Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of people being diagnosed with enlarged prostates.

    David Mowat

    In the majority of men, the prostate grows larger with age, and patients usually present to a general practitioner with symptoms of an enlarged prostate after the age of 50. Symptoms can include: weak urine flow; needing to urinate more often, especially at night; a feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly; and, difficulty starting to urinate. Some men find their symptoms are manageable and cause few problems, other find their symptoms worsening, which can impact on wellbeing and quality of life.

    For patients who need treatment, there are a number of approaches available including lifestyle and dietary adjustments, medicines and surgery.

  • Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Leigh on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce differences in urban and rural school funding.

    Justine Greening

    The government is committed to a national funding formula that will deliver fairness to all parts of the country – rural and urban, north and south.

    In the first stage of our consultation, we proposed including a sparsity factor which would help rural schools, as well as a lump sum factor which would help small schools everywhere.

    We will both respond to the first consultation and launch the second stage consultation later in the autumn.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the agreement signed with China to fund Hinckley Point C nuclear reactor includes funding from China for (a) decommissioning costs and (b) emergency clean-up costs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The basis on which Chinese companies will invest in the Hinkley Point C project is set out in the strategic investor agreement agreed between EDF and CGN in October. The terms of this agreement are a matter for EDF.

    Operators of new nuclear power stations are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear related construction can begin. The FDP sets out how a new nuclear operator will make secure financial provision for decommissioning their power station and managing and disposing of its waste without recourse to the taxpayer.

    Operators of nuclear power stations are also required to put in place insurance or other financial security to meet their nuclear third party liabilities.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect of limiting the backdating of housing benefit to a maximum of one month on (a) the ability of tenants to pay any rent arrears accrued after a delay in applying for housing benefit and (b) the willingness of landlords in the private rented sector to let properties to people claiming housing benefit.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There is no evidence to indicate that limiting the permitted backdating of housing benefit to a month will either increase rent arrears, or affect private landlords’ willingness to let properties to people claiming housing benefit.

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the annual cost of providing places on the National Citizen Service for all children aged 16 and 17.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    Over 200,000 young people have benefitted from the National Citizen Service (NCS) since 2011. In 2014 57,789 young people took part. The figure for 2015 will be made available after an independent evaluation later this year.

    The Prime Minister has announced the ambition to expand the programme to 60% of all 16 year olds by 2021 and this is the target we aim to deliver.

    The funding for NCS was announced in the autumn statement and spending review. More than £1billion has been committed to the expansion of NCS in this parliament.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that proposed revisions to the sentencing guideline for guilty plea reductions do not lead to a culture of plea bargaining.

    Dominic Raab

    On 11 February the independent Sentencing Council launched a consultation on a new proposed guideline for reductions in sentence for a guilty plea. This is a consultation, and no decisions have been made. Accepting a plea is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. All decisions by the prosecution are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Le Bureau d’Enguetes et d’Analyses report into Andreas Lubitz, published on 13 March 2016, if his Department will bring forward proposals to enable airlines to access mental health records of pilots within their employment.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK has a long held, well-established and robust process for certifying the ‘fitness to fly’ of pilots.

    The General Medical Council (GMC) has guidelines for doctors which give UK doctors an ethical duty to report concerns about a patient to the relevant authority if that condition presents a risk to public safety and the patient hasn’t reported it.

    Medical requirements for commercial pilots are determined by European Legislation. In response to the Germanwings crash in March 2015, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing a European aeromedical data repository system which will be deployed by December 2016. This repository system will contain the current fitness to fly status of all European pilots. It is important that this repository is implemented on a European-wide basis, as many pilots who work in the UK or work for UK airlines are not resident in the UK, are not British nationals and have medical certificates that are overseen by other European States.

    It is in the UK’s interests for all pilots flying in Europe to be subject to a high standard of medical fitness and common legislation, in the interests of aviation safety.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of its recent increases in financial support for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Egypt on the ability of those NGOs to operate effectively.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Our assessment is that programme effectiveness has not been compromised to date, despite growing restrictions on civil society. However, we continually review our programming to ensure it has maximum impact and represents value for money for the taxpayer.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average length of time is that feed-in tariff applications have been queued since applying for full accreditation; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the timelines of that accreditation process.

    Jesse Norman

    Ofgem aims to approve applications in under 12 weeks where all the necessary information has been provided. Those applications still in the process after 12 weeks are likely to be complex or require further clarification from the applicant. The average time that full accreditation applications have been in the queue since applying is currently five and a half months.

    Ofgem is committed to continuous improvement of accreditation processes and works with applicants to get applications approved as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this Ofgem has now doubled the level of staffing in this area and made process improvements.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many notifications her Department has received under section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 relating to slavery or human trafficking of (a) children and (b) adults.

    Sarah Newton

    We published guidance on the Modern Slavery Act on GOV.UK and a circular was sent to all bodies who are subject to the duty. We will publish data on notifications received and carry out further awareness-raising activity later this year.