Category: Speeches

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the proportion of households in Northern Ireland with access to superfast broadband.

    Matt Hancock

    At the end of Phase 1 (March 2016) 82% of premises in Northern Ireland had access to superfast broadband. This will increase to just under 87% following Phase 2 (December 2017). The Northern Ireland Broadband Improvement Project team is taking forward a contract change request to extend coverage further with £1.7 million of gainshare funding that has been returned by the supplier as a result of higher than expected take-up. There will be further gainshare funding over the seven year term of the contract which will become available to support further additional coverage. Furthermore, the UK Government is committed to a new broadband Universal Service Obligation, so every premise in the country will have access to broadband at a minimum speed, and our ambition is that this is 10Mbps.

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they give to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board about best practice with respect to keeping open indefinitely cases relating to claimants who allege that they have been abused as children.

    Lord Faulks

    The criminal injuries compensation scheme recognises that children who have suffered injuries as a result of crime may require greater support in making an application for compensation. The scheme allows those injured as children to make an application up to their 20th birthday, or if the crime was reported after their 18th birthday a period of 2 years from that report in which to do so, providing the applicant includes supporting evidence which allows the case to be concluded without further extensive enquiries. These periods may be extended in exceptional circumstances, also subject to sufficient supporting evidence in respect of the claim being provided.

    In addition, an applicant can also apply at any point to have their case medically reopened, should their condition change to such an extent that it would be unjust not to make a further award. A request to medically reopen the case should be made within 2 years of the case being finalised, but can be considered after this time, providing the applicant includes supporting evidence which allows the case to be concluded without further extensive enquiries.

    This Government is committed to supporting victims of sexual abuse. As part of this the Ministry of Justice has instructed the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to abide by an embargo on the destruction of files to ensure retention of anything that might be of relevance to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

  • Gerald Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Howarth on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, what plans the Government has to consult with faith groups on its definition of extremism.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government definition of extremism is ‘vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.’ We have been consistent on this since 2011 and have reaffirmed this definition in the Counter-Extremism Strategy.

    The overwhelming majority of people in this country support these values and condemn those who try to undermine them.

    The Government would not consider the ‘claim’ that an individual’s religion is ‘the only one true faith’ to be extremist.

    We are clear that Government should not restrict anyone’s freedom of speech or right to practise a faith. These are core values that help to make our country great. However we shouldn’t allow the extremist voice to go unchallenged, causing harm to our society and promoting hatred and division.

    The Government has engaged on the strategy, and will continue to engage with partners – including faith groups, communities and civic society groups on the new proposed powers to tackle the most dangerous extremists. This provides an opportunity to consult on the proposed powers further, and ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect our rights to free speech and debate.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue that will accrue to the Exchequer from the insurance premium tax on health cash plans; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    In 2014-15, total Insurance Premium Tax receipts were approximately £3bn. HM Revenue and Customs estimates that £10.9 million in revenue was received from Insurance Premium Tax on health cash plans in 2014-15.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf

    “

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30986, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who will be lifted out of poverty as a result of universal credit before any effect on employment.

    Priti Patel

    This Government is committed to eliminating child poverty and transforming the life chances of the most disadvantaged children and families.

    We know that work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. Ignoring the impact that Universal Credit has on incentivising work and raising the incomes of families is inappropriate.

    The impact of Universal Credit cannot be considered in isolation– it is a key component of a broader strategy to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there are no targets in the NHS for follow-up appointments after an initial consultant consultation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The appropriate interval for follow up appointments will vary between different services or specialties, and between individual patients, depending on the severity of their condition. All follow up appointments (also known as planned, surveillance or recall appointments) should take place when clinically appropriate. NHS England’s guidance, Recording and reporting referral to treatment waiting times for consultant-led elective care is clear that when patients on planned lists are clinically ready for their care to commence and reach the date for their planned appointment they should either receive that appointment or be transferred to an active waiting list. At this point a waiting time clock will be started and their wait reported in the relevant statistical return. A copy of the guidance is attached.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average hourly earnings were of his Department’s (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

    Cabinet Office staff are paid an annual salary, not on the basis of an hourly rate.

    The Department uses a grading structure to determine annual salary rates. This is underpinned by Job Evaluation and Grading Support (JEGS), an analytical job evaluation tool which meets all requirements of legislation and EHRC statutory codes of practice on Equal Pay. The use of JEGS and its application in determining the appropriate grade for a role enables us to determine where employees are doing equal work based on “work rated as equivalent.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care in its report, entitled Old problems, new solutions, published in February 2016.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Department of Health welcomed the publication of the Royal College of Psychiatrist’s Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care: “Old Problems, New Solutions”. The Department and NHS England have already started to implement some of the key recommendations of the Commission including:

    ― Announcing a national ambition to eliminate inappropriate out of area treatments;

    ― Investing £400 million in crisis resolution and home treatment teams as a safe alternative to hospital;

    ― Designing referral to treatment standards for acute mental health care, identifying effectives pathways of care and clinically appropriate maximum waiting times for treatment by 2020;

    ― Introducing capital schemes to improve the availability of supported housing and working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to address housing and health issues throughout 2016; and

    ― Working with NHS Improvement to address Mental Health Delayed Transfers of Care.

    NHS England accepted the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s recommendation to publish a response to the Commission’s report at the end of 2016/17, which will set out in more detail how we are implementing its recommendations.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future military capacity of Wattisham Airbase.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The estate optimisation strategy aims to provide a more efficient and better quality Defence estate to support our Armed Forces, which will be fit for purpose for future generations.

    This long-term, detailed work seeks to identify a rationalised Defence estate which more appropriately meets the needs of our Armed Forces by being of better quality, more cost effective and more efficient, as well as 30% smaller overall, by 2040.

    No decision about the future of individual sites has been made at this point, other than those that have been previously announced