Category: Speeches

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents in Ashfield have been fined for a child’s unauthorised absence from school in each of the last three years.

    Nick Gibb

    We do not collect data on the number of penalty notices (fines) issued to parents for offences relating to Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 by constituency. The numbers of penalty notices issued to parents by Nottinghamshire County Council can be found online here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/parental-responsibility-measures-academic-year-2012-to-2013

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  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking (a) in the short term to provide humanitarian relief to displaced people in Bangui in the Central African Republic and (b) to secure peace in that city.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Central African Republic (CAR) is facing a severe and protracted crisis that has displaced more than a million people since 2012. Despite the deployment of 12,000 peace-keepers, the country remains marred by sectarian tension, criminal violence, arms proliferation and armed groups.

    In September the UK approved a £7 million uplift in our assistance to CAR and CAR refugees to address rising needs and aid gaps, bringing UK humanitarian funding to £25 million in 2015 and £58 million since 2013. This makes the UK the third largest humanitarian donor to CAR after the US and the EU in 2015. UK funding is enabling partners including the International Committee of the Red-Cross and the Common Humanitarian Fund to provide humanitarian assistance to people in need in Bangui and the rest of the country.

    The UK is also working with and through international organisations to ensure an effective international response to the security crisis in CAR.The UN is a key partner in CAR.The UK contributes to the UN peacekeeping mission (a projected £33.2m this year in assessed contributions).

  • Jake Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jake Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20478, how many applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren were made in the final quarter of 2015.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The number of applications by grandparents for rights of access to their grandchildren made in the final quarter of 2015 will be available in due course.

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the effects of offshore windfarms on the national habitats of migrating whales, seals and porpoises.

    George Eustice

    The Joint Cetacean Protocol (JCP) is the most comprehensive information source available on whales and porpoises in the UK. Information from the JCP is used to inform assessments of the effects of offshore windfarms on marine mammals. The information was also used to help assess the status of marine mammals as set out in the UK’s Marine Strategy Part One in 2012.

    The assessment brought together a significant body of information on the distribution, abundance, trends, and status of whales, porpoises, and seals in UK waters, and a consideration of the pressures they face, including from renewable energy development. The Marine Strategy Part One concluded that the status for the five most abundant cetacean species in UK waters was ‘favourable’. Seals face a number of pressures in the UK, although where localised declines have been identified these have not been attributed to offshore wind farms. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-one-uk-initial-assessment-and-good-environmental-status.

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  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of repeat domestic abuse were dealt with by courts in each of the last six years.

    Caroline Dinenage

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis will be made available on the NHS to people who have (a) been raped and (b) had underage sex.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has recently announced that it would make available up to £2 million over two years to enable access for high risk individuals through early implementer test sites. NHS England will work with Public Health England and the Department to confirm the criteria for patient access and assessment of expressions of interest from local authority areas to confirm successful sites. The criteria which will be used to determine the locations of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Test Sites have not yet been established.

    PrEP is an intervention in advance of sexual exposure, and therefore is not relevant for rape victims who may require post exposure prophylaxis after clinical assessment. With regard to those having underage sex, eligibility for treatment through test sites will depend on the clinical assessment of risk undertaken.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35770, what technical and practical barriers will prevent the Electoral Commission implementing a registration look-up tool before the EU referendum.

    John Penrose

    As required by legislation, all applications to register to vote are assessed by Local Authority Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). There are around 360 EROs across the UK. EROs manage and maintain separate electoral registers for their areas on a variety of different software platforms. A national registration look-up tool would require access to all of these locally held and owned electoral registers, and, if it required the creation of a central national database, could require legislative changes and raise significant data protection concerns.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Department of Health’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England, published in March 2013, what steps they have taken to ensure that local areas know of all professionals who are part of their sexual health workforce, and that those individuals have received appropriate training.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It is the responsibility of local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to commission appropriate services and for providers to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained to meet the needs of their local population.

    The Government has also mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service in England. In doing so, HEE has a role in ensuring employers remain committed to continuing professional development and in developing the overall strategy for workforce skills and development in their areas.

  • Baroness Hamwee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Hamwee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hamwee on 2016-09-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children subject to immigration control are not separated from their family or guardian during the process unless there are safeguarding or welfare concerns.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    For immigration purposes children may only be separated from their parents where it is necessary and proportionate to do so and after having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the children’s welfare.

    Decisions on family separations are taken in line with published guidance in the Home Office Enforcement Instructions and Guidance at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/removal-actions

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the economic effect of the England Coast Path on each area through which opened sections of that path pass.

    Rory Stewart

    Annex 4 of the impact assessment which was prepared for the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 included a summary of the estimated social and economic benefits and costs of the coastal access provisions.

    The impact assessment noted that the average annual benefits to people who would make use of the improved access would be £12.35m. This figure would increase over time and from year 20 onwards was estimated at £25.8m per year. The benefits would include the improved health and wellbeing that access to the natural environment would bring. The impact assessment also noted that there would be a benefit to the coastal economy from increased spending in coastal areas where additional visitors were attracted to the area. The assessment suggested that the uplift from increased spending would be on average £6 – £9 per day visitor and £35 – £45 per overnight visitor.

    A copy of the impact assessment is available on the National Archive website.

    As the right of coastal access is implemented throughout England, Natural England will collect and evaluate national and local information about the social and economic benefits of new and improved access.