAO) report. Decisions about the Strategic Projects Team (SPT) are, however, for NHS England. Following an internal review and the NAO report, NHS England identified concerns about the work of the SPT. As a result, the SPT will close and all its ongoing commitments will be reviewed with a view to bringing them to a conclusion.

    NHS Improvement advises that it also welcomes the NAO report and is working closely with NHS England and the Department to consider assurance processes for such complex transactions. NHS Improvement further advises that its focus since May has been liaison with the NAO on its report and joint consideration with NHS England of the assurance issues raised.


    NHS England confirms that the NAO investigation supports the findings of its previously published independent review. Before the NAO investigation, NHS England had already commissioned a follow-up review focusing on the role of external advisors, the effectiveness of the Gateway review process, and the role of the clinical commissioning group leadership and governing body. This work continues and NHS England expects to publish findings later this summer.

    More widely, NHS England has been undertaking assessments of current and planned novel contracts and is developing an assurance framework for contracts of this sort. This is being informed by the findings of the Uniting Care reviews.

  • 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 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the likely effect of proposed changes to pharmacy funding on the provision of supplementary hours beyond the core NHS contract.

    David Mowat

    The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, under the National Health Service Act 2006.

    Our assessments include consideration of the potential impacts on the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services, including the supply of medicines, access to NHS pharmaceutical services, supplementary hours, non-commissioned services, individuals with protected characteristics, impacts on other NHS services, health inequalities, individuals with restricted mobility and access to healthcare for deprived communities.

    An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

    Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. We believe these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them.

    Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

    We want a clinically focussed community pharmacy service that is better integrated with primary care and public health in line with the Five Year Forward View. This will help relieve the pressure on general practitioners and accident and emergency departments, ensure better use of medicines and better patient outcomes, and contribute to delivering seven day health and care services.

    The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, Dr Keith Ridge has commissioned an independent review of community pharmacy clinical services. The review is being led by Richard Murray, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund. The final recommendations will be considered as part of the development of clinical and cost effective patient care by pharmacists and their teams.

    NHS England is also setting up a Pharmacy Integration Fund to support the development of clinical pharmacy practice in a wider range of primary care settings, resulting in a more integrated and effective NHS primary care patient pathway.

    The rollout of the additional 1,500 clinical pharmacists announced by NHS England will help to ease current pressures in general practice by working with patients who have long term conditions and others with multiple medications. Having a pharmacist on site will mean that patients who receive care from their general practice will be able to benefit from the expertise in medicines that these pharmacists provide.