Category: Speeches

Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to tackle skills shortages in the construction industry.

Nick Boles

The Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Construction Skills Network estimates224,000 new construction jobs are set to be created throughout the UK in the next five years. This means that more than 44,000 jobs could be created every year for the next five years.

According to CITB estimates, 19% of UK construction workers are aged 55+, and are set to retire in the next 10 years (406,000 people), creating equivalent replace demand.

The Government has no estimate of the number of construction workers expected to leave the industry due to ill-health.

The Government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction industry will have an important part to play in achieving this target. Development of skilled labour can only be achieved with engagement of the industry. Construction employers in England are engaged in the Trailblazer process to develop apprenticeship standards that are fit for business, and we have announced a new apprenticeships levy which will put investment in training, and apprenticeships specifically, on a long-term, sustainable footing. CITB returned over £42m last year, supporting 18,500 first, second and third year construction apprentices.

Initiatives, by the Construction Leadership Council, or through the CITB are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers. This work includes the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools. The CITB has also developed a range of initiatives, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector.

01/01/2023
Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of cranberries can play in reducing the frequency of prescribing antibiotics for simple infections such as urinary tract infections.

Jane Ellison

The research database, Cochrane, published a study in 2012 which assessed the effectiveness of cranberry products in preventing urinary tract infections in susceptible populations. Researchers found that there is no objective evidence for the benefit of cranberry juice in preventing urinary tract infections. Therefore the Department has not taken steps to promote the consumption of cranberry products.

The UK five year Antimicrobial Resistance strategy set out the need to stimulate the development of new antibiotics, rapid diagnostics and novel therapies. The DH commissioned the Wellcome Trust to undertake a review of alternative treatments in 2014. The review concluded that while many approaches have potential, there is a continued need for conventional antibiotics to treat the majority of infections for the foreseeable future.

A paper, summarising the review “alternatives to antibiotics – a pipeline portfolio review” was published in the Lancet in January 2016. This is available at the following link:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00466-1

01/01/2023
Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of Lord Bridges of Headley, of 25 February 2016, Official Report, column 396, on public bodies: Israel, what the Government’s policy is on whether the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a territory of Israel under the definition of the World Trade Organisaiton.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The World Trade Organisation does not define the territory of its members. The UK does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. We therefore do not consider the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be part of Israel.

01/01/2023
Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals against fines to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 there have been in each year since 2005.

James Brokenshire

The value of fines issued to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2005 is as follows:

01/04/2005-31/03/2006 £1,105,103
01/04/2006-31/03/2007 £1,898,866
01/04/2007-31/03/2008 £1,946,705
01/04/2008-31/03/2009 £2,552,490
01/04/2009-31/03/2010 £2,609,737
01/04/2010-31/03/2011 £1,083,390
01/04/2011-31/03/2012 £931,618
01/04/2012-31/03/2013 £890,544
01/04/2013-31/03/2014 £4,070,471
01/04/2014-31/03/2015 £6,490,232
01/04/2015-31/03/2016 £5,249,894

This information is from management information reports. The data held on the Civil Penalty data base does not allow the penalty amounts to be separated between driver’s and hauliers, hence the data provided is the total number of penalties imposed for the period.

The number of appeals against fines to lorry drivers under section 32 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2005 is as follows:

01/04/2005-31/03/2006 7
01/04/2006-31/03/2007 8
01/04/2007-31/03/2008 12
01/04/2008-31/03/2009 13
01/04/2009-31/03/2010 9
01/04/2010-31/03/2011 10
01/04/2011-31/03/2012 11
01/04/2012-31/03/2013 0 *
01/04/2013-31/03/2014 24
01/04/2014-31/03/2015 64
01/04/2015-31/03/2016 36

*High Court appeal cases, all appeals were held behind at the time until resolved. Appeals then fell into subsequent years.

This information is from management information reports.

01/01/2023
Kirsty Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsty Blackman on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Aberdeen North of 1 December 2015, on foreign aid.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Department does not have record of receiving a letter from the hon. Member for Aberdeen North dated 1 December 2015. My office has been in contact with the hon. Member’s office to receive a copy of the letter and we will respond in due course.

01/01/2023
James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences of 18 April 2016, Official Report, column 262WH, what progress he has made in convening a task and finish working group for brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The Department of Health Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research is bringing together clinicians, charities and officials to discuss how, working together with research funding partners, we can address the need to increase the level and impact of research into this devastating disease.

The Working Group will be chaired by Professor Chris Whitty, the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser, and will report directly to me. I anticipate that the Working Group will need to meet in person three times before completing its tasks by September 2017.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK will support an independent, international investigation into alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen at the Human Rights Council.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are pleased that we could reach a strong consensus Yemen resolution at the Human Rights Council. It is vital that the international community continues to be active in supporting efforts to improve the human rights situation in Yemen.

The Government is not opposing calls for an international independent investigation, but, first and foremost, we want to see the Saudis investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) which are attributed to them; and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that any lessons learned will be acted upon.

01/01/2023
Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to fully integrate physical activity into the care pathways of all long-term conditions where it has a proven beneficial effect.

Jane Ellison

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published various pieces of guidance covering long-term conditions, and this guidance promotes physical activity where is it shown to have a beneficial effect.

In addition to this, Public Health England (PHE) has highlighted the important role of physical activity in the prevention, treatment and management of many long-term conditions in Everybody Active Every Day, a national evidence-based framework for action to reduce inactivity in England launched in 2014.

Since then there has been sustained action to support the integration of physical activity into clinical practice.

This has included:

– The launch of a new set of teaching resources designed to integrating into the curriculum on physical activity for medical, nursing and allied health professional university departments. To date these have been taken up by 15 United Kingdom medical schools, 4 UK Schools of Health (dietetics/physio/OT and AHPs) and 5 international schools of Allied Health Professionals;

– The launch of a series of nine e-learning modules on physical activity in the treatment and prevention of long term conditions on the BMJ E-learning platform alongside e-learning on Motivational interviewing techniques, funded by PHE;

– The launch of a new info-graphic to support healthcare professionals to understand and put into practice the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines on physical activity for adults, a further graphic is in development to support the guidelines for children and young people;

– An expanded pilot of the general practitioner clinical champion programme by PHE;

– Continued work with the Richmond group of charities who are building on the work of Macmillan and Breakthrough Breast Cancer to support integration of physical activity into clinical practice and care pathways and also raise the understanding amongst the third sector and wider communities of its important role; and

– Continued work with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Chartered Institute of Physiotherapists and other professional bodies to raise the awareness across the profession, and ensuring that physical activity is considered as a key part of the Making Every Contact Count approach across health and social care.

Further work is being considered for 2016/17 around how better to support the commissioning of evidence-based exercise referral programmes for specific conditions as recommended by NICE.

01/01/2023
Wayne David – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in England and Wales who have a parent in custody.

Andrew Selous

The information requested is not held centrally.

01/01/2023

Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for mandatory reconsideration of a tax credits decision have been made to Concentrix in each month since April 2014.

Mr David Gauke

The number of requests for mandatory reconsideration of a decision about a tax credits award that Concentrix have received since the commencement of their contract with HM Revenue and Customs in November 2014 is as follows:

Month	Number of MRs
November 2014	0
December 2014	2
January 2015	6
February 2015	38
March 2015	29
April 2015	137
May 2015	100
June 2015	45
July 2015	71
August 2015	108
September 2015	1221
October 2015	925
November 2015	871
December 2015	2371

The total is about 1.6% of all decisions Concentrix made in the same period.

As of 15 January 2016, there are 566 mandatory reconsiderations in progress that have been opened and Concentrix are waiting for customers to provide further evidence. Concentrix have 30 further mandatory reconsiderations that are awaiting determination.

The average length of time taken between Concentrix starting to work a mandatory reconsideration and making a decision is 24 days. This includes the time needed for customers to provide any further evidence.

01/01/2023