Category: Speeches

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 6424, what progress his Department has made on its internal review of employment status, launched on 6 October 2014.

    Nick Boles

    The internal review of employment status has now concluded.

    Ministers are carefully considering whether further steps are required to improve clarity and transparency for employers and individuals alike.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of seafarers that would be affected by the proposal in Question 35 of the Department for Health consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    UK regulations implementing Regulation 4.1. of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) make the shipowner responsible for meeting the cost of medical care for seafarers working on their ships, in order to ensure that such care is provided at no cost to the seafarer. Since the Department of Health’s proposal does not affect seafarers’ access to medical care at the point of need, no seafarers should be affected by the proposal, and there should be no impact on the welfare of seafarers. I am satisfied that the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation is not contrary to the requirements of the Convention.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the sustainability of tenant management organisations.

    Brandon Lewis

    Government allocated £1 million for support to tenant empowerment in 2015/16. Sustainability of tenant management organisations is determined by the management agreements they make with local authorities and the allowances they receive based on the service provided. Legislation is in place to provide for the Right to Manage and the Right to Transfer. Government has been working with the National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations to produce sector led guidance to support operational Tenant Management Organisations.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to sell government-owned assets in the Newcastle upon Tyne local authority area.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government is undertaking a programme to dispose of surplus Government owned land and property to improve the efficiency of the Government estate, deliver value for the taxpayer and support economic growth, in particular housing. The Government is committed to disposing of at least £5 billion of public sector land and property between 2015 and 2020 and freeing-up surplus Government owned land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes. This will involve selling surplus land and property across the country. In the Newcastle upon Tyne area for example, in the coming year, the Northumbria Probation Service Office at 6 Lansdown Terrace will be marketed for sale, and Network Rail are planning to release a former freight site at Heaton Down Yard for development. All Departments are working to accelerate the release of their surplus property and get it to market, so that it can deliver local benefits and value.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines his Department issues to NHS Foundation Trusts on the publication of board papers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department does not issue guidelines on the publication of board papers to National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs).

    The NHS Foundation Trust Code of Governance from NHS Improvement provides best practice guidance to help FTs deliver effective corporate governance, contribute to better organisational performance and ultimately discharge their duties in the best interests of patients. There is no recommendation in relation to publication of board papers however FTs may outline their decisions for board papers in their constitutions.

    Provisions in the 2006 Act amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 require the board of directors of FTs to hold meetings in public, giving members and the wider public a direct understanding of the delivery of their healthcare services, and the opportunity to challenge and scrutinise decision making. The Act also requires directors to send their governors agendas for, and minutes of, their board meetings.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Government has had with the European Investment Bank on continued investment in the UK following the UK leaving the EU; and how many loans were issued by the European Investment Bank to projects in each region of the UK in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK Governor of the European Investment Bank and continues to fulfil his governance duties. The Chancellor continues to meet his European counterparts on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues.

    The EIB publish all loans made to UK borrowers as well as details on future projects yet to be financed. In 2015 the EIB lent over €7.77bn to UK projects. The link below provides full details on EIB lending to the UK.

    http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/european-union/united-kingdom/index.htm

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the level of deposition of lead gunshot in wetland and terrestrial habitats.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effect of lead shot on human and wildlife health and will respond as soon as possible.

    The Food Standards Agency has produced advice on the consumption of lead shot game which can be accessed at https://www.food.gov.uk/science/advice-to-frequent-eaters-of-game-shot-with-lead.

    “

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the forms on her Department’s website is available in Welsh.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office currently provides 336 forms in total on GOV.UK, of which 5 are published in the Welsh language, representing 1.5% of the total.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    At the 18 January 2016, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had a total of 12 public use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the FCO’s four UK sites while FCO tenants at Hanslope Park have an additional 15 AEDs for their own internal use.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the health status of low-income university students in comparison to other university students.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We have made no specific assessment of that issue. However, whilst higher education is an adult environment, it is a long-established principle that universities have a duty of care to their students.

    Where health issues are related to a disability, universities have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled students and to monitor their compliance with their Equality Act duties. The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 require institutions to publish information as to their compliance with the general public sector equality duty.

    There is a range of guidance and support available to institutions on supporting students with mental health conditions from a range of sector and medical bodies including Universities UK (UUK), the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE).