Category: Speeches

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it will make it his policy to require bus operators to install audio-visual announcements of bus stops on all public buses.

    Andrew Jones

    Accessible on-board information helps a wide range of passengers, including those who are visually impaired, to feel comfortable and confident when taking the bus.

    Traditionally however, systems providing automatic next stop announcements have proven expensive to fit and maintain, meaning that mandating their use would place a disproportionate financial burden on the bus industry.

    My Department has supported initiatives to develop innovative and low-cost approaches to providing such information, as well as providing Better Bus Area funding for local authority schemes to equip vehicles with audio/visual equipment.

    Many operators are already recognising the benefits of on-board information for all their customers, and I would encourage others to do the same.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22159, on mental illness and A&E departments, if he will publish that data for each month of 2015 and 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    There are no plans to routinely publish the number of accident and emergency attendances with a duration to departure of more than four hours, for patients with a primary diagnosis of psychosis, by age group.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what financial contributions his Department has made to the activities of (a) the International Atomic Energy Agency, (b) the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, (c) the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, (d) the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and (e) the Arms Trade Treaty in each of the last six years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made the following financial contributions over the last six years.

    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) = £2,127,798.

    Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation = £152,800.

    Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty = £487,547.

    Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention = £304,372.

    Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) = £187,254.

    These figures are broken down by financial year in the attached document.

    Additionally over this period the FCO has contributed over £2.5 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism into the use of chemical weapons in Syria. This does not include the UK subscription which is paid by DECC.

    We have also supported projects in support of these treaties and organisations. For example the FCO has funded a number of projects over the years aimed at assisting countries to sign and ratify the ATT.

    “

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many airlines are required to copy passengers’ documents, on how many flight routes, before the passenger is allowed to board.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office do not currently require airlines to copy passenger documents before allowing them to board. For flights to the UK, airlines may be liable to a charge of £2000 for any passenger that does not produce valid travel documents on arrival.

  • Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Amanda Solloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect that inability to access GP appointments is having on the levels of people presenting at Accident and Emergency services in Derby; and if he will take steps to increase access to GP appointments in Derby.

    David Mowat

    The commissioning and provision of primary medical care services, including general practitioner (GP) appointments, is a matter for NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). As such, the Department itself makes no assessment of the effect of accessibility of GP appointments on accident and emergency services in Derby.

    Southern Derbyshire CCG acknowledges that results from this year’s GP Patient Survey varied across its 55 GP practices, although the CCG believes that overall it is in line with average national performance. The CCG is therefore focusing support on those practices in greatest need. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the Chief Officer of her local CCG, Southern Derbyshire CCG, for the relevant information.

    To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access, £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund from April 2014 to test improved and innovative access to GP services in schemes across the country. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices. 18 million patients, a third of the population, have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level including evening and weekend appointments.

  • Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he plans to open a consultation on the closure of coal plants by 2025.

    Jesse Norman

    Most of the UK’s existing coal fired power stations are old, relatively inefficient and require investment to reduce the level of damaging pollutants they emit. I expect to consult shortly on the closure of unabated coal stations.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to whom and for what price the site of the Royal Hospital Haslar was sold.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Haslar Hospital site in Gosport was sold in November 2009 to Our Enterprise (Haslar) Ltd for £3 million. The Department retains no formal interest in the site.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to devise a written policy for the development, integration and use of military unmanned systems.

    Earl Howe

    The Ministry of Defence is currently seeking to articulate in one policy document the considerations for future UK capability requirements, development, integration and use of unmanned systems.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assessment assessments the Government has carried out in relation to UK aid and security assistance programmes to Saudi Arabia in the last two years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In the past two years the MOD has conducted three Overseas Security and Justice Assessments in relation to security assistance programmes with Saudi Arabia. Such engagement encompasses Defence Exercises, Defence Training in Saudi Arabia, Defence training in the UK (or a third party country), High Level International Engagement, UK personnel conducting long-term capacity building (Loan Service Teams/British Military Mission) and Working level International Engagement.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 24803, whether Jobcentre work coaches are able to advise universal credit claimants of their eligibility for council tax reductions.

    Priti Patel

    Due to minor variations between different Local Authorities’ council tax reduction schemes, only the individual local Authority can advise claimants on eligibility requirements for their scheme.