Category: Speeches

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints his Department received in relation to vaccination against human papilloma virus in each month of 2016.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) collects reports of suspected side effects to vaccines and medicines via the Yellow Card Scheme. It is important to note that a report of a suspected side effect does not necessarily mean the vaccine or medicine was the cause of the reported event, and coincidental illness can also be a factor. Such reports remain under continual review by the MHRA in order to detect possible new risks.

    The MHRA has received 198 United Kingdom spontaneous suspected adverse reaction reports temporally-associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine between 1 January 2016 and 9 October 2016. Table 1 below provides a breakdown of these reports by month.

    Month

    Number of reports

    January

    16

    February

    22

    March

    24

    April

    23

    May

    33

    June

    26

    July

    15

    August

    7

    September

    32

    October to date (9 October 2016)

    0

    More than 9 million doses of HPV vaccine have been given in the UK, with close to 90% of eligible teenagers vaccinated. As with all vaccines, safety remains under continual review, and HPV vaccine has a very good safety record.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what campaigns he plans to implement over the Christmas period in 2015 to draw public attention to the dangers of drinking and driving.

    Andrew Jones

    On 1st December the Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign will launch a new Drink Drive campaign in England and Wales. The campaign will use paid-for advertising (including TV and radio) alongside social media and PR activities. We are also working with commercial partners including Coca-Cola, Johnnie Walker and Budweiser who provide incentives to help drivers make the right choice not to drink and drive.

    Targeted at men aged 17-34, the campaign aims to contribute to a reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured as a result of drink driving by highlighting the potential danger of driving after drinking lower levels of alcohol. The campaign also aims to maintain the social unacceptability of drink driving amongst a wider ‘all adult’ audience who will see some of the advertising.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve protection from meningococcal disease; and what steps he plans to take to protect people with low immunity from contracting meningococcal disease.

    Jane Ellison

    Proptection from meningococcal disease is provided through our successful vaccination programmes. The vaccination programme was recently extended to include vaccines against meningitis B and A,C,W and Y.

    We also provide information in our resources on the signs and symptoms of meningitis.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with his counterparts in the devolved administrations steps to ensure that programmes such as Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies can be implemented across the UK.

    Alistair Burt

    We have no specific plans at present for a Ministerial meeting on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, but Departmental officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations on cross-cutting issues.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in the office of each regional schools commissioners are employed under a contract of employment to another third party.

    Edward Timpson

    The regional school commissioners currently have one agency worker and one inward secondee from a County Council.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland is able to contribute to the UK aerospace industry.

    Anna Soubry

    We continue to work closely with the aerospace industry in Northern Ireland through the UK wide Aerospace Growth Partnership to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and grow high value jobs. This work is integral to the Northern Ireland growth implementation strategy ‘Partnering for Growth’ led by Invest Northern Ireland and supported by the industry body ADS. It includes action to support industry in innovation and technology development, strengthening the competitiveness and manufacturing capability of suppliers and raising skills levels

    The steps taken to back this work include a £1.95 billion commitment by the Government, over 13 years to 2026, for new aerospace research and development projects supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute

    My Department and the Northern Ireland Executive are also investing a total of almost £135 million in the development of the C Series aircraft supporting hundreds of jobs in Belfast at Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services and its UK supply chain.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of regulations relating to drones and public safety.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply one of the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world.

    There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

    The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date and mitigations effective. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.

    The Cross Government Working Group on RPAS has undertaken analysis of the use of drones for criminal purposes, including the potential use of drones for terrorist purposes, and the impacts of their negligent use near sensitive locations, such as airports. This work is kept under review and is being used to inform research and testing to improve mitigation techniques and strategies.

    Awareness and education on current restrictions are vitally important. The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security situation and (b) incidence of terrorism in Kashmir.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We assess that there is a high threat of terrorism throughout India and Pakistan.

    Officials in our High Commissions in Delhi and Islamabad continuously monitor the security situation in Kashmir. I discussed this issue with the Indian Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Foreign Minister in Delhi on 30.05.16. Our Deputy High Commissioner to India visited Indian administered Kashmir from 23 to 29 May.

    We advise against all travel to Indian administered Kashmir with the exception of (i) travel within the cities of Jammu and Srinagar (ii) travel by air to the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, (iii) travel between these two cities on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, and (iv) travel within the region of Ladakh.

    We advise against travel on the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan administered Kashmir as far as Gilgit.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to ensure that his Department undertakes research into the potential merits of a universal basic income.

    Damian Hinds

    We have no current plans to conduct research on this topic.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors were employed in each of the last three years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The following table shows the number of full time equivalent health visitors employed in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England in each of the last three years.

    Full time equivalent figures are used as this is the most accurate measure of service capacity.

    30 June 2014

    30 June 2015

    30 June 2016

    8,887

    10,042

    9,491

    Source: NHS Digital NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics