Category: Speeches

  • Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cyber specials there are in police forces; and how many such people have been recruited since January 2015.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not hold specific data in relation to this issue. We have consulted with the National Crime Agency (NCA) in providing this response in relation to NCA figures. We have provided a response to the police force question using information provided by forces. This is not exhaustive and therefore may not reflect the full number of Cyber Specials in place. Cyber Specials can be either Special Constables or volunteers.

    There are 15 NCA Specials who have particular expertise in cyber crime. The NCA are also now recruiting a further seven. From the 15 in post now, 10 have been recruited since January 2015.

    There are at least 23 Cyber Specials in police forces across England and Wales. In addition, a further nine are currently being recruited. From the 23 in post now, at least four have been recruited since January 2015.

  • Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a scheme based on the actuarial pension model to increase the speed at which women born in the 1950s qualify for state pension.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The State Pension is funded through the National Insurance scheme which does not bear comparison with a commercially operated one.

    Although eligibility for the State Pension is dependent in part on the payment of National Insurance, the National Insurance system is not an individual pension fund. National Insurance credits are available for many people to help them build entitlement towards the State Pension. National Insurance contributions also give entitlement to a range of other benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Carer’s Allowance.

    Future entitlement to benefits is a matter for the Government and Parliament to decide, and the changes to the State Pension age have been made in conjunction with introducing the triple-lock protection of the basic State Pension, the introduction of the new State Pension, and the protection of other pensioner benefits.

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans are in place to alleviate the increased demands on neighbouring GP practices when a practice closes.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England is statutorily accountable for ensuring that patients have access to a general practitioner (GP) practice. In the event of a practice closure, NHS England will assess the need for a replacement provider before dispersing a list when a GP surgery closes. A decision to disperse a list will be made on the basis that there is capacity in neighbouring practices to absorb the additional patient numbers.

    To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. The Primary Care Outcomes Framework is published nationally and is derived from data submitted by individual practices on service levels and outcomes alongside national patient survey data on patient satisfaction. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health & Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.

    There is no national guidance on the ratio of patients to doctors in GP practices. In recent years, the development of the wider primary care teams (with nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and therapists) means that a focus on the ratio of patients to doctors has less meaning than in previous years. The national workforce survey allows NHS England to benchmark individual practices in terms of the staffing to patient ratio.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that there should be a learning disability liaison nurse in every acute hospital in England.

    Ben Gummer

    Staffing levels are the responsibility of National Health Service organisations, which must make sure the number of staff and skill mix of the workforce, reflects patient care needs and local requirements. It is therefore up to NHS trusts to make decisions about employing learning disability nurses.

    The Strengthening the Commitment: The report of the UK Modernising Learning Disability Nursing Review (2012) centred on strengthening the capacity, capability, quality and leadership of the learning disabilities nursing profession to ensure that people with learning disabilities have access to the expert nursing care they need. The Department has set up a Strengthening the Commitment Implementation Group in England to take forward the recommendations including the employment of learning disability nurses within acute hospitals.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has held with football associations and police forces on ensuring security and protection for fans travelling abroad for the European Championships.

    David Evennett

    My Department has regular discussions with both the Home Office and the FCO on a range of matters in relation to the 2016 UEFA European Football Championships taking place in France this summer. Departments are in contact with the relevant football associations, and fans attending the tournament will be encouraged to follow the Government’s official travel advice.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will confirm that any funding received as a result of the application for EU Solidarity Fund Assistance will be distributed to those communities affected by recent flooding.

    James Wharton

    We are determined to do all we can to support flood-affected areas, which is why we have already paid out over £250 million to ensure that communities and businesses can get back on their feet as soon as possible. Once our application to the EU Solidarity Fund has been finalised, and approved by the Commission, we will consider how any additional funding should be used.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of noise caused by the training of military aircraft pilots on local communities; and what steps his Department is taking to minimise such noise disturbance.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities to the general public very seriously indeed and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to the general public. Unfortunately, there are no uninhabited areas of the UK large enough to cater for essential training needs. Restrictions are placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK Military Low Flying System.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the length of time between the publication of his Department’s planned consultation on a proposed secondary market for annuities and the planned introduction of that market for the pensions industry to prepare for that introduction; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of that period on the effective introduction of that market.

    Simon Kirby

    To date, the Government has published the following consultation documents in relation to the secondary market in annuities policy:

    Creating a secondary annuity market – March 2015

    Creating a secondary annuity market: response to the call for evidence – December 2015

    Creating a secondary annuity market: tax framework – April 2016

    Creating a secondary market for annuities – secondary legislation – April 2016

    These consultations have now closed. The Government will respond shortly.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) the amount of any underspend expected against departmental expenditure limits in the current fiscal year and (b) his Department’s latest forecast of total annually managed expenditure spend for this year is; and what the forecasts were for those sums at the time of the Summer Budget 2015 and March Budget 2015.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Cabinet Office is not forecasting any underspend against departmental expenditure limits in the current fiscal year. There was no underspend forecast at the time of the Summer Budget 2015 or the March Budget 2015 either.

    The Department’s latest forecast of total annually managed expenditure is £5 million, in line with the budget for 2015-16.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many visits Ministers have made to the Northern Ireland Office in Brussels since 2010.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I have made one visit to the Northern Ireland Executive office in Brussels.