Category: Speeches

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments his Department has made of the potential economic benefit of (a) opening new stations on the Great Western Main line, (b) running later services on the Great Western Main line and (c) reducing rail fares on the Great Western Main line.

    Claire Perry

    Any specific project that may bring such benefits to passengers is assessed during the planning stage of that project.

    I completely understand your concern about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. That is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (RPI) for three years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We have also stopped operators increasing individual fares by up to 2% more. This means those fares we regulate will only rise by 1% in 2016 making it the lowest fare increase since 2010.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their current initiatives on the use of tax havens and issues about the use of off-shore companies, what assessment they have made of the use by Thames Water of a Cayman Islands company to raise over £5 billion of debt, and of Thames Water being owned and controlled from Luxembourg.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not disclose details of its work on the affairs of particular taxpayers.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to make changes to the procedure of the market rent only option once triggered, as planned in Part 6 of the withdrawn Pubs Code etc. Regulations 2016.

    Anna Soubry

    No. The Government does not plan to make any material changes to the procedure of the ‘Market Rent Only’ option, once triggered, in the revised regulations. Some technical drafting improvements have been made to Part 6.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 195, on Chronic pain, tabled on 13 June 2016.

    David Mowat

    Chronic pain is a long term condition where patients have persistent pain or repeated bouts of intermittent pain and it is a condition in its own right or as a component of other long term conditions. The routine assessment and management of pain is a required competency of all healthcare professionals. Many patients with chronic pain can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. Approaches to treatment are not all pharmacological and for some patients, education in self-management approaches for their condition may be also be appropriate.

    It is important that patients with the most serious pain management issues are able to access specialist care. A patient whose pain is particularly difficult to manage may be referred to a specialised pain management service. Under the care of an expert multidisciplinary team, patients may be offered specialised pain management programmes and more complex drug treatments. Such services are commissioned nationally by NHS England as part of its remit to deliver specialised services.

    To support clinicians in the management of pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published several clinical guidelines on the treatment and management of different types of pain, such as migraine and back pain, as well as technical guidance on specific treatments, such as the use of opiates in palliative care and deep brain stimulation for chronic pain.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the number of cadet units in state schools.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government has committed £50 million from LIBOR fines to increase the number of cadet units in UK state schools through the Cadet Expansion Programme. The joint Ministry of Defence/Department for Education programme is targeting schools in less affluent areas and we have had a substantial number of applications to establish new units. This demonstrates the interest that schools around the country have in the programme.

    The expansion programme is well on track to achieve its target of 500 cadet units parading in schools across the UK by 2020. As at June 2016, 350 units were parading and on 4 October 2016 the Secretary of State announced the next wave of 25 new units in state schools which have been approved.

    The list of 25 new schools which have been approved is as follows:

    Arnold Hill Academy – Nottinghamshire

    Askham Bryan College – North Yorkshire

    Bedlingtonshire Community High School – Northumberland

    Bishop Challoner Girls School – London

    Broadgreen International School – Liverpool

    Cardinal Griffin Catholic College – Staffordshire

    Carr Hill High School and Sixth Form Centre – Lancashire

    Central Foundation Boys’ School – London

    Chichester Free School – Chichester

    Ernest Bevin College – London

    Gravesend Grammar School – Kent

    Hugh Baird College – Merseyside

    Khalsa Secondary Academy – Buckinghamshire

    Kings Leadership Academy Liverpool – Liverpool

    Medway UTC – Kent

    Newton Rigg College – Cumbria

    Nova Hreod Academy – Swindon

    Quintin Kynaston Academy – London

    Rockwood Academy – Birmingham

    South Shields Community School – Tyne and Wear

    South Wiltshire UTC – Salisbury

    St Thomas More Catholic School – Tyne and Wear

    The JCB Academy – Staffordshire

    Tudor Grange Samworth Academy – Leicestershire

    West Midlands Construction UTC – Wolverhampton

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13086, whether the Special Advisers Remuneration Committee still exists.

    Matthew Hancock

    The arrangements for the determination of special advisers’ pay are set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers.

  • Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Palmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Health has sought independent legal advice in respect of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and if so, whether they will place a copy of that advice in the Library of the House.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Any legal advice the Department may have obtained in respect of this, or any other issue, is subject to the usual provisions relating to legal professional privilege and as such will not be disclosed.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she had made of the implications for her policies of the findings on domestic violence in the report of the chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published in November 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office published its formal response to the Chief inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled, An Inspection of Settlement Casework, published on 19 November 2015 and this can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/responses-to-reports-by-the-independent-chief-inspector-of-borders-and-immigration

    The Home Office is revising its guidance for those who apply for Settlement because of Domestic Violence and intend to publish this as a priority. The guidance will make it clearer what weighting should be given to the evidence presented by applicants in support of their application and will be published on the Gov.UK website.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Wiggin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which (a) government departments, (b) agencies, (c) commercial companies and (d) charities HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Fast Stream civil servants are (i) attached or (ii) seconded; what the average length of time is for such (A) attachments and (B) secondments; and what assessment HMRC makes of the benefits of those attachments and secondments to its own work and to the tax payer.

    Mr David Gauke

    Civil Service Resourcing coordinates the Fast Stream for the Civil Service and manages all Fast Streamers on the central corporate schemes.

    A list of Government departments, Agencies, Arms Length Bodies, NDPB’s, Commercial (private) organisations and charities to which Fast streamers are currently posted to as at January 2016 can be found at Annex A.

    • Fast stream postings in the Civil Service are either 6 or 12 months depending on the timing of the posting

    • The average length of time for a secondment to an external organisation is 6 months.

      Civil Service Resourcing assesses the value of these postings and placements to the Civil Service (including HMRC) in the following ways:

    • Individual performance management through postings; mid and end of scheme assessments to track developments against the Fast Stream aims (core skills, competency framework and leadership potential)

    • Posting and secondment evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of each posting in supporting Fast Streamers’ development.

    • Overall assessment via Fast Stream Annual survey to measure ongoing effectiveness of the Fast Stream

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the UK paid to the EU for agricultural levies in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    George Eustice

    UK Contributions to the EU budget are set out in Table C3 of HM Treasury publication “European Union Finances 2015: statement on the 2015 EU Budget and measures to counter fraud and financial mismanagement” in December 2015.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/483344/EU_finances_2015_final_web_09122015.pdf

    The contribution from sugar levies for the previous 5 years were:

    2010: £8m

    2011: £8m

    2012: £10m

    2013: £9m

    2014: £2m

    “