Category: Speeches

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Children’s Society, The cost of being care free, published in June 2016, if he will take steps to provide additional protection for care leavers to reduce the number of benefits sanctions being applied to such people.

    Damian Hinds

    Our primary goal is to help care leavers get into work wherever possible and our interventions are tailored to achieve this. Care leavers aged between 18 and 21 have the opportunity to join the Work Programme from day one of their benefit claim, so that they receive tailored, locally-appropriate employment support at the earliest opportunity. We also provide additional support, over and above the standard Jobcentre Plus offer, to young claimants, including care leavers, aged 18-24. Work Coaches tailor interventions to the needs of the individual to address a variety of barriers to work, including improving job search skills, referral to skills and other work-related training such as Traineeships, Apprenticeships and work experience.

    We have safeguards in place for care leavers along with other claimants who may be considered vulnerable. Work Coaches support all claimants with complex needs, or who require additional support, to ensure that they fully understand what they have been asked to do to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services.

    Care leavers, like all claimants, take ownership of planning how they will meet their requirements and ultimately secure employment. They will be supported by their Work Coach who will assist them in meeting their requirements through providing encouragement and direction, using a range of communication methods.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating patients with glaucoma in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    Cost information is shown in the following table from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. The table shows the costs of a surgical procedure covering one episode of care under one consultant in an admitted patient or outpatient setting and does not include other elements of the patient pathway such as GP consultations or outpatient appointments. It is not possible to separately identify the costs of glaucoma in non-surgical appointments.

    Costs associated with glaucoma procedures, 2011/12 – 2013/14

    Healthcare Resource Group (HRG)

    Activity

    National average unit cost £

    Estimated total cost £ million

    2011/12

    Major Glaucoma Procedures

    2,248

    £1,440

    £3.2m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures

    33,842

    £387

    £13.1m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures

    17,194

    £293

    £5.0m

    Total

    £21.3m

    2012/13

    Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    1,206

    £1,665

    £2.0m

    Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    2,622

    £885

    £2.3m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    3,167

    £1,250

    £4.0m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    17,410

    £451

    £7.9m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+

    2,014

    £773

    £1.6m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0

    19,243

    £198

    £3.8m

    Total

    £21.6m

    2013/14

    Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    1,709

    £1,689

    £2.9m

    Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    3,129

    £884

    £2.8m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    3,384

    £1,236

    £4.2m

    Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    9,297

    £772

    £7.2m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+

    2,142

    £680

    £1.5m

    Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0

    24,688

    £181

    £4.5m

    Total

    £23.1m

    Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

    Notes:

    1. The HRG classification groups procedures into categories such as major, intermediate and minor, according to their complexity.
    2. Complication and comorbidity scores describe the illness severity and complexity of patients, and the additional resources required for their treatment.
  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much he plans to spend on defence engagement functions in each year from 2015 to 2020.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The Department is currently working to identify the implications of the Spending Review settlement for specific elements of the Defence budget, and has not yet confirmed the funding which will be allocated to Defence Engagement activities.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing penalties levied on employers who do not pay staff at least the national minimum wage.

    Nick Boles

    From April 2016, we are increasing the calculation of penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears owed. The penalty is reduced by half if employers pay within 14 days.

    By increasing the penalties for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) we intend to deter employers from breaking the law so that working people receive the money they are legally due.

    This new calculation ensures a tougher penalty for employers found to have underpaid the NMW.

    The fast track Impact Assessment for increasing the penalties has been validated by the Regulatory Policy Committee and published here – http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/324

    “

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to exempt employers from the proposed public sector exit payment cap if an employer can demonstrate that they are in the middle of an ongoing restructuring exercise.

    Greg Hands

    The Government made a manifesto commitment to end six-figure payouts in the public sector and wants to do so as soon as possible. These payments cost around £2 billion a year and it is important that they are fair, proportionate and provide value for money to the taxpayer that funds them. As such, the Government does not see any case for transitional arrangements to delay ending six-figure exit payments. However, the power for Ministers to relax the restrictions imposed by the cap provides the flexibility to do so in appropriate circumstances.

    Automatic indexing would fail to offer the flexibility that the clause currently provides for. As it stands, the Government can amend the level of the cap to take into account all prevailing circumstances, and with the additional scrutiny of the affirmative resolution procedure in Parliament.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which organisations have received public grant funding from her Department in each of the last three years; and what the purposes of each grant were.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The organisations that have received grant funding from DECC in FY2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 are summarised in the attached.

  • Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Higgins on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the increase in road congestion and the construction of Cycle Superhighways in London, how they will ensure that fire, ambulance, and other emergency service vehicles are able to use Superhighways in the event of a terrorist attack or other major incident.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    London’s cycle superhighways are the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). Emergency service vehicles operating under blue lights will always find the safest and fastest way possible to arrive at a major incident or terrorist attack. This could mean using any part of the highway, including, where necessary and where the road layout allows this, part of a cycle superhighway.

  • Craig Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Williams on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will provide guidance on what communications by e-cigarette manufacturers will fall to be considered as (a) informative and (b) promotional under the provision of the Tobacco Products Directive.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government recognises that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. At the same time, it is essential that we do not encourage smoking and that we continue to protect children from the dangers of nicotine. For this reason, the Department welcomes the new rules set out in the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which will apply in the United Kingdom from 20 May 2016.

    The Government has taken a minimal approach to transposition of the TPD provisions on e-cigarette advertising into UK law, taking into account existing European case law. The Directive requires a prohibition of e-cigarette advertising in certain media such as TV and newspapers and online, but not for example on billboards. The provisions are compatible with the right to an individual’s freedom of speech and do not prevent individuals’ independent reviews on social media or internet forums. These provisions are enacted by The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016/507 and changes to the Office of Communications Broadcast Codes.

    The Department will work in close partnership with the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards, including on the need for further guidance for businesses, especially in the first year of implementation to build compliance with the new requirements.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of staff in his Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

    Joseph Johnson

    The proportion of people working in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ who were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff are shown in the table below.

    Year ending 31 March

    Payroll

    Non payroll

    2012

    90%

    10%

    2013

    89%

    11%

    2014

    90%

    10%

    2015

    97%

    3%

    2016

    98%

    2%

    The data for 2012, 2013 and 2014 also includes people working in UKTI.

  • Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to accelerate the reunification of families for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.

    We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.

    We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.

    We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.