Category: Speeches

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that mental health diagnostic and other services are (i) accessible and (ii) meet the needs of (A) children and (B) adults on the autism spectrum.

    Alistair Burt

    We know that people with autism can experience common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as other mental illnesses. Over £400 million has been invested in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies to ensure access to talking therapies for those who need them, including those with autism.

    An additional investment of £1.4 billion has been allocated to children and young people’s mental health services over the course of this Parliament. The Department is working closely with NHS England to invest in clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to deliver Local Transformation Plans, which must address the full spectrum of need including children with autism and learning disabilities. Roll-out of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programmes by 2018 will extend access to training for staff working with children with autism.

    With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to (CCGs) where there is good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard 51 Autism, and to those that do not, with the aim of identifying best practice on diagnosis and support.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a zero hours contract in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • 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 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2014 to Question 215333, what amount was paid to Transport for London in relation to the decision to raise Transport for London rail fares by the retail price index in January 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport compensated Transport for London (TfL) in full for the projected impact on their revenues of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s September 2014 announcement on regulated rail fares. The Department did this by paying TfL an additional £43 million, spread over two financial years (£7m in 2014/15, and £36m in 2015/16), by means of a variation to their core grant (the GLA transport grant, paid under section 101 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999). This followed consultation with HM Treasury and with the Greater London Authority.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the European Commission about introduction of the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base.

    Mr David Gauke

    Tax policy is a matter for national governments and direct tax files are subject to a unanimous vote in the Council. The Government has made it very clear to the European Commission that the UK will not sign up to the CCCTB, or any other measure that would undermine our tax sovereignty or risk harming the competitiveness and growth prospects of the Single Market.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants and diplomats form part of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU; how many such officials there were in each pay band in each of the last five years; and what the total staffing cost of UKREP was in 2015-16.

    Mr David Lidington

    UKRep includes staff from a number of different Government Departments. The number of staff employed by UKRep varies throughout the year, depending on changing requirements at the Representation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has 122 full time posts at UKRep, both UK based and Locally Engaged. Details of the current senior team at UKRep can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-representation-to-the-eu/about/our-governance .

    A breakdown of officials by pay band for the last five years could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost; however FCO’s annual report and accounts for each financial year, including an overview of salary costs, can be found on GOV.UK .

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to support the establishment of independent international monitoring mechanisms in Yemen to investigate human rights violations on all sides of the conflict.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights. It is important to continue to support this process until the Commission has reported back to the Human Rights Council in September 2016 where the discussions about the need for any alternative measures can be properly informed.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprentices who are of an ethnic minority.

    Robert Halfon

    In 2014/15, 10.6% of those starting an apprenticeship had a BAME background.

    The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of apprentices from a BAME background by 20% by 2020.

    We want to increase the quality and quantity of all apprenticeships, including for those from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background.

    We have taken action through our current marketing campaign, ‘Get in Go Far’ to ensure that there is clear representation from BAME apprentices. Research undertaken prior to the campaign ensured that it could reach a diverse audience. In addition, we have established a network of employer Diversity Champions, who are committed to sharing good practice and raising awareness of apprenticeships amongst employers.

    Research has been commissioned to explore potential barriers that BAME applicants for apprenticeships face so that we can provide support to improve the rates of success for this group. We have started detailed analysis of apprenticeship data to identify areas of under-representation and areas of potential for growth. We are currently developing options to take forward.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

    James Brokenshire

    My Department does not directly employ any cleaning staff within the Westminster estate, we utilise contracted services provided by HM Treasury.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 7.4 of the Explanatory Memorandum for the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1753), when he plans for the first instalments of additional funding under the Targeted Affordability Fund to be made available to local authorities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Since 2014/15 the Government has made available £140 million in Targeted Affordability Funding (TAF). Over the next five years TAF will be drawn from recycling a percentage of the savings from the freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. As a result of the level of savings produced by the freeze next year there will be no TAF available in 2016/17; however, there will be funding from 2017/18 to 2020/21.

    From 2017/18 around 30 per cent of the potential savings per year from the freeze to LHA will be used to support areas where higher rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.

    The level of TAF in 2016/17 would have been the same if, as planned, LHA rates had been uprated by CPI inflation. This is because the CPI forecast in September was zero (0.01 per cent) and therefore LHA rates would not increase in 2016/17 but would remain at the 2015/16 levels.

    The amounts of TAF which will be available each year from 2017/18 and the plans to distribute it will be announced in due course.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many section 95 support claims for asylum seekers have been subject to processing delays of more than 14 days in the last 12 months; and how many on-going claims are subject to delays of more than 14 days.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    However we continue to meet our statutory duties to accommodate and support destitute asylum seekers. Assessment of eligibility for support remains a priority. Since April 2015, 82% (14,112) of section 95 applications have been processed within 10 working days.