Category: Speeches

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in preparation for the introduction of waiting time targets for child and adolescent mental health services; and when he plans for those waiting times to come into effect.

    Alistair Burt

    The setting of a blanket waiting time target for children and young people’s mental health is not feasible due to the wide range of conditions and services this covers, all with very different care pathways. However, we are introducing the first ever waiting time standards for mental health services.

    These include an access and waiting time standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder. This states that National Institute of Health and Care Excellence concordant treatment should commence within a maximum of four weeks from first contact with a designated healthcare professional for routine cases and within one week for urgent cases. In cases of emergency, the eating disorder service should be contacted to provide support within 24 hours. The ability of services to meet this standard will be monitored in 2016. From 2017, NHS England will set a minimum proportion of young people referred for assessment or treatment that are expected to receive treatment within the standard’s timeframe. Data collected in 2016 will help inform incremental percentage increases, with the aim of 95% of patients being treated within the standard’s timescale by 2020.

    We have also introduced an access and waiting times standard on Early Intervention in Psychosis announced in Mental health services: achieving better access by 2020 which came into force in April 2015. Whilst focused on all ages, most individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis are in the 16-25 age group.

    NHS England will be working with partner organisations to lead work on the development of further access and waiting time standards for children’s mental health as part of the transformation programme on children and young people’s mental health.

  • Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of Barnardo’s in the recent report Locked Out: Children’s experiences of visiting a parent in prison, that visits by children to fathers in prison should be removed from the incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government agrees that strong family ties are an important part of helping prisoners turn away from crime, and the recommendations from the recent Barnardo’s report are currently being considered in the context of the wider prison reforms.

    All convicted prisoners have a long-standing statutory entitlement to a minimum of two visits every 28 days. In addition, prisoners may also be rewarded with additional visits for good behaviour and for engaging with their rehabilitation.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many movements of nuclear material there have been on roads in Scotland in each of the last five years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    It is Ministry of Defence policy not to comment upon the frequency or routes used by nuclear material convoys, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security. Nuclear material convoy movements are kept to the minimum necessary to maintain the operational effectiveness of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 3 February 2016 to Question 24232 and 11 January 2016 to Question 20570 on British Transport Police: finance, how much income from (a) Transport for London, (b) train operating companies, (c) Network Rail and (d) other funding sources is included in the budget for 2016-17; and how much income by funding source (i) is in the budget for and (ii) has been received in 2015-16.

    Claire Perry

    The following table sets out the British Transport Police’s income by funding source in 2015-16:

    2015-16

    £000s

    Core funding (including train operators and Network Rail)

    209,262

    Transport for London

    63,883

    Non-core funding

    11,559

    Other income

    13,334

    Total

    298,038

    The split of income between the train operators and Network Rail is commercially sensitive information.

    Although the total budget for 2016-17 is £295.1 million, the individual components are still to be determined.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress in Bahrain towards democracy and respect for human rights following training and guidance from UK personnel for that country’s police and security forces.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We believe that UK support to Bahrain’s reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern. All Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes and project work is routinely monitored and evaluated to inform and improve future assistance.

  • 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 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the sources of public finance will be for Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints; whether each such footprint will have separate accounts; and whether such footprints will have the ability to borrow.

    George Freeman

    Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprints are not statutory entities and therefore will not have the ability to borrow. As set out in the NHS England Board paper in December 2015, organisations covered by the STP footprints may collectively apply to operate using a system control total.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether purdah arrangements for the EU referendum apply to policy statements to be published by NHS England on the commissioning of treatments.

    George Freeman

    Whilst the pre-election guidance for the European Union referendum has yet to be published, it is not anticipated that it would prevent the routine publication of clinical commissioning policy statements which are a ‘business as usual’ function of NHS England.

    The Cabinet Office publishes pre-election guidance for civil servants which also applies to NHS England and other arm’s length bodies. This can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/election-guidance-for-civil-servants

    “

  • Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many spoilt ballots were counted in the 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

    Chris Skidmore

    Provisional analysis undertaken by the Government has identified that a total of 311,509 ballot papers were rejected at the elections of Police and Crime Commissioners held on 5 May 2016.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent under each cost heading by UK defence attachés in each year since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The following information shows Ministry of Defence previous spending for the Defence Attaché and Advisor Network from Financial Year 2010-11 to 2015-16. The information is not available to give an accurate breakdown by cost heading for each Defence Attaché. These figures do not include costs associated with British Defence Section United States as those costs cannot be broken down by cost heading.

    Financial Year

    Personnel

    Equipment Support Costs

    Infrastructure Costs

    Inventory/ Other Consumption

    Net Interest Payable

    Other Costs

    Receipts and other Income

    Total RDEL

    2010-11

    £21,296,462

    £452,981

    £12,661,662

    £410,753

    -£1,217

    £8,924,225

    -£110,851

    £43,634,016

    2011-12

    £22,017,758

    £353,361

    £1,496,946

    £360,208

    -£2,260

    £17,188,040

    -£97,264

    £41,316,790

    2012-13

    £21,782,956

    £646,092

    £1,432,271

    £272,149

    -£2,507

    £17,023,974

    -£296,291

    £40,858,644

    2013-14

    £22,819,582

    £270,350

    £1,424,211

    £386,100

    -£3,023

    £17,099,861

    -£213,642

    £41,783,439

    2014-15

    £23,919,518

    £283,823

    £1,822,433

    £347,263

    -£3,538

    £18,705,945

    -£136,778

    £44,938,665

    2015-16

    £25,974,993

    £292,365

    £1,634,154

    £968,244

    -£1,973

    £16,844,778

    £4,443

    £45,717,004
  • Diane Abbott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.

    Justine Greening

    See the table below, which reflects categorised spend. Note that total administration spend will also include temporary staff, consultants, on-payroll staff and marketing and advertising spend.

    Year

    (a&c) Temporary agency staff & non payroll staff (£m)

    (b) consultants (£m)

    (d) Spend against Administration control total (£m)

    (e) Spend on marketing and Advertising (£000s)

    2005/06

    3.9

    Unavailable*

    162.2

    Unavailable*

    2006/07

    2.0

    Unavailable*

    190.5

    Unavailable*

    2007/08

    1.3

    Unavailable*

    150.7

    Unavailable*

    2008/09

    2.6

    Unavailable*

    162.7

    30

    2009/10

    3.9

    19.1

    157.0

    43

    2010/11

    1.4

    1.4

    148.2

    45

    2011/12

    1.2

    0.7

    123.3

    4

    2012/13

    1.2

    0.2

    127.8

    7

    2013/14

    2.1

    0.2

    116.0

    5

    2014/15

    1.2

    0.1

    110.0

    14

    *Disaggregated data not available due to expenditure categories on previous management system.