Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.215 of the Budget 2016, whether he plans to make additional resources available to HM Revenue and Customs to implement the comprehensive package of measures to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government will ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has the resources it requires to implement the package of measures announced at Budget 2016 to tackle avoidance and evasion.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason there was a shortage of the BCG vaccine in 2015; and what steps his Department is taking so that such shortages do not occur in the future.

    Jane Ellison

    The supply of United Kingdom licensed Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine continues to be subject to intermittent manufacturing problems, which have impacted deliveries of vaccine into the UK. This delay has resulted in the depletion of the UK buffer stock and impacted onward supply to the National Health Service in 2015. The NHS remains subject to periods of intermittent supply.

    This is in the context of a global shortage of BCG vaccine where Public Health England (PHE) and the Department are actively engaging alternative manufacturers of BCG vaccine to secure supply during this period of disruption as quickly as possible. PHE continues to provide prioritisation advice to healthcare professionals during the period of constrained supply.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to the disabled students allowance on the ability of disabled student to access non-medical help and to develop coping strategies and learning styles during their time at university.

    Joseph Johnson

    We do not hold information on the expenditure on individual types of non-medical help support that are available to disabled students through Disabled Students’ Allowances.

    The Government’s response to the consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), published in December 2015, confirmed that from 2016/17 support roles from band 4 will continue to be primarily funded through DSAs, unless reasonable adjustments are in place that remove the need for such support.

    A full equality impact assessment on the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances was published in December 2015.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2016 to Question 905825, whether he has received reports on which formal charges have been levelled against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have not received further information about the charges faced by Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe despite raising with the Iranians repeatedly at the highest levels. Although the Iranians do not recognise dual nationality, we continue to push for consular access to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Most recently, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) raised Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 August and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) raised Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 4 August.

  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report by the British Red Cross, entitled Are pre-hospital deaths from trauma and accidental injury preventable?, published in September 2016, what steps he is taking to ensure that first aid education is included in the Government’s road safety strategy.

    Andrew Jones

    Advice on “First aid on the road” is contained in Annex 7 of The Highway Code. Driver’s knowledge of first aid is tested as part of the driver theory test and many professional drivers take first aid training. The Department is providing support for a not-for-profit training programme for drivers in administering first aid.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the number of GPs; and what steps he is taking to ensure that employment terms and conditions for GPs encourage employment in areas with (a) an elderly demographic and (b) a high workload.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has committed to increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice. Health Education England, NHS England, the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) and the British Medical Association’s GP Committee are working together on a ten point GP workforce plan to boost recruitment, encourage experienced GPs to remain in the profession and support GPs to return to practice.

    GP partners are independent contractors rather than National Health Service employees. However, the funding that practices receive does take account of the age profile of its patients and practice workload.

    The Carr-Hill formula calculates the share of funding that each practice receives based on its weighted patient list size adjusted for several factors including age. NHS England is currently reviewing the formula and this is intended to adapt it to better reflect deprivation and other factors of the registered practice profile that impact on practice workload. Additionally, the changes to the GP contract for 2014/15 moved funding from the Quality and Outcomes Framework to core practice funding and a new Avoiding Unplanned Admissions enhanced service, which requires practices to proactively case manage vulnerable patients through developing personalised care plans, including identifying a named accountable GP and care coordinator.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the extent to which her Department’s policies prioritise the prevention of identity-based mass violence.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review and the UK Aid Strategy set out a consolidated, whole-of-government approach to tackling conflict and building stability overseas. This approach uses diplomatic, development, defence and law enforcement capabilities in an integrated manner. As such, addressing and preventing conflict, instability and state failure is a key priority running through UK aid policies and programmes. This includes the prevention of identity-based mass violence, alongside other forms of violence and instability.

    These priorities are reflected in National Security Council-led strategies for countries and regions at risk of instability, including of large-scale identity based violence. The underlying drivers and enablers of mass atrocities are addressed as part of joint, cross-government conflict analysis and early warning, and through conflict-sensitive development programming. Development programmes also contribute to the prevention of mass violence by supporting wider conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities – for example by supporting community mediation efforts, or reforming security and justice systems.

  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the written statement of 20 July 2015, HCWS 149, whether his Department has completed its collation of information on UK personnel embedded on operations; and whether he plans for that collation to include information on intelligence analysts and RPAS operators working remotely.

    Michael Fallon

    I refer my right hon. Friend to my Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015 (HCWS431) which details UK Service personnel embedded in another nations’ armed forces, who are deployed on operations together with those who work on operations in deployed coalition or single nation headquarters roles. Intelligence analysts or remotely piloted air systems operators meeting this criteria would be included in the data but for personal and operational security reasons these numbers will not be separately identified.

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what work his Department is doing in relation to its responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund.

    James Wharton

    My Department will continue carrying out its responsibilities as Managing Authority of the England European Regional Development Fund programmes.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria is applied when determining which charities should receive funding from the Tampon Tax Fund.

    Mr David Gauke

    ‘Showcase’ bids were identified, with the help of departmental expertise, that were innovative, in line with the aims of government policy, and likely to provide strong value for money.

    Additionally, in recognition of the very high level of interest received, the government has also allocated funding to the Women’s Fund for Scotland, Comic Relief and Rosa who have specialist experience in this area, to disburse funding to a range of grassroots women’s organisations. These funds mean further awards will be made to a high number of charities in this sector.