Category: Speeches

  • Suella Fernandes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Suella Fernandes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Suella Fernandes on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 on the Royal Navy’s global reach.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review provides the investment necessary to deliver the most modern Navy in the world, capable of supporting the UK’s interests around the globe and keeping our seas safe.

    Both the capability and manpower of the Royal Navy will grow, including a renewed strategic deterrent; 100% aircraft carrier availability; a fleet of at least 19 frigates and destroyers including new general purpose frigates; new offshore patrol vessels, and new tanker support ships.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to develop a strategy to support BAME specialist domestic violence charities.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government published a new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy on 8 March committing £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence and abuse. The strategy sets out how we will support local areas in implementing tailored services for victims who experience different forms of discrimination or additional barriers to accessing support. This includes the launch of a Service Transformation Fund from 2017 which will help to meet the needs of women and girls experiencing multiple disadvantage including victims from black and minority ethnic communities.

  • Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Liz Kendall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of mobile financial services on levels of extreme poverty in developing countries.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Mobile financial services have a key role to play in connecting people to basic services, supporting economic empowerment and building resilience of individuals and families. DFID operates a number of financial inclusion programmes, many of which include elements to promote the development of mobile financial services, and all are required to undertake a formal Annual Review process to measure progress towards their expected impact. Our most significant programme in this area to date has been the technology programme for branchless banking, which at completion had provided access to financial services for just over 59m people globally.

  • 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 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35934, on epilepsy: death, when he plans to publish a report containing the information collected from GP clinical systems referred to in that Answer.

    Alistair Burt

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish their reports for indicators that are no longer on the Quality and Outcomes Framework such as EP002 and EP003 on epilepsy. The latest publication was on 22 March 2016 for the year 2014/15. The report can be found here:

    http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18887/qof-1415-Report%20v1.1.pdf

    There are no plans to publish data relating to epilepsy deaths.

    “

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the treatment of Russian minorities in the Baltic States, particularly Lithuania, and (2) whether such treatment would attract a response from Russia; and if so, what type of response that would be.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There are sizeable Russian-speaking communities in Latvia and Estonia, and a smaller community in Lithuania. All EU Member States are obliged to meet the standards for minority rights and are subject to obligations and monitoring mechanisms, such as through the Council of Europe. Our Embassies in the Baltic States have supported programmes run by their host governments and non-governmental organisations to encourage integration, tolerance, diversity and respect for minorities – including programmes to support media plurality and social cohesion.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans for West Yorkshire.

    David Mowat

    Local areas will submit their plans to the national health and care bodies for review shortly, with further public engagement and consultation taking place from this point.

    We expect that most areas will take a version of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to their organisation’s public board meeting for discussion between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will publish their plans, for more formal engagement, during this period, building on the engagement they have already done to shape thinking. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation.

    Bradford Clinical Commissioning Group has confirmed that an extraordinary meeting of the Bradford and Airedale Health and Wellbeing Board has been arranged in public to discuss the local STP. This will take place on Wednesday 19 October. Papers are yet to be published.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to maintain a separate programme of employment support for people with disabilities after the end of the current contracts for the Work Programme and Work Choice.

    Priti Patel

    Increasing disability employment is a key part of the Government’s aim to achieve full employment. That is why this Government is committed to halving the disability employment gap by creating the opportunity for a million more disabled people to work.

    The Spending Review announced that a new ‘Work and Health Programme’ will replace Work Choice and the Work Programme when current contracts end, restructuring our current provision to providing the best possible support for claimants with disabilities or health conditions as well as those who are long term unemployed. The Department will work with stakeholders on the design, including the structure and how people will be referred to the programme.

    The Government will publish a White Paper next year that will set out reforms to improve support for people with health conditions and disabilities and further reduce the disability employment gap.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on the Help to Work scheme in the 2014-15 financial year; and how much of the budget for that scheme for the 2015-16 financial year has been spent to date.

    Priti Patel

    The Help to Work scheme contains a number of initiatives and programmes, delivered through Jobcentre Plus and Contracted Employment Provision.

    It is not possible to identify the costs of Help to Work activities separately from the total expenditure in Jobcentre Plus. The relevant data is not held in a form which allows it to be clearly identified and separated from other Jobcentre Plus activities.

    The two elements delivered through Contracted Employment Programmes are Community Work Placements and the Supervised Jobsearch Pilot. Expenditure on Community Work Placements was £1.8m in 2014-15. Expenditure on Supervised Jobsearch Pilot in 2014-15 was £6.3m. This is funded by income from the European Social Fund

  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 9748, on counter-terrorism, on what date the meeting of the most senior members of the National Security Council referred to in that Answer took place.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    Senior members of the National Security Council meet frequently to discuss matters of national security but we do not disclose information about the detail of these internal proceedings and discussions.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Kids Company received in gift aid payments from 2005–6 to 2015–16.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has a statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality and cannot comment on the affairs of individual organisations.

    HMRC publishes national statistics showing the total cost of Gift Aid and other charitable tax reliefs.