Category: Speeches

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his response to the results of his Department’s consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges that closed in June 2016.

    Margot James

    The Government launched its consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges to gain views on proposed actions towards tipping abuse. We are analysing submissions to this exercise and will announce further action in due course.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in the UK have their electricity supplies controlled by dynamically teleswitched meters.

    Jesse Norman

    The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold estimates on the number of households in the UK who have their electricity supplies controlled by dynamically teleswitched meters.

    In Ofgem’s response to CMA Notice of Remedies published in August 2015, it was estimated that there were 160,000 households across Great Britain with dynamically teleswitched meters in operation at the end of 2014:

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/561e1fbaed915d39bc000013/Ofgem__revised_with_additional_material_.pdf

    “

  • Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has assigned to providing mental health services for patients with stroke diagnoses for 2015-16.

    Alistair Burt

    We do not hold this information centrally.

  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the amount his Department will save as a result of limiting the backdating of housing benefit to a maximum of one month in each of the next four years; and how that estimate was calculated.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Although information is collected that would enable an estimate to be calculated, the variables in question have not be quality assured to sufficient standards to provide a response. To do so would result in disproportionate costs.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 10 November 2015, 4 December 2015 and 12 December 2015 to Questions 17693, 18405 and 18552, when he plans to place in the Library the documents referred to in those Answers.

    Mark Lancaster

    The documents were placed in the Library of the House on Tuesday 19 January.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many railway station ticket offices have (a) been closed and (b) had their opening hours reduced since 2010.

    Claire Perry

    Since May 2010, 125 railway station ticket offices have had their hours reduced and four have been closed.

    By contrast, between 2005 and 2010 around 400 railway station ticket offices had their hours reduced and six closures were approved.

  • Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British air strikes in (1) Syria, and (2) Iraq, have been conducted since 2 December 2015, and what assessment they have made of their effectiveness.

    Earl Howe

    The UK military campaign in Iraq and Syria is part of a wider Coalition effort to counter Daesh. Between 2 December 2015 and 14 March 2016 there were 36 UK airstrikes in Syria and 236 in Iraq. These airstrikes have contributed significantly to the coalition’s wider efforts, which are placing Daesh under increasing pressure in both Syria and Iraq. Among the targets successfully engaged by UK aircraft were oil facilities, which Daesh used to generate revenue to fund their campaign, and command and control centres. UK aircraft have also lent direct assistance to regional ground forces, which have achieved notable successes in retaking territory from Daesh.

    All UK strikes are undertaken as part of a rigorous targeting process, which assesses before, during and after a strike to ensure that the Law of Armed Conflict is adhered to.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32147, whether his Department plans to bring forward proposals to enable police to issue fixed notices for people smoking in cars with children present.

    Jane Ellison

    The police use traffic offender reports to record information on a range of offences, including for smoking in private vehicles carrying children. Local authorities can then take appropriate enforcement action, including the issue fixed penalty notices, rather than the police.

    Guidance on the use of traffic offender reports to share information with local authorities has been circulated to police forces.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) year-to-date and (b) forecast out-turn spend is in each NHS (i) trust and (ii) foundation trust on total agency nursing costs, excluding outsourced bank, in 2015-16.

    Alistair Burt

    Last year the Government introduced a series of tough financial controls to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on expensive agency staff. Although, it is not possible to provide the information requested by individual NHS trust or foundation trust, NHS Improvement has confirmed that a total of £3.64 billion was spent on agency and contract staff in 2015-16. This represents a saving of £300 million to the NHS, which had been on course to spend up to £4 billion prior to the controls being put in place.

    NHS Improvement has also set each NHS trust and foundation trust an annual expenditure ceiling on the total amount that can be spent on agency staff in 2016-17. Again, it is not possible to provide the information requested by individual NHS trust or foundation trust; however all trusts have been allocated ceilings for 2016-17 and these will be monitored by NHS Improvement on a monthly basis going forwards.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to ensure that the level of functional impairment is adequately assessed to provide appropriate support for a claimant to obtain employment.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Department introduced the independent audit of Work Capability Assessments in March 2015 in line with the start of the new Health and Disability Assessment Service contract.

    Audit has a central role in confirming that independent health professional advice complies with the required standards and that it is clear and medically reasonable. It also provides assurance that any approach to assessment and opinion given is consistent so that, irrespective of where or by whom the assessment is carried out, claimants with conditions that have the same functional effect will ultimately receive the same benefit outcome.