Category: Speeches

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures he has put in place to monitor how the £1.25 billion allocated to children and adolescent mental health services in the March 2015 Budget is spent; and if he will take steps to ring-fence the remainder of that funding.

    Alistair Burt

    In total the Government has made available an additional £1.4 billion over the course of this Parliament to improve children and young people’s mental health. In addition to the £1.25 billion made available in the March 2015 budget, a further £150 million was made available in the 2014 Autumn Statement to develop evidence based community eating disorder services for children and young people.

    NHS England’s Local Transformation Planning guidance issued, in August 2015, and the robust assurance process around it, backed by a programme of regional and national support, ensure that the additional money will be spent for the purposes intended and that locally determined key performance indicators will be met. No funding was allocated without full assurance in place.

    The intention from 2016-17 is to monitor children and young people’s mental health services transformation as part of mainstream NHS England planning processes and through the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Improvement and Assessment Framework. As part of the 2016-17 financial reporting planning process, programme level spend including children and young people’s mental health spend will be monitored routinely throughout the year

    While there is no legal power for the Department to ring-fence funding allocated to CCGs, we have introduced other means to ensure CCGs spend the additional investment where it is intended. The Department set objectives for NHS England in the annual mandate, which reflects the priorities for the health and care system. The mandate for 2016-17 sets objectives to 2020 and it makes it clear that the Government expects to see a transformation of children and young people’s mental health services.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what provision is made within the family justice system to assist victims of domestic abuse in private family law cases who do not have the financial capability to provide documented evidence when applying for legal aid.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is absolutely clear that victims of domestic violence must have access to the help that they need, including access to legal aid.

    As I updated the House on 21 April, the Ministry of Justice has begun work with domestic violence support groups, legal representative bodies and colleagues across government to gather data and further develop our understanding of the issues facing victims of domestic violence when applying for legal aid. The findings will be used to inform an evidence-based and sustainable solution, with the aim of drawing up replacement regulations.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the local discount scheme to residents across Merseyside to allow them to travel toll-free across the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges when they open in 2017.

    Mr David Gauke

    My officials continue to work with the Department for Transport on the financial and contractual implications of any further extension of user discounts. A decision will be made on this in due course.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with financial services industry bodies on tariffs for customers who do not access services online.

    Simon Kirby

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer has had no discussions with financial services industry bodies on tariffs for customers who do not access services online.

    The Government takes the firm view that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about their accounts with banks and other financial services companies.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on house building of the Office of National Statistics reclassifying housing associations as public sector bodies.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Office of National Statistics has concluded that housing associations should have been classified as public rather than private since 2008, due to several of the regulatory requirements imposed by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 introduced by the last Labour Government. This decision is purely a statistical change. Reclassification makes no material changes to the operation of housing associations. The Government is committed to developing deregulatory measures to help housing associations build more homes and help more people into home ownership.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lucy Frazer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Frazer on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to reform the allocation of funding to increase participation in sport.

    Tracey Crouch

    The funding model used to date has not delivered the sustained increase in participation we want to see across the country. The new sport and physical activity strategy will ensure that funding is clearly targeted at those organisations that can best deliver results.

  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Connaught Barracks.

    Brandon Lewis

    The planning process is ongoing for these sites. This will be completed in due course working closely with the local communities and local authorities.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the vacancy rates are in (a) child psychiatry, (b) child psychology and (c) mental health nursing for child and adolescent mental health services in each (i) region and (ii) clinical commissioning group in each of the last 10 years.

    Ben Gummer

    The vacancy rates in child psychiatry, child psychology and mental health nursing for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are not collected.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14463, what the timetable for the equality impact assessment referred to will be.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government and NHS Employers have made clear that an Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the new national contract, 90% of which was agreed with the British Medical Association in talks up to 10 February 2016.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices police forces have issued related to smoking in vehicles with children in each of the last three years.

    Mr John Hayes

    Information on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police forces is not centrally collected.

    The police and local authorities are both enforcement authorities for offences related to smoking in private vehicles carrying children. Therefore in addition to police forces doing so, local authorities can also issue fixed penalty notices for these offences, and the police can pass information to local authorities to take enforcement action.

    The legislation came into effect in October 2015, so no FPNs for smoking in vehicles with children would have been issued before this period.