Category: Speeches

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department’s risk register assesses risks to (a) the provision of health services and (b) changes in the level of the cost of providing health services which result from immigration from (i) other EEA member states and (ii) countries from outside the EEA; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department’s risk management process is used to assess risk across the full range of the Department’s business including the provision of health services and the costs of providing those services.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Europe of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 136WH, when his Department last made representations to Saudi Arabia to encourage abolition of the death penalty in that country; and at what level those representations were made.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country. We regularly raise human rights issues, including in relation to the death penalty with the Saudi Arabian authorities. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) visited Saudi Arabia on 29 May as part of a regional tour of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and raised our human rights concerns, including the death penalty.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel on that government’s resettlement programme and the demolition of Susiya and Umm al-Hiran.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The village of Susiya is located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories whilst the village of Umm al-Hiran is located within Israel.

    Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has repeatedly raised our opposition to demolitions with the Israeli authorities, including our specific concerns about Susiya, and urged them to provide a legal route for Palestinian construction. On 18 August, officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, along with an official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv, visited Susiya again to highlight our serious concern and demonstrate our continuing support for the village. We most recently raised Susiya with Defence Minister Lieberman on 24 August.

    The UK has been encouraging the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to find a satisfactory solution to Umm al-Hiran, respecting the equality of all of Israel’s citizens in a way which avoids forcible relocations.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the consultation on the community pharmacy contractual framework, what estimate he has made of the number of pharmacies he forecasts will close.

    David Mowat

    Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of community pharmacy services including public access to medicines. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we have a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population. Our reforms are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. A consequence may be the closure of some pharmacies but that is not our aim.

    The Government announced the package of reforms for the community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond on 20 October 2016. This included full details of how the Pharmacy Access Scheme will operate, as well an impact assessment for the package of reforms. This can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-pharmacy-reforms

    “

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated value of Network Rail was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Claire Perry

    As at 31 March 2015 Network Rail’s Net Assets totalled £6,391 million.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2015 to Question 18221, what estimate she has made of the time taken to process a family from Syria onto the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme before they are housed in the UK.

    Richard Harrington

    The time taken to process a family from Syria onto the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme varies depending on the individual circumstances of that family.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Skills Funding Agency has provided for ESOL Plus Mandation courses in each year since 2009-10.

    Nick Boles

    ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding was introduced in 2014 in order to support the English Language Requirement policy to mandate new Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants with poor spoken English to ESOL training. ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding was additional to the Adult Skills Budget, which providers use to fund ESOL.

    The Skills Funding Agency provided £30m in 2014-15 and £10m in 2015-16 of ESOL Plus (Mandation) funding.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of competition in the car insurance market; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on competition in that industry of a 10 per cent cap on market share.

    Harriett Baldwin

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government.

    The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people aged under 18 have been referred to the Channel programme in each year since 2011.

    Mr John Hayes

    Channel has been operational nationally since April 2012. The Home Office does not currently publish data on the Channel Programme.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Ministry of Defence live ammunition ranges have safety wardens present on site.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The following Ministry of Defence ranges have permanent dedicated wardens on site:

    Otterburn Training Area

    Northumberland.

    Warcop Training Area

    Cumbria.

    Barry Buddon Training Centre

    Angus, Fort George, Inverness, Hythe, Kent, Lydd, Kent.

    Castlemartin Training Area

    Pembrokeshire, Swynnerton, North Staffordshire, Lulworth, Dorset, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, Tain, Ross-Shire, Pembrey Sands, Carmarthenshire.

    Kirkcudbright Training Centre

    Kirkcudbrightshire.

    The remainder of UK ranges are overseen by personnel who are responsible collectively for ensuring the ranges in a region are safe and fit for purpose. Irrespective of the presence of permanent wardens, each unit using a range is overseen by a qualified and experienced Range Conducting Officer, who ensures the safe operation for that exercise once the range has been handed over.