Category: Speeches

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, mainly the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers. As staff stay on the terms and conditions of their parent employers, the wellness strategy that would normally apply would be that of the parent body. Both the Ministry of Justice and Scottish Government have wellness strategies to support their staff. Through these strategies, the staff that are based at the Scotland Office in either London or Edinburgh have access to health facilities, mental health support, and employee assistance programmes.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the contribution of contingent convertible bonds to financial stability and, in particular, the risk of adverse feedback loops and the contribution thereto of the absence of standardised terms.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In December 2015, the Bank of England set out its medium-term capital framework for UK banks and building societies. The Bank’s analysis suggested that the optimal risk-based going-concern capital requirement for the system as a whole is between 10% and 14% of risk weighted assets.

    The majority of this capital is made up of the highest quality, common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital. However, a small part (up to 1.5 percentage points) can be made up of additional tier 1 (AT1) capital, such as contingent convertible bonds.

    The Financial Policy Committee confirmed that only ‘high-trigger’ AT1 instruments would count towards a bank’s AT1 capital in respect of non-risk-based leverage ratio requirements.

    This capital framework ensures that the UK’s banks and building societies are able to absorb losses and thereby reduce the risks to the stability of the UK financial system.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to pilot his policy on tax-free childcare before it is launched.

    Damian Hinds

    Tax-Free Childcare is being designed to be as straightforward as possible for parents. It will be quick and easy to apply online for the vast majority who are able to do so. However, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs will ensure that assistance is provided to families who cannot access the internet so that they do not miss out on the support available via Tax-Free Childcare.

    Once the scheme is fully open, we estimate that up to 1 million families may take up the scheme in ‘steady state’.

    The Tax-Free Childcare system will be extensively tested before the scheme is launched.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in the provision of helicopter evacuation capability for members of the armed forces injured in combat zones since 2004.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Developed during Operation HERRICK, the Medical Emergency Response Team concept comprises a suitably-sized aircraft, a specialist trauma medical team and equipment to provide a level of care close to that in a hospital-based resuscitation room, in the event of an evacuation from the battlefield. This immediate care was a vital contribution to saving lives during that campaign.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration has been given to using the information collected through the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme to assess the potential benefits of wider implementation of mechanical clot retrieval treatment and its side effect on post-stroke rehabilitation.

    David Mowat

    As yet, there are insufficient patients being treated with mechanical thrombectomy to assess its impact on processes, such as length of hospital stay and bed occupancy rates, outcomes of care and the effect on post stroke rehabilitation.

    However, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme is now collecting data on patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and the results will be reported as soon as it is feasible. Sufficient cases will need to be undertaken before conducting the necessary statistical analyses and reporting the data.

    NHS England is considering whether mechanical thrombectomy should be an area covered by its specialised commissioning portfolio and work is underway on this.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what resources are provided for the supervision of people released from jail following a sentence of 12 months or less in Wales.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    All prisoners sentenced to 12 months or less in custody receive through the gate services from the Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), whilst they are in prison. This includes support with securing employment, finding accommodation, debt and finance advice and resettlement to their community. On their release prisoners will then be supervised by the Wales CRC or National Probation Service, dependent upon their risk of harm.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much support her Department makes available to refugees who have experienced trauma.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID provides assistance to refugees through bilateral and central funding to a number of trusted UN and non-governmental organisations.

    Many refugees experience psycho-social and psychological trauma and/or distress, and support is provided in many forms of primary and secondary health care that include training in emergency first aid for health care workers, clinical management of rape and counselling support for survivors of sexual violence, mental health care, and also assistance with shelter, legal advice and family reunification for children that have been separated from their families due to forced displacement.

  • Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Burnley received from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund in each year from 2010 to 2015.

    James Wharton

    The European Regional Development Fund during 2010 – 2015 has provided over £5 million in funding for Burnley.

    The breakdown of European Rgional Development Fund projects in Burnley are as follows;

    • £3.8 million invested into Burnley Bridge Business Park. The Fund undertook activity to remediate the brownfield site, provide infrastructure and deliver a first phase of commercial development totalling 9,309 sqm.
    • £940,000 invested into Weavers Triangle. The funding was allocated to support high quality civic and infrastructure work in a strategic area of Burnley.
    • £500,000 invested into Princess Way Gateway for civic improvements linked to the Burnley Education and Enterprise Park.

    In addition to the above direct capital investments, small and medium enterprises in Burnley have also benefitted from a number of business support projects operating at county and regional level. Not least the £7.8 million BOOST Lancashire Growth Hub of which the Fund has invested £3.4 million.

    The European Social Fund was managed as a national programme by the Department for Work and Pensions over that period.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the total strength of (a) 6 SCOTS and (b) 7 SCOTS attended (i) more than 50 per cent and (ii) more than 75 per cent of regular duties in each year between 2012 and 2015.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    This information is not held in the format requested.

  • Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homeowners have accessed (a) Help to Buy and (b) Right to Buy.

    Brandon Lewis

    Up to September 2015, over 128,000 homes had been purchased with assistance of Help to Buy Equity and Mortgage Guarantee Loans.

    Since 2010/11, over 53,000 thousand tenants have purchased their homes through Right to Buy (and preserved Right to Buy for housing association tenants). The voluntary scheme extending to housing associations will give 1.3 million more families the opportunity to do this.

    The Department publishes statistics on Help to Buy and Right to Buy at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/about/statistics

    “