Category: Speeches

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to fulfil their agreement in the August 2015 Joint Ministerial Declaration (Managing Migratory Flows in Calais) properly to protect children in refugee camps in Calais.

    Lord Bates

    The management of the camp – both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order – is the responsibility of the French Government and operational needs may require for them to restrict access under certain circumstances. Aid is not restricted as a matter of course, and we work with the French to ensure those who need help are able to receive it.

    To help protect vulnerable people (including children and other potential victims of trafficking) the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to identify and direct vulnerable individuals to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed €750,000 (£530,000) to fund the project which formally launched in December 2015.

  • Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will use their membership of UN agencies to establish relevant targets for reducing carbon emissions in (1) civil aviation, (2) shipping, and (3) agriculture and forestry, by 2020 as agreed at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    This Government is committed to tackling emissions from international aviation, international shipping and agriculture and forestry.

    As inherently transnational in nature, international aviation and maritime emissions are regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and are outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement. The UK is working through the ICAO and IMO to develop mechanisms which deliver emissions reductions, in line with the long term goal agreed in Paris of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees. In 2016, the ICAO is set to agree a global market based measure, to offset emissions post-2020. The UK government is engaged in this process.

    The Government is also committed to tackling emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and supporting the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+). The UK played a key role in the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests, which set ambitious targets for halving (by 2020) and halting (by 2030) the loss of natural forests and eliminating deforestation from the production of key agricultural commodities by 2020. The new UN Sustainable Development Goals, agreed in September 2015, also include targets to halt deforestation, sustainably manage and restore natural forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally by 2020. At COP21 the UK endorsed a Leaders’ Statement on Forests which recognised the importance of these goals, as well as the progress on REDD+ under the UNFCCC.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will represent the Government at the UNHCR conference on the Syrian refugee crisis on 30 March 2016.

    Richard Harrington

    I will represent the Government at the UNHCR conference on the Syrian refugee crisis on 30 March 2016.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

    Jane Ellison

    No jobs with the core Department have been abolished or relocated from East Cheshire and none will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire by 2020.

    The information about non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, and other accountable statutory bodies is not held centrally by the Department and the information for all those organisations has been provided by those bodies. This has resulted in a ‘nil return’, on both aspects of the question, from each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies operating within East Cheshire.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make public decisions on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis taken at the meeting to consider the commissioning specialised services on 31 May 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England’s Specialised Services Commissioning Committee have considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, work on PrEP is on-going and up to £2 million will be invested in a pilot programme to target those at highest risk over the course of two years.

    Public Health England is working to identify the most effective locations for the introduction of this pilot. The Department will be discussing future commissioning with stakeholders.

    Our £2.4 million national HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion Programme also gives those at highest risk the best advice to make safer choices about sex.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the planning inspector of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport schemes visited any European city operating trolley bus systems to ascertain whether its system could be emulated in Leeds, and if not, why not.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    I can confirm that as part of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport Scheme the Inspector did not visit any European city operating trolley bus systems to see if its system could be emulated in Leeds. The Inspector had regard to all the evidence put to the inquiry, this may have included information about other trolley bus schemes in the world, however the Inspector’s remit was to look at the scheme for Leeds specifically put forward by the Applicant, having regard to the evidence submitted by all parties to the case.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have applied for spouse visas to marry a UK citizen from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh, (d) Nigeria, (e) Australia, (f) New Zealand and (g) Jamaica in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the Royal Colleges the potential side effects of osteoporosis drugs on (a) jaw and (b) general bone health.

    George Freeman

    As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Government’s independent expert advisory body the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) keep the safety of osteoporosis drugs under continual review including their effects on the jaw and on bone health. The MHRA, together with the CHM, ensures that the product information for osteoporosis medicines contains up to date information and issues updated advice as appropriate.

    Warnings about the risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw (severe bone damage in the jaw) and atypical fractures of the femur (unusual fracture of the thigh bone) are included in the product information (Summary of Product Characteristics for healthcare professionals and Patient Information Leaflet for patients) for all medicines containing bisphosphonates or denosumab which are used in the treatment of osteoporosis. New information and advice on these risks have been communicated to healthcare professionals in the MHRAsafety bulletin in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014 as new information has become available. A patient reminder card on the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw is currently being introduced for patients treated with denosumab and bisphosphonates given by injection and healthcare professionals have been informed of this new measure via the MHRA bulletin.

    Information about the recognised risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical fractures of the femur with bisphosphonates and denosumab is also included in the 2014 ‘Osteoporosis – Clinical Guideline for prevention and treatment’ developed by the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group which includes the Royal College of Physicians.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many automatic payments of partial winter fuel payment have been made in each of the last three years; and how many of those payments have been converted to full payments following an application by the recipient.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the prevalence of the practice in the retail and leisure sectors of sending employees home during their shift without notice.

    Nick Boles

    We encourage employers to be clear with their staff up front on how work will be structured. However, the way in which work is arranged, or how shifts are decided upon will depend on each situation and sector. A ‘one size fits all’ solution would not be appropriate.

    Where appropriate, Government publishes guidance. For instance, we recently considered the issue of late notice cancellation of shifts for those on zero hours contracts and have published updated guidance on gov.uk.