Category: Speeches

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2015 to Question 15120, on Western Sahara: human rights, whether he discussed reports of intimidation, harassment and kidnapping of human rights defenders in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara during the visit of King Mohamed VI.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I discussed Western Sahara during my visit to Morocco on 11-12 November. We will continue to raise with the Moroccan authorities allegations of human rights abuses in the territory which are brought to our attention.

  • Lord Oates – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Oates – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total annual cost of the ministerial special advisers, including members of the Council of Economic Advisers, who were in post on 1 September.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Information on the cost of special advisers, which I have attached for information, was published on 17 December on gov.uk.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received a payment from the diffuse mesothelioma payments scheme in (a) July 2012 to March 2014 and (b) 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) started to take applications from 6 April 2014 (although it accepted applications from individuals diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma on or after 25 July 2012); therefore no people received payments from the Scheme between July 2012 and March 2014. 255 people received a payment from the Scheme in the financial year 2014/15.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what risk assessment was carried out on his policy to impose a new contract on junior doctors.

    Ben Gummer

    Sir David Dalton, who led recent negotiations on behalf of the National Health Service, advised my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health that the offer made to the British Medical Association (BMA) was developed with the input of a senior reference group of NHS leaders and shared with a wider group of senior NHS leaders, all of whom agreed it to be fair and reasonable for doctors in training and for the service. In negotiations, agreement had been secured with the BMA on approximately 90% of the issues discussed. Sir David’s letter advised the government “to do whatever it deems necessary to end uncertainty for the service and to make sure that a new contract is in place which is as close as possible to the final position put forward to the BMA”.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects a decision to be announced on the contract for the supply of human papilloma virus vaccine.

    Jane Ellison

    The contract information for the supply for human papilloma virus vaccine to be used in the adolescent girls programme is expected to be placed into the public domain in Contracts Finder before the end of April 2016; the Contracts Finder can be found at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

    “

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authorities expected to have a shortfall in adult social care funding after implementation of the two per cent social care precept.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    No such estimate has been made. Local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to prioritise and make their own decisions on how they spend their budgets and meet their statutory duties (including in relation to adult social care). The Government has provided a package of support of up to £3.5 billion to ensure councils are able to support up to some of their older and most vulnerable residents. This is greater than the Local Government Association’s £2.9 billion estimate set out in their Spending Review submission.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress her Department has made on working with major energy suppliers on the smart meter roll-out to ensure that it provides maximum benefit to consumers.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We are working closely with all energy suppliers on the roll-out to ensure that the consumer benefits are delivered.

    Good progress has been made to date, with over 3 million meters having been installed. There is evidence that consumers are already saving energy. Recent British Gas research shows that smart meter customers have reduced energy consumption by around 3%, on average, for both gas and electricity.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade negotiators are employed by his Department.

    Greg Hands

    The Rt hon Member will be aware that my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has created a new Department for International Trade, which is responsible for promoting British trade across the world and ensuring the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. We are building up our trade policy capability. ​The new Department has begun a process to recruit and train staff to work on the UK’s trade policy. We will adapt the resource devoted to trade policy in line with future demands.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any increase in Welsh Government funding will come through the existing Barnett formula following the UK vote to leave the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK Government will guarantee EU funding for structural and investment fund projects in Wales, including agri-environment schemes, signed before we leave the EU. It will be for the Welsh Government to make an assessment of which projects should be pursued in areas of its competence, and this guarantee will apply to any such projects. The agricultural sector in Wales will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar 1 of CAP until the end of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework in 2020.

    As a result of these steps taken by the UK Government, individuals and organisations in receipt of EU funds now have a greater degree of certainty about funding over the coming years. The UK Government will work with the Welsh Government to consider future funding arrangements for once the UK has left the EU.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Government’s Tobacco Control Plan will be subject to change in response to the outcomes of the WHO conference on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in November 2016.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to inform its negotiating position with other Parties attending the Conference of the Parties for the Framework on Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), including users of e-cigarette and other novel products. The Government recognises that e-cigarettes can help some smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. However, they are not risk free and it is essential that we do not encourage smoking and continue to protect children from the dangers of nicotine. This is a position firmly grounded on the evidence base.

    The United Kingdom is a world leader in tobacco control and as such has already implemented the majority of the FCTC’s provisions and taken further action in line with its non-binding guidelines, for example introducing Standardised Packaging. There are few further guidelines being developed by the FCTC and the focus of the Convention is now on full and comprehensive implementation by all 180 Parties. We therefore do not expect the outcomes of the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to significantly alter our tobacco strategy, but will continue to offer our support and experience to help other countries fully implement the provisions of the Treaty, especially low and middle income countries.