Category: Speeches

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the figures on central government spend with small and medium-sized enterprises, published on 5 December 2015, how much of the £12.1 billion was spent in 2014-15 with businesses located in the OL1, OL2, OL3, OL4, OL8, OL9 and M35 postcode areas.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Crown Commercial Service only collects regional spend data for direct spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so the following figures, which are taken from the Governments Spend Analytical tool, Bravo, do not incorporate spend through the supply chain.

    Direct spend with SMEs of £205,978,657.91 was reported in 2014-15 for the North West of England.

    During the same period, the following amounts were reported as going to small businesses in the requested locations:

    OL1 – £2,706,290.86

    OL2 – £18,611.30

    OL3 – £54,984.10

    OL4 – £66,325.40

    OL8 – £83,737.93

    OL9 – £566,399.25

    M35 – £76,074.91

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is per patient attending a GP’s surgery in Southampton.

    Alistair Burt

    The requested information is not collected.

    NHS England advises that general practitioners (GPs) are funded per head of population to deliver GP medical services. The Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be commissioning primary care on behalf of NHS England from 1 April 2016 and NHS England confirms across the CCG’s forecast population this funding is £124 per head of population.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the Report, Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction, published by the Royal College of Physicians in April 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has and will continue to keep abreast of all evidence and consider it in developing policy. The report published by the Royal College of Physicians is consistent with the Government’s current policy that the best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking and quit for good but that e-cigarettes have a role to play in helping some people quit.

  • Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lisvane on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the measures announced in the Queen’s Speech will be published in draft and subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Government is committed to facilitating pre-legislative scrutiny when it is possible to do so. In the last session five draft Bills or packages of draft legislation were published. Announcements will be made in due course about draft legislation to be published in the current session.

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

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the station to be built at Euston in accordance with Additional Provision 3 to the High Speed Rail (London–West Midlands) Bill will be designed in such a way that Regulation 3 of the Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009 applies.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Regulation 3, of The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009, provides a definition for whether a railway station is classified as a sub-surface railway station. The definition is based on the extent of enclosed/below ground platforms and tracks within a public railway station. When the definition is met the Regulations apply.

    The high speed station at Euston is defined as a sub-surface railway station (as per Regulation 3). The Regulations are applied to the design of the high speed station, and the existing LU Station.

    The Regulations have not been applied to the existing conventional station, which is not currently classified as a sub-surface railway station.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about oil and gas reserves off the coast of Gaza.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The gas fields off the coast of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a commercial matter. We remain in regular contact with British Gas, the Palestinian Authority and the government of Israel about the exploration of offshore oil and gas.

  • Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received from local authorities on the time taken to implement Education Health Care Plans.

    Edward Timpson

    Special Educational Needs (SEN) advisers within the Department are in regular contact with local authorities, to provide them with support as they implement our reforms to the system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

    These reforms were introduced in September 2014. Since October 2013, local authorities and parents have taken part in termly surveys, to provide their views on the preparation and implementation of these reforms. These surveys asked for feedback on various issues, such as the transition of children and young people with SEN statements; learning difficulty assessments (LDAs); Education, Health, and Care Plans; and the introduction of EHC Plans more generally.

    In response to this feedback, the Department announced a change to the transition arrangements on 10 July 2015. From 1 September 2015, a local authority has 18 weeks, following a notice period of two weeks, to conclude a transfer review, when considering whether to replace an SEN statement with an EHC Plan. This maximum time limit has been extended from 14 weeks. The Department has also provided support for local areas in managing this transition process: this support includes a series of regional workshops in September and October 2015, led by DfE SEN advisers.

    Local authorities have until 1 April 2018 to conclude transitions from SEN statements to EHC plans for all children in their area. Young people in further education and training who receive support as a result of an LDA can choose to request an EHC needs assessment. All young people who receive support as a result of an LDA, who will continue in further education or training beyond 1 September 2016, must have an EHC plan by that date, where one is needed.

    We continue to monitor progress with implementation.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the ratio of students to instructors in Force Development and Adventure Training is; whether there is a different ratio of students to instructors for each of those activities; whether that ratio has changed in the last 10 years; whether he plans to review that ratio as a result of the Force Development and Adventure Training review; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Force Development (FD) and Adventurous Training (AT) are governed separately. AT instructor to student ratios for each approved AT activity are laid out in Joint Service Policy (JSP) 419 (Joint Services Adventurous Training), which can be found at the following website:

    www.raf.mod.uk/rafhpa/rafcms/mediafiles/3033F0D5_5056_A318_A81B12353A721C24.pdf

    FD is a term predominantly utilised by the Royal Air Force and is made up of many delivery mechanisms, including AT, collective training and military exercises. The instructor to student ratio varies according to the activity risk assessment, which is carried out for each activity. Where AT is used as a delivery mechanism for FD, instructor to student ratios within JSP419 will be used.

    The policy for AT student to instructor ratios is regularly reviewed and updated.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 11 January 2016 on parenting classes, (a) how many hours of such classes will be provided to parents and (b) whether there will be a cost to parents participating in such classes.

    Priti Patel

    The Department will be working through the details of what will be provided by the contracted relationship support provision in the next few months.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have represented themselves as litigants in person in (a) civil, (b) criminal and (c) family courts in 2015-16 to date.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice does not collect information centrally on Litigants in Person in civil related court cases, criminal court cases or family court cases.