Category: Speeches

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 17136, what the cost to the public purse will be of each Watchkeeper ordered by his Department by the time it reaches full operating capacity.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Watchkeeper is expected to achieve full operating capability in the second quarter of 2017.

    The original cost estimate for the development and delivery of Watchkeeper to full operating capability, at the time of Main Gate approval in 2005, was £847 million.

    With regards to the cost of each Watchkeeper, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2014 to question 211342 to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).

  • Mark Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Mark Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Field on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19543, how many of those prosecutions for human trafficking resulted in a conviction.

    Robert Buckland

    During 2014-2015 the CPS prosecuted 187 defendants for offences connected with human trafficking. 130 of these defendants were convicted at a conviction rate of 69.5%.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-01-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to help alleviate the work pressures placed on A&E departments as a consequence of the number of admissions which relate to excessive drinking.

    Jane Ellison

    Alcohol-related attendances in accident and emergency (A&E) are a matter of concern. We are taking action, for example, by encouraging better sharing of anonymised data on these attendances between National Health Service bodies and the police. This can provide intelligence for licensing decisions, enabling targeting of premises who are contributing to irresponsible sales and drunkenness.

    The NHS constitution makes clear that abusive or violent behaviour would be reasonable grounds to refuse access to NHS services. That would include a small minority of people who are drunk and abusive to staff.

    In addition, accredited hospital staff have powers to issue fines to individuals whose drunkenness could cause harassment, alarm or distress (Penalty Notices for Disorder – £80 fines).

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what he plans his Department’s policy on industrial relations with transport unions to be over the next three years.

    Claire Perry

    Industrial relations within the transport industry are primarily managed by the service providers in that industry, e.g. the rail companies. The Department for Transport is committed to continuing to work constructively with the transport unions to deliver the best possible transport services. We will also develop and promote this Government’s trade union reforms as part of that relationship.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.

    Guto Bebb

    The Wales Office has not received any funding from the European Social Fund (ESF). Implementation of ESF is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance his Department provides for domestic violence victims unable to provide documentation and information on previous tenancies to help them secure new tenancies.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Victims of domestic abuse who are staying in a refuge or hostel are exempt from the Right to Rent scheme checks. Those not in a hostel or refuge can also use a number of less standard documents to prove their right to rent.

    Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we are determined to ensure that no one is turned away from the support they need. In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy published on 8 March, we set out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse, committing to a new Statement of Expectations to set out for the first time what we expect from local areas. To support this, we are launching a new two year fund for refuges and other forms of accommodation based support and to help local areas take the steps they need to meet the National Statement.

    In last year’s Spending Review we secured new, dedicated funding of £40 million to support victims of domestic abuse. This builds on the £3.5 million funding in 2015/16 and is on top of the £10 million funding to strengthen the provision of safe accommodation in the last spending review period. Since 2003, the Government has provided funding to UKRefugesOnline to help victims of domestic abuse access the help and support they need.

    There are a number of accommodation options for victims of domestic abuse. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities outlines the type of housing related and other support services that might be required. When making decisions, local authorities should sensitively consider which are the most appropriate options for each person on a case by case basis taking account of their individual needs.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the midwifery workforce to train that workforce to counsel and to insert intrauterine contraceptive devices immediately post-partum.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The insertion of contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) during the post-partum period of between ten minutes and 48 hours following childbirth is not supported by the Royal College of Midwives. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines do not recommend the insertion of post-partum IUDs before four weeks following childbirth.

    This Government supports the current practice of providing contraceptive information and advice in the antenatal period to support an informed decision by women. When the chosen contraceptive is an IUD, this is normally offered at the six weeks postnatal check-up by a doctor, if the woman has fully recovered from childbirth. In light of this, the Government has no plans to increase and train the midwifery workforce to undertake the insertion of post-partum IUDs.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue its participation in the negotiations towards the 2030 EU Climate Framework; and whether the UK plans to commit to meeting the requirements of that framework after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK’s commitment to tackling global climate change remains firm. We are committed to the UK Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement, and have accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change on the fifth carbon budget.

    Until we leave the EU, the UK remains a Member State, with all of the rights and obligations this entails. We will therefore continue to participate in EU negotiations, including those on the EU’s climate framework up to 2030.

    It is not appropriate at this point to speculate about arrangements for after the UK ceases to be a Member State.

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many citizenship applications from EU nationals have been rejected as a result of changes to the rules on the evidence required to demonstrate permanent residence since those changes came into force.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    No statistical information is available showing the reason for rejection of citizenship applications.

  • Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that (a) there are persistent gender pay gaps among graduates and (b) employment and earnings premiums among graduates are lower for women than for men.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The EHRC is an independent body, and its report ‘Is Britain Fairer?’ covers a five-year period 2008-13 across both the Labour and coalition governments. We welcome the positive areas of progress it refers to and note the challenges it raises. The information in the report will be used by the EHRC to help develop its next strategic plan, covering the period 2016-19.