Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to stop cold-callers who try to lure people into pension scams.

    Baroness Shields

    The Government takes the threat of pension scams very seriously. We are committed to protecting consumers from such scams, by raising awareness and pursuing scammers when these crimes occur.

    The Government has established Project Bloom, a multi-department, multi-agency forum for officials to monitor trends, share intelligence on emerging threats, and help co-ordinate action to tackle scams. Members include the National Crime Agency, police forces, Pension Wise, regulators and key Government departments.

    We are also taking forward a range of legislative measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Recent actions include a measure in the Digital Economy Bill that will strengthen the ICO’s direct marketing guidance by giving it statutory status. We are also exploring proposals to extend the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls; and the options for enabling the ICO to hold company directors to account for breaches of the direct marketing rules.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of her Department’s projects have received funding under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund 2007 to 2013; what the location is of each such project; and how much each such project received.

    George Eustice

    The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) is known as Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), composed of direct payments to farmers and market measures. In the UK, from 2007 to 2013, expenditure under the EAGF totalled €23 billion, which is around £17 billion in sterling at current exchange rates. These payments were made to eligible farmers all over the UK.

    Details of payments made since 2013 are available on the CAP payments website (http://cap-payments.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx). This is managed by the UK Co-ordinating Body (UKCB) on behalf of the four agricultural paying agencies in the UK.

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of clinical commissioning group transformation plans do not mention services for (a) children who have experienced abuse and (b) looked after children; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    As part of improving transparency, all Local Transformation Plans must be published locally and made widely available.

    NHS England’s guidance Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing – Guidance and support for local areas is explicit about the need to promote equality and address health inequalities, and states that plans should ‘address the full spectrum of need including children and young people who have particular vulnerability to mental health problems for e.g. those with learning disabilities, looked after children and care leavers, those at risk or in contact with the Youth Justice System, or who have been sexually abused and/or exploited’.

    The assurance process requires local areas to evidence how they are meeting the needs of vulnerable groups including looked after children and children who have experienced abuse.

    An analysis of Local Transformation Plans has been commissioned and will include a thematic review of how the mental health needs of children and young people in vulnerable groups have been addressed.

    As set out in the guidance for Local Transformation Plans an integral part of the locally developed Children and Young People’s Mental Health Transformation Plans includes a tracking template that sets out local progress milestones and financial spend. This tracker will be used as the basis for assurance assessment in 2015/16 and from 2016/17 onwards progress on local transformation will become part of the mainstream planning assurance process.

    Local Transformation Plansrequire all key partners in a local area to agree how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations. 122 Local Transformation Planshave been developed that cover all 209 clinical commissioning groups.

    The assurance process for Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing was undertaken by NHS England regional teams and included assurance against each plan of standard self-assessment and tracker templates to enable a comparison of plans against objective success criteria.

    NHS England have commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in mind principles.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Promoter’s response to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Committee’s First Special Report of Session 2014-15, June 2015, paragraph 160, how many cases have been received for exceptional consideration; how many such applications have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful; and how many such applications remain under consideration.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Since June 2015 HS2 Ltd and DfT have received one retrospective compensation requests under the Atypical property and special circumstances approach. This is currently under consideration.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on presumed consent for organ donations in England.

    Jane Ellison

    There have been no such recent discussions although this subject has been discussed during debates on organ donation. Our efforts remain focussed on the delivery of the seven year United Kingdom-wide organ donation and transplantation strategy published by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) on 11 July 2013. We are taking specific action to encourage registration on the Organ Donor Register, to promote discussion within families about donation and to increase consent rates to organ donation, particularly raising awareness of donation in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population.

    Organ donation rates are 62% and transplant rates some 44% higher than they were in 2008. This has been achieved mainly through a strengthening of the donation infrastructure, by increasing the number of specialist nurses and by improving retrieval arrangements.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure that Members of Parliament are providing good value for money in communications to their constituents using franked House of Commons envelopes.

    Tom Brake

    Under the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament, Members are personally responsible and accountable for the way they use resources provided at public expense. The House of Commons provides each Member with prepaid envelopes and stationery up to a value of £9,000 a year. In addition, specific rules on prepaid envelopes, available via the Members’ Handbook, preclude their use for communications within Parliament, or for circulars or business, personal or party political purposes. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for enforcing the rules on the proper use of prepaid envelopes and stationery.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29382, how many Bikeability training places his Department funded in each school year between 2009-10 and 2015-16.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Bikeability training places are monitored and compiled by financial year. The table below shows the number of Bikeability training places funded by the Department for Transport in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. Figures for 2015-16 have yet to be compiled.

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    133,984

    199,197

    293,969

    255,833

    279,358

    350,561

  • 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 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal College of Midwives and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on time limits for abortion.

    Jane Ellison

    No discussions have taken place with either organisation on this issue.

  • 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 2016-07-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines regarding the enforcement of the Anti-Child Pornography Act 2009, in particular the provisions requiring internet service providers to filter and block images of child abuse.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Philippines is a committed partner in the WePROTECT Global Alliance and is serious about tackling child sexual exploitation online and offline. We have ongoing and regular dialogue with the Philippine Government on child sexual exploitation, including the implementation of the Anti-Child Pornography Act 2009. The Philippine Government is working to ensure the Act is fit for purpose. The Philippine Interagency Council against Child Pornography has requested that the Department of Justice order internet service providers to comply with the Act.

    In April 2016, the British Embassy participated in an Online Child Sexual Exploitation technical working group, hosted by the Philippine Committee for the Special Protection of Children. Experts from the Philippine Department of Justice, prosecutors, representatives from UNICEF, other diplomatic missions and foreign law enforcement also participated. The Act and other legislation formed part of the discussion. In June 2016, the National Crime Agency participated in further discussions on the Philippine Government’s strategy and the WePROTECT national model.

    We have supported the Philippine Government’s participation at the WePROTECT Summits in London and most recently in Abu Dhabi. The National Crime Agency also works closely with Filipino partners in the fight against child sexual exploitation and provides training on the forensic analysis of digital media.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 21 January (HL5353), whether they will provide an update on the timeline and consultation planned for (1) the proposed defence policy on the use of remotely piloted air systems, (2) the revised Joint Doctrine Note 2/11, The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft of Systems, and (3) the Future Air and Space Operating Concept.

    Earl Howe

    The Defence policy review has broadened to cover both remotely piloted air and wider highly automated systems. Officials are currently consulting stakeholders; we expect the review to conclude early in 2017.

    Regarding Joint Doctrine Note 2/11, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 2 February 2016 to Question number HL5353. I reported the intention for the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) to review and update Joint Doctrine Note 2/11 "The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems". Following this review, it was decided to upgrade the note to a full publication (Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30.2), which is currently being drafted in consultation with stakeholders, in parallel with the policy review.

    A review of the future joint and environmental operating concepts concluded that an integrated concept for defence is preferred; consequently the Future Air and Space Operating Concept will be incorporated into an unified Future Operating Concept, which is expected to be published in Spring 2017.