Category: Speeches

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for British farmers of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU.

    Separately, the UK continues to make the case for improvement to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) so that it is simpler and more effective. Reducing the administrative burden of the CAP on farmers is a necessary part of increasing the competitiveness of our food and farming industries.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to protect schools in conflict zones.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    HMG deplores the fact that armed conflict can expose students and teaching personnel to harm. We believe that better implementation of, and better compliance with, existing International Humanitarian Law will provide the best protection for civilians, including children, in all situations of armed conflict.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which regulations he has asked the EU Commission to (a) amend and (b) repeal on the basis of their effects on businesses in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government regularly presses the European Commission to amend or repeal EU rules in order to minimise the regulatory burdens imposed on UK business.

    In particular, we do this through the European Commission’s Regulatory Fitness (REFIT) programme – established in 2012 to review the stock of existing EU legislation in order to identify burdens, inconsistencies, gaps or ineffective measures and address them. This has generated progress in areas of significant UK priority, including Occupational Health and Safety and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – where the Commission’s 2016 Work Programme put forward burden-cutting proposals

    Overall, the Commission’s 2015 and 2016 Work Programmes proposed 100 withdrawals or modifications of pending proposals, and 39 repeals and 56 evaluations of existing EU laws.

    As part of the UK’s settlement with the EU, the European Commission is committed to reviewing the burden of regulation each year and introducing specific targets to reduce costs for businesses in the most burdensome areas.

  • Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department (a) has allocated since 2011 and (b) plans to allocate by 2020 to the Work Programme.

    Priti Patel

    The Departmental Annual Report for 2014/2015 includes the final outturn numbers for Employment Programmes from 2011/12 to 2014/15 (page 181 of the report). These figures have been audited.

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    Outturn

    Outturn

    Outturn

    Outturn

    £m

    £m

    £m

    £m

    876

    802

    1,037

    950

    The Annual Report also includes separately published values for the Work Programme for the years 2011/2012 (£283m), 2012/2013 (£453m) and 2013/2014 (£636m). Work Programme spend has not been separately published beyond 2013/2014.

    Figures for the year 2015/2016 and beyond cannot be provided as they are subject to change and have not been published.

    Sources:

    2011/12 to 2014/15: DWP Departmental Annual Report 2014/2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445950/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015.pdf

    “

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2016 to Question 46253, what steps her Department has taken via (a) broadcast media, (b) UK Visas and Immigration, and (c) agencies of her Department to advise employers of their responsibilities under a points-based immigration system on employing non-EU nationals in the UK; and what the cost of that advice was to the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Comprehensive guidance for employers is published on the gov.uk website, and we regularly engage with employers and trade bodies, at no additional cost to routine business.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2016 to Question 46555, if he will provide local authorities with an increased level of ring-fenced funding for social care in excess of that provided by the Better Care Fund.

    David Mowat

    Social care continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is why against the context of tough public sector finances the Government has taken steps to protect social care services. However, it is for local authorities to decide how to prioritise their spending based on local priorities and need.

    The Autumn 2015 Spending Review settlement announced that local authorities who are responsible for social care would have the ability to raise additional funding to spend exclusively on adult social care through an annual council tax raise of up to 2% above the existing threshold. This new funding for adult social care will be pooled with additional funding from the Better Care Fund. The Government will be making further funding available to councils for adult social care through an improved Better Care Fund, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019-20.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions bed occupancy rates were (a) 85, (b) 90, (c) 95 and (d) 100 per cent in each hospital trust in Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years.

    Ben Gummer

    Official statistics for average daily occupancy rates for beds open overnight are published every quarter by NHS England on its website at the following address:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/

    “

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce measures to set quotas for women on boards.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government is committed to seeing more women on the boards of British companies. We believe that a business led, voluntary approach is the best way to get more women on boards, as set out in Lord Davies of Abersoch’s review 2010 into the subject.This approach is working, with 26.2% representation in the FTSE 100, up from 12.5% in 2011. We will build on this with a new programme of work set out by Lord Davies in his recent 5 year report on progress. Government will therefore not be introducing measures to set quotas for women on boards.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) financial and (b) material support her Department is providing to facilitate the provision of education for children in conflict zones; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Draft answer

    The UK is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries. DFID has bilateral education programmes in 21 Low Income Countries, some of which are fragile or conflict affected. Between 2010 and 2015 DFID supported 11m children in school across these 21 countries. DFID has again pledged, in our manifesto commitments, to support 11m girls and boys with a decent education between 2015 and 2020. Through our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge we will enable up to 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives, including countries such as Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.

    DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including leadership to establish the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with education inside Syria and in the region. At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region that will be held in London this week, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. This will be a new model for providing education to children in a protracted crisis.

    DFID is also financing, with partners, a technical design process for a new Global Platform and Financing Facility for education in emergencies to improve how education is delivered globally in crisis. It is envisaged that this new Platform will be launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in May.

  • Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with NHS England on the findings of CLIC Sargent’s recent research report The best chance from the start: improving support to identify cancer in children and young people, including the finding that 53 per cent of young cancer patients asked felt their diagnosis was delayed.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Health Education England’s (HEE) mandate sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for workforce planning, education, training and development in the health and public health system. These objectives and priorities are published on an annual basis. Officials are currently discussing the next HEE mandate.

    Within their three year training programme, about half of all General Practitioner (GP) trainees undertake a dedicated hospital placement in paediatrics. In addition, there are various initiatives around the country to increase access to child health training. These include clinics jointly staffed with paediatric and GP trainees, paediatric outreach clinics and multi-disciplinary meetings in GP surgeries led by paediatric consultants. A variety of e-learning, including the MindEd package – a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health, is available.

    It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) to set the standards and outcomes for the education and training of doctors and to approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. HEE will work with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal College of General Practitioners to seek to ensure general practice training meets the needs of patients.

    The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes in July last year, which recognised the importance of earlier diagnosis for patients of all ages and contains specific recommendations for children, teenagers and young adults. NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director to lead the implementation of a five year Strategy based on the recommendations in the report. Whilst the Taskforce was independent, the Department of Health and all of its Arm’s Length Bodies were represented on it and contributed to development of the Strategy.

    NHS England is now developing its work programme to take forward the recommendations in the Strategy. There have been no discussions with Monitor as this falls outside their remit.