Category: Speeches

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans continued participation in Frontex after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The European Border and Coast Guard was launched on 6 October, building on and replacing Frontex. The new Agency builds on provisions of the Schengen agreement in which the UK does not participate. The UK is not therefore bound by the new regulation although we are supportive of steps to increase the security of the external Schengen border and currently participate in Frontex operations on a voluntary basis, agreed by the Management Board.

    Our future cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be considered as part of wider negotiations for the UK’s exit from the EU. The Prime Minister has made clear that the Government will not be giving a running commentary on negotiations.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend how the pupil premium is paid in order to reward schools that consistently improve results for all pupils while narrowing the attainment gap.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have no plans to change the basis on which the pupil premium is distributed to schools.

    Our school reforms are intended to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. This includes the new ‘progress 8’ performance measure for secondary schools, so that schools are recognised for the improved achievement of every child.

  • Martyn Day – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Martyn Day – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for reaching a decision on the proposals to add Dupuytren’s Contracture to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The proposal to add Dupuytren’s Contracture is still under consideration and a decision on this will be made in due course.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of homeless families with children who are living in bed and breakfast accommodation have been in that accommodation for more than six weeks.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    As at 30 September 2015 there were 3,000 families with children in bed and breakfast style accommodation in England, of which 960 had been in bed and breakfast style accommodation for longer than six weeks.

    Whilst this is less than the previous peak, we are clear the long term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children is both unacceptable and unlawful. The law and statutory guidance make clear it should only ever be used in an emergency, and then for no longer than six weeks.

    Tackling and preventing homelessness remains a priority and that is why we have protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, through the provisional local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20 , increased central government funding for homelessness programmes to £139 million over the Spending Review period; and have made a commitment to work with local authorities, homelessness organisations and across Departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department’s policy is on increasing the autonomy of prison governors to make decisions about the day-to-day running of their prisons.

    Andrew Selous

    We intend to put the tools to drive improvements in how prisons are run in the hands of those at the frontline who know best what works. As the Prime Minister announced on 8 February, we will create 6 new reform prisons to spearhead this, with further change to follow.

    Reform prisons will give Prison Governors the freedom to find better ways of rehabilitating offenders. Reform prisons will have one resource budget and discretion over how they spend it, rather than the current system which means Governors cannot transfer money between different budgets. They will be able to opt out of national contracts and services and choose their own suppliers such as education providers – who they can then hold to account for the quality of the service provided. They will also have much more freedom to tailor their own regimes – for example, deciding on additional visits to support family ties, or the amount of time spend ‘out of cell’ doing purposeful activity.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5795), when NHS England’s plan for future hepatitis C funding will be finalised, how many patients will be able to access hepatitis C treatment via NHS England’s plan for future hepatitis C funding, and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of NHS England’s plan once it is finalised.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Based on the modelling produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS England has set out the NHS planning assumptions for hepatitis C in March 2016 for the financial year 2016/17. We understand that this has been shared with Members of Parliament and noble Lords, operational delivery networks, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders.

    An expected 6,500 patients will have been treated for the 12 months ending March 2016. NHS England and providers are planning for 10,000 patients to be treated in the 12 months from April 2016 to March 2017.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tools are available to the Inland Revenue to ensure that local employees at foreign embassies in London pay their tax, apart from individuals voluntarily registering for Self Assessment.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs have a specialist team to deal with the tax affairs of locally engaged staff employed at foreign embassies and International organisations in the UK. The team is tasked with ensuring that these employees pay the appropriate tax and National Insurance.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police, emergency responders and other security and military personnel have been deployed from other EU member states to respond to emergencies and other security threats in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr John Hayes

    The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27762, on roads: suicide, how many suicides or attempted suicides have been recorded on the Strategic Road Network in 2016 up to the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England’s systems are used to record incidents that occur on the Strategic Road Network.

    Between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2016, the number of incidents defined as either suicide or attempted suicide was 568.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to require that EU staff employed at Northwood relocate to another country after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mike Penning

    The European Union (EU) Staff employed at Northwood within the EU Operational Headquarters (OHQ) and the NATO Maritime Commander (MARCOM)’s Headquarters provide vital support to Operation ATALANTA (a Counter-Piracy mission off the Horn of Africa) and broader NATO Maritime Operations.

    The requirement for the OHQ, its location, and its EU Staff depend on a continuing mandate (expected to be extended until December 2018) and decisions of the EU; and the UK supports continued NATO – EU cooperation including that through MARCOM.

    There are are no current plans to relocate the OHQ or EU staff from Northwood.