Category: Speeches

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to review plans to introduce a click and collect service as a result of P2U service failings over the 2015 Christmas period.

    Alistair Burt

    All pharmacies should have a business continuity plan in place which covers not being able to provide a full or any service.

    NHS England, in conjunction with the General Pharmaceutical Council, worked urgently with Pharmacy 2 U once it became apparent that this pharmacy was failing to deliver its normal service over the Christmas period. They ensured that Pharmacy 2 U instigated several actions in addition to the business continuity plan that the pharmacy already had in place. The ability to ensure that, where necessary or as requested by the patient, prescriptions were diverted to another pharmacy of the patient’s choice was made significantly easier by the fact that the majority of the prescriptions dispensed by Pharmacy 2 U are sent to them via the Electronic Prescription Service.

    Patient safety was the number one priority at the immediate time. Pharmacy 2 U resumed its normal service, as publicised, on 11 January 2016, and there now continues to be a review of the events that led to this situation to ensure that the review of community pharmacy in England is fully informed and national lessons can be learnt from this unexpected and unfortunate event.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which local authorities will host Think Ahead graduate trainees on placement; and whether he has plans to expand that programme.

    Alistair Burt

    Arrangements are being finalised for the local authorities and National Health Service mental health trusts that will host Think Ahead participants and these partnerships will be announced in due course. Participants in Think Ahead’s first cohort are due to be based in the following regions: Yorkshire, the North East, the Midlands, London, and the South East.

    The Department will make a decision on the future of the programme once an evaluation of the first cohort has been undertaken.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) scientific and (b) economic basis was for her Department’s proposal to move the cement industry into a 75 per cent tier of free allocation in the EU Emissions Trading System; and what account her Department took in developing that proposal of the difficulty of abating process emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government supports reform to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) whilst providing continued support for the competitiveness of British businesses as they decarbonise. Sectors at greatest risk of carbon leakage have high carbon costs and are highly exposed to international trade. The proposed tiering scenarios, which are indicative and do not represent a confirmed Government position, are intended to demonstrate how support could be differentiated between sectors at different levels of risk. We recognise the barriers to decarbonisation in the cement sector due to its high proportion of emissions from chemical processes. We will continue to work with the UK cement industry to ensure that its circumstances are reflected in Phase IV of EU ETS.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on the number of people engaged in employment through an umbrella company in each year since 2008.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not routinely record the information requested, but has published estimates on an ad hoc basis since 2008.

    In 2008 HMRC published figures for the number of umbrella workers in a consultation document “Tax Relief for travel expenses: temporary workers and overarching employment contracts.” HMRC estimated that around 120 umbrella companies operating in the UK were using overarching contracts and employed around 100,000 temporary workers at any one time.

    Evidence suggests that for 2013-14 the 50 largest umbrella companies alone employed 150,000 individuals over the course of a year. In 2015 an estimated 430,000 individuals were employed by umbrella companies and employment agencies on overarching contracts over the course of a year. The number at any one time will be less than this.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to letters from the GMB trades union National Secretary, Mick Rix, on the outsourcing of jobs at British Airways and use of tier 2 visas; and if she will make a statement.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office has received letters from Mr Rix and intends to respond in due course. It is a decision for businesses whether to outsource certain functions. We have, however, responded to concerns that use of the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer (ICT)) route may undercut or displace resident workers. On 24 March we announced that we will simplify and streamline the route in line with our international trade commitments to admit senior managers and specialists. From April 2017, all transferees (other than limited numbers of graduate trainees) will be required to qualify under a single visa category with a minimum salary of £41,500.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his counterpart at the (a) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) Iranian government to assist the government of Iran in helping to halt the decline in the number of Asiatic cheetahs.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of the plight of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran and we welcome conservation efforts by Iran and the UN. My officials have held preliminary discussions with the Iranian Embassy in London on the issue.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Parliamentary Digital Service is taking to protect constituency casework data.

    Tom Brake

    We do not comment on matters of digital or physical security. I understand the Director of the Digital Service has discussed the matter with the hon. Member.

  • Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish all guidance it has issued to schools and colleges for the implementation of PREVENT strategy activities for all age groups.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Home Office published guidance on the Prevent statutory duty for specified authorities, including schools, in March 2015. In September 2015, the Home Office published Prevent duty guidance specifically for colleges and universities. The Department for Education issued advice for schools and childcare providers relating to the Prevent duty, which was published in July 2015. All of this guidance and advice is publicly available at the following website links:

    • Prevent duty guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance

    • Department for Education advice for schools and childcare providers on the Prevent duty: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439598/prevent-duty-departmental-advice-v6.pdf

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many road traffic accidents in which a dog was injured were reported to the police in each of the last three years.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport collates information on animals identified as carriageway hazards in reported personal injury road accidents. However, information on the kind of animal involved in accidents is not collected.

    The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving animals1 in the carriageway, in Great Britain, 2012 – 20142, is shown in the following table.

    Year

    Accidents

    2012

    804

    2013

    734

    2014

    692

    1. Excludes ridden horses
    2. Data for 2015 is published summer 2016.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effects on the tax revenue of developing countries of tax treaties with the UK.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    HMRC actively engages with developing countries and has recently agreed treaties with Senegal and Zambia. Tax treaties encourage the appropriate tax treatment of cross-border economic activity, promote international trade and investment and ultimately lead to sustainable tax revenues.