Category: Speeches

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from volunteer representatives of the Air Cadet Organisation on the review of the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Following the Written Ministerial Statement I released on 10 March 2016, (Official Report, column WS605) concerning the Air Cadet Aviation Relaunch, we have received a range of representations from Cadet Force Adult Volunteer staff of the mainstream Air Cadets and the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. This includes representations through their direct chain of command.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department plans to promote clearer pathways into the arts and cultural sectors to develop a more diverse leadership and workforce in those sectors.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In the recently published Culture White Paper we made it clear that more needs to be done to encourage diversity in leadership positions. We will promote clearer pathways into the sectors, and we will work with Arts Council England to understand the barriers that prevent people from lower income households and under-represented groups from becoming professionals in the arts.

    In December 2015, the Arts Council announced four new strategic funds for diversity, totalling £8.6 million. This included a new £2.6 million Change Makers fund to build long-term relationships between National Portfolio Organisations and aspiring arts leaders from the BME and deaf and disabled communities. Arts Council England has also made a significant change in its approach to diversity by launching The Creative Case for Diversity, which asks the organisations it funds to make themselves and their work more reflective of the communities they serve.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from her Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what she estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Copies of the Government’s published documents on the Referendum are available in the Libraries of both Houses. It is not normal practice to publish letters to members of the public and stakeholders. Costs relating to the Referendum will be accounted for in the usual way in Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS services of private providers of those services entering into administration or suffering serious financial difficulty; and what contingency provisions he has put in place to mitigate such effects.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    It is the primary responsibility of commissioners to ensure continuity of commissioned services through contracting and contingency planning. Where a provider is considered hard to replace in the event of failure, its services can be designated as Commissioner Requested Services. This requires the provider to obtain a provider licence, if not otherwise required to hold a licence, and places the provider in NHS Improvement’s financial oversight regime for private providers of essential NHS services.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Great British Food Unit in opening up new markets for British food and drink exports.

    George Eustice

    In the last year, the Great British Food Unit has opened 24 new export markets and secured improved conditions for an additional 14 markets. It has supported UK companies around the world to secure new exports worth hundreds of millions of pounds. In addition, we have made good progress opening the US and Japanese markets to British beef and lamb.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost to the NHS is of educating and training a junior doctor.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department does not hold information on the average cost to the taxpayer of training someone to become a junior doctor.

    The Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent estimates within their report ‘Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2014’, published in March 2014, that the average cost in 2013/14 of training to become a general practitioner is £485,390, with the consultant training cost being £726,551. These figures reflect the pre-registration costs of tuition, living expenses/lost production and clinical placements and the post-graduate costs of tuition and replacement costs not the average cost to the taxpayer.

  • Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support and promote the Erasmus+ programme, which aims to boost skills and employability through education, training and sport.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Erasmus+ programme enables organisations and citizens to achieve their potential through international education, training and sport opportunities.

    A body called the National Agency (a consortium of the British Council and Ecorys UK) deliver the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. The Government supports the National Agency’s delivery, aligns the programme with Government objectives, and represents the UK in European meetings on Erasmus+. The National Agency has a communications team that is dedicated to raising awareness of the Erasmus+ programme. The Government does not duplicate this work.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the welfare measures announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the incidence of food poverty in Scotland.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Spending Review and Autumn Statement set out a plan to move Britain to a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society. This will ensure that work always pays while continuing to provide a safety net to protect those who need extra support.

    This will benefit people across the country, including in Scotland.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Russia on human rights violations in that country.

    Mr David Lidington

    During my visit to Moscow on 21-22 December 2015, I raised the UK’s concerns about the human rights situation in Russia with my counterpart First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov. I pressed for the immediate release of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who has restarted her hunger strike having spent 18 months in illegal detention, and I called for the release of filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and activist Olexandr Kolchenko, whose trials have also raised serious concerns. I raised our concerns about restrictions on civil society, Russia’s labelling of NGOs as “foreign agents”, and the situation of the LGBT community. I also met a group of human rights defenders to hear their concerns first hand. The UK will continue to support Russian civil society and to raise human rights issues with the Russian Government.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effects on children and families of the parental orders procedure following surrogacy arrangements.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government has made no such assessment. Parental orders provide a mechanism to enable a couple who have entered into a surrogacy arrangement to become that child’s legal parents. There is no obligation to obtain a parental order but a couple who commission a surrogacy arrangement are advised and encouraged to do so in order to achieve a recognisable transfer of parenthood in the UK. In deciding whether to exercise its discretion and award a Parental order, the court has regard to all the facts of the case and the overriding importance of the welfare of the child throughout their life.