Category: Speeches

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for its plans to roll-out universal credit on a constituency-by-constituency basis; and whether that timetable includes internal deadlines for separate phases of that roll-out.

    Damian Hinds

    The next stages of the delivery of Universal Credit were set out by the Work and Pensions Secretary in a Written Statement to Parliament on 20 July. The rollout schedule from May 2016 through to March 2017 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539516/universal-credit-transition-rollout-schedule-phase-1-to-3-2016-to-2017.pdf

    Further details of the sites rolling out from April 2017 will be announced later this year.

    “

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implication for his Department’s policies of the Children’s Society’s recent report, Damage of Debt; and if his Department will introduce a statutory breathing space scheme for families in debt.

    Simon Kirby

    The Government noted the report with interest and is grateful for the important work that The Children’s Society does. The Government is committed to supporting individuals in problem debt.

    The Government is exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders and the Government will report back this autumn.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Lithuanian government against plans for a convention centre to be built in the Jewish Cemetery in Piramont, Vilnius; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government is aware of plans announced by the Lithuanian Government to renovate the Soviet-era Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, located in the Šnipiškės Jewish cemetery. The existing building on the site has been left derelict for some time. The Chairperson of the Jewish Community in Lithuania has been clear in her public support for the renovation, stressing that the current site is run-down and at risk otherwise of further deterioration. It is our understanding that there will be no significant structural changes and that only the interior will be renovated for use as a centre for conferences and cultural events. The surrounding area will be maintained as a memorial park. The Lithuanian Prime Minister has said that all Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania would be memorialised and marked by the end of 2017. We welcome his commitment to working alongside the Jewish Community of Lithuania and the international Jewish community on this renovation. The Lithuanian government has also said it will discuss the renovation with the Israeli government.

  • Martin Vickers – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Martin Vickers – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Vickers on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all young people who wish to participate in the National Citizen Service are able to do so.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    We are committed to expanding NCS, which is why the Chancellor announced our ambition that 300,000 young people participate in NCS every year by 2019/20 so that they can learn new skills and give back to their communities.

    We take great care to ensure that all young people, regardless of background, can take part, providing bursaries and additional support where necessary.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on (a) sexual health, (b) drug and alcohol and (c) smoking public health initiatives in (i) England and Wales, (ii) London and (iii) each London borough in each year since 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    Spending in Wales on these initiatives is a matter for the Welsh government.

    Local authorities in England took over public health responsibility from April 2013 and are responsible for assessing local need and commissioning services and interventions to meet that need, using the Public Health Grant. They are free to determine their actual spend on services based on this assessment of need, but are required to report their spending on an annual basis. The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes statistics on local authority expenditure and total expenditure for sexual health services, drugs and alcohol services and smoking in England, London and London boroughs for the years 2013/14 and 2014/15. The links to the data are below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

    It is important to note that the expenditure on drug and alcohol services may not reflect all the resources that a local authority may have used on drug and alcohol misuse. For example community care budgets can be used to help people as part of their recovery from drug and/or alcohol dependency.

    Prior to April 2013 primary care trusts commissioned public health services and public health expenditure was not published separately. Alcohol misuse services and smoking cessation services were funded from general National Health Service allocations and figures on this spend prior to 2013/14 are not available centrally.

    Drug misuse services were funded from the Pooled Treatment Budget and figures for 2010/11 to 2012/13 are available at the links below:

    2010-11: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/adultptballocation2010-11final.pdf

    2011-12: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/drugfunding11-12annexc[0].pdf

    2012-13: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/drugfunding12-13v.xls

    “

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Prime Minister will take steps to speed up the legal process for cases involving ex-service personnel who have contracted mesothelioma; and if he will consider awarding equal compensation to the relatives of service personnel who have died while the process is ongoing.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pensions Scheme for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma. On 11 January 2016 (Official Report, column 612-613) I informed the House that 11 April 2016 would be the earliest date from which we could provide the option of a lump sum payment to Service veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma on or after 16 December 2015. If an accepted claim is concluded before 11 April 2016 and the individual has opted for a lump sum, payment of a War Disablement Pension and any supplementary allowances will begin in the normal way until the lump sum can be paid. The lump sum will be reduced to reflect the amounts paid until that point. If a claimant who has signed an option form to receive the lump sum dies before 11 April 2016 the lump sum will be paid to the veteran’s designated recipient.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of his Department’s overseas development assistance budget his Department spent was subject to the International Development Act 2002 in each of the last three years.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure on overseas development assistance is governed by the Supply and Appropriation Acts.

    MOD spending on overseas development assistance over the last three calendar years has been £3.0 million in 2013 and £2.2 million in 2014. The 2015 figure is currently undergoing an assurance process and is scheduled to be published on 1 April 2016. This expenditure has mainly been on humantarian assistance and defence education.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) training and (b) materiel support is being provided by his Department to Yazidi militia forces.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK is working with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure they are better able to protect their own diverse population, including the Yazidi and other minority communities. We have not provided any support directly to Yazidi militia forces.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a national heart condition screening programme using a minor non-intrusive test for all young people between the ages of 14 to 35.

    Jane Ellison

    The UK National Screening Committee reviewed the evidence for screening for the major causes of sudden cardiac death in young people between the ages of 12 to 39 in 2015 and recommended that screening should not be offered. The Committee is scheduled to review the evidence again in 2018-19, and will only consider bringing this forward if significant new peer reviewed evidence emerges.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2016 to Question 38441, what average rate people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection have served over their tariff.

    Andrew Selous

    The tariff period is the minimum amount of time that prisoners serving indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) must serve for the purposes of punishment and deterrence. Release is then a matter for the Independent Parole Board. The Parole Board will recommend release only once they are satisfied that prisoners’ risks have been reduced to a level that can be safely managed in the community.

    For those IPP prisoners who are beyond their tariff date the average period served post-tariff, rounded to the nearest year, is 4 years. This figure excludes IPP prisoners who have been released and subsequently recalled to custody.