Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Public Health England’s Strategic plan for the next four years: better outcomes by 2020, what plans they have to work with the Association of Directors of Public Health to support the commissioning of local contraceptive services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) is committed to supporting the health system to provide appropriate contraceptive services. PHE, supported by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), has undertaken a review of sexual health, reproductive health and HIV commissioning services. Currently, it is planned to publish the results of the survey in the autumn (September 2016). PHE is committed to continue to work with ADPH in order to improve sexual health outcomes using the findings from the survey, outcomes data and other relevant information.

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-09-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with Comair, the preferred bidder for commercial air services to St Helena, and with what outcome.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The current contract for air services is between the St Helena Government and Comair. Comair remain engaged in discussions about flying to St Helena when the time is right.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13044, what assessment she has made of reasons for the delays in constructing reactors in China as requested in that question.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Whilst being a minority partner in the Taishan project, EDF expect Taishan to start generating power before the EPR at Flamanville in France, which EDF have estimated will be by the end of 2018.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposals to increase the cost cap for environmental legal challenges to £10,000 for individuals on the affordability of such challenges for such people.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice will keep the impact of any changes to the cost capping scheme for environmental claims under review as part of its consideration of the consultation responses. We will also carry out a full impact assessment on any changes and this will be published as part of the government’s response paper.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Youth Justice Board was informed of the allegations of abuse at Medway Secure Training Centre; and on what date the Youth Justice Board informed (a) youth offending teams and (b) social service departments who had children in their care in that centre.

    Andrew Selous

    The Youth Justice Board (YJB) was informed of the allegations on 30 December 2015 by the Chair of Medway Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and G4S. On 4 January 2016, Medway Local Safeguarding Children’s Board contacted the responsible local authorities of the 10 children and young people named in the allegations. On 8 January, the YJB contacted all youth offending teams and all Directors of Children’s Services to make them aware of the allegations.

    When the Youth Justice Board were informed of the allegations, they immediately suspended placements of new children and young people into the centre and suspended the certification of the staff named in the allegations so that they cannot return to work without YJB approval. Monitoring by the YJB at the centre was increased, as was the availability of the independent advocacy service provided to children and young people by Barnados.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement in the letter by the President of European Council on his proposal for a new settlement for the UK within the EU that the UK is not committed to further political integration, what mechanisms are included in that proposed agreement to prevent the UK being so committed without its consent.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, concerning a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union, section C, paragraph 1, recognises that the United Kingdom is “not committed to further political integration into the European Union”. This will be incorporated into the Treaties at the time of their next revision “so as to make it clear that the references to ever closer union do not apply to the United Kingdom”.

    In addition, the Decision states that “the references in the Treaties and their preambles to the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe do not offer a legal basis for extending the scope of any provision of the Treaties or of EU secondary legislation. They should not be used either to support an extensive interpretation of the competences of the Union or of the powers of its institutions as set out in the Treaties. . . The Treaties allow an evolution towards a deeper degree of integration among the Member States that share such a vision of their common future, without this applying to other Member States.”

    More widely, the European Union Act 2011 ensures that if a change to the EU Treaties is proposed that would transfer a power from the UK to the EU, the consent of the British people in a referendum would be required before such a transfer could be agreed.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26688, how much his Department spent in contracts on commercial civilian guarding in each of the last six years.

    Mark Lancaster

    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical commissioning groups on the provision of support to people with mild to moderate dementia to allow them to remain in their own homes as long as possible.

    Jane Ellison

    Whilst we are not aware of such specific discussions, dementia is a key priority for the Government. On 6 March 2016, we launched the Implementation Plan to support the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020. The Implementation Plan sets out the actions partners, including clinical commissioning groups, will take to ensure commitments in the PM Challenge 2020 are delivered. A key commitment in the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 is to support people with dementia to be able to live longer in their own homes.

    The publication ‘Dementia & Homecare: Driving Quality & Innovation’ published as part of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia provides clear, practical ideas and suggestions to further dementia care in the community. Driving improvements in homecare will not only help ensure people stay independent for longer but will also support our ambition for people to receive meaningful care following a diagnosis of dementia.

    As part of the Implementation Plan, the Department will work with the Life Story Network to focus on older people and people with dementia who live in social housing to ensure they are supported to live in their homes for longer with a greater focus on independent living.

    NHS England is fully supportive of enabling people with dementia to live at home independently for as long as they want to do so. NHS England’s well-pathway for dementia includes streams on both living well and supporting well.

  • Gary Streeter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gary Streeter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gary Streeter on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which transport emissions are factored into the assessment of fuels within the Alternative Fuels Framework.

    Damian Hinds

    The Alternative Fuels Framework (AFF) was set out at Pre-Budget Report 2003, and focused on carbon emissions. Based on the evidence available at the time on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), the AFF found LPG to result in greater natural environmental damage compared to other road fuel gases. It was determined that the environmental case for LPG was poorer than diesel and so its duty differential should be reduce over time.

    The government continues to review evidence concerning the environmental impact of LPG and will announce any changes to the tax treatment at fiscal events.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research or analysis they undertook prior to consulting on proposals to cut train services to intermediate stations on the InterCity West Coast service.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Rail services between London and the Midlands are currently provided by the West Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced another in respect of InterCity West Coast in May. The outcomes of those consultations will be used to inform what we ask the operator of the new franchise to provide. This information, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.

    Neither consultation proposed cutting train services. We expect potential bidders to plan their train services to meet the needs of passengers at the stations they serve considering how best to serve and link markets and improve service reliability. To make sure their plans best reflect the needs of the franchise we are seeking views from the public and stakeholders on the ICWC franchise on:

    • any direct journeys currently provided by ICWC that they would want to see protected at a minimum level; and
    • priorities for potential changes to train services, such as speeding up service for long-distance passengers, for example by changing stops at low-use stations or adjusting the level of service.