Category: Speeches

Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken in Block 3F testing of the F-35B Lightning II mission systems software on the planned commencement of formal initial operational test and evaluation development of that aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne

The development and associated flight testing of the Block 3F software is due to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2017. This will allow operational test and evaluation to commence in time to support the UK’s planned Initial Operating Capability of December 2018.

01/01/2023
Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it compulsory for people working in residential care homes to be trained in (a) mental health screening and (b) bereavement counselling.

Alistair Burt

All providers of health or adult social care activities that fall under the supervision of the Care Quality Commission already have a legal duty to ensure that all staff working to provide those activities have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience necessary for the work to be performed.

The Department of Health in England is not planning to bring forward further legislative proposals to make it compulsory for people working in residential care homes to be trained in mental health screening and bereavement counselling.

01/01/2023
Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Mk4A upgrade is expected to increase the yield of the warhead.

Mr Philip Dunne

The UK currently fields the Trident Mk4 warhead as part of the Trident Strategic Weapons System. In order to ensure continuity of the Mk4-based capability, the Mk4A Arming, Fuzing and Firing system is a non-nuclear component being introduced into the UK Trident warhead to replace a similar component. The Mk4A programme will not increase the destructive power of the warhead.

Approval to procure the new Arming, Firing and Fuzing mechanisms, to manage obsolescence in Mk4 and to adopt a Mk4A component was given in January 2006. I am withholding further details of the date of the Mk4A component’s entry into service, the cost of the Mk4A programme and the extension in operational life expected for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

01/01/2023
Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable for publication is of the Freud Review into housing benefit changes and their impact on supported accommodation.

Caroline Nokes

The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.

01/01/2023
Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the renewable subsidies programme on household electricity bills.

Jesse Norman

Renewables subsidies are estimated to account for around 6% of an average household dual fuel bill of £1,029 in 2016.*

* Source: National Audit Office analysis of Department of Energy & Climate Change data, July 2016. Figures in real 2011/12 prices.

01/01/2023
Lord Harries of Pentregarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harries of Pentregarth on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether reporters are now allowed to enter West Papua; and if not, what representations they are making to the government of Indonesia to allow access to the press.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We welcome the Indonesian government’s commitment to improving the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. This includes President Joko Widodo’s visit in May, when he granted clemency to a number of prisoners and announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists. Since May, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua.

01/01/2023
Lord Scriven – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-12-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Sheffield City Region Devolution Agreement that has been signed by the leaders and the mayor of four councils in South Yorkshire is final, and whether before signing the signatories were informed that the powers of the mayor for the Sheffield City Region set out in paragraph 4 could be further negotiated.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

All deals are agreed in principle, and are subject to the passage of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill and relevant secondary legislation. There is a clear understanding – stipulated in the deal document – that discussions will be on-going and that further powers may be devolved in the future, as has been the case with Greater Manchester.

01/01/2023
Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to eliminate food insecurity in developing countries.

Baroness Verma

The UK believes that poverty is the main cause of hunger, as most people are hungry or undernourished because they cannot afford to buy sufficient nutritious food. Much of the solution to hunger will therefore depend on inclusive economic growth, in particular in the agriculture sector. We have just published our new Conceptual Framework on Agriculture which sets out our priorities to accelerate impact on economic development, poverty reduction, and sustainable food systems and nutrition.

Alongside this policy work, the UK has committed to a number of results that will deliver on the Global Goals, particularly on ending hunger. First, our nutrition manifesto commitment will improve by 2020 the nutrition of 50 million people who would otherwise go hungry. Second, with other Nutrition for Growth (N4G) signatories, we will prevent 20 million children becoming stunted. Lastly, in 2015, alongside other G7 countries, we will help address hunger and malnutrition among 500 million people by 2030 as part of the G7 Broad Food Security and Nutrition Development Approach agreed in Elmau.

01/01/2023
Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22264, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on recovery outcomes for ill Gulf War veterans of the research that his Department has funded into rehabilitative therapies for such veterans.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) funded the first stage of a trial at Cardiff University to develop a treatment programme for ill Gulf veterans. Unfortunately there were difficulties with the recruitment of Gulf War veterans and the Department took the decision not to proceed with the second phase of the trial.

The MOD has made no assessment of the recovery outcomes for ill Gulf War veterans that took part in that trial.

01/01/2023

Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are registered at each GP surgery in Mid Sussex constituency; what the capacity of each such surgery is; and how many such surgeries are over-subscribed.

Alistair Burt

NHS England advises that surgeries do not have a specific maximum number of patients allowed to register at a general practitioner (GP) surgery. If a practice considers that it has too many patients registered, or wishing to register, then it may request a temporary list closure, try and recruit more GPs/nurses, or may extend its premises.

NHS England confirms that in Horsham and Mid Sussex there is currently one surgery which has a capped list and has made a formal application to NHS England to close its list which is under consideration. This practice is Ship Street Surgery in East Grinstead.

NHS England has provided the information as shown in the following tables.

GP practices in the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group area, with current list sizes (number of registered patients):

Meadows Surgery	9,643
Cowfold Surgery	4,575
Cuckfield Medical Centre	8,624
Ship Street Surgery	11,811
Judges Close Surgery	7,857
Park Surgery Horsham	24,397
Rudgwick Medical Centre	3,488
Courtyard Surgery	8,786
Lindfield Medical Centre	11,150
Orchard Surgery Horsham	9,418
Health Centre at Bowers Place	8,099
Dolphins Health Centre	11,955
Newtons Health Centre	13,839
Mid Sussex Health Care	19,322
Moatfield Surgery	13,713
Silverdale Practice	11,694
Brow Medical Centre	6,366
Riverside Surgery	7,622
The Village Surgery	8,188
Northlands Wood Surgery	6,621
Ouse Valley Practice	6,675
Park View Health Partnership	5,509
Holbrook Surgery	15,240

Source: NHS England. Validated but unpublished information on GP practice list sizes from an approved statistical collection.

01/01/2023