Category: Speeches

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department provides to the NHS to treat people with gambling addictions.

    Alistair Burt

    The Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust provides the only specialised national problem gambling clinic. However, specialised addiction services, which mainly deal with substance misuse, do tend to accept people with gambling problems referred to them. People can also access addiction services in primary care and secondary care, which may provide support for problem gambling.

    People may also access psychological therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. Although problem gambling is not listed amongst the provisional diagnosis categories that IAPT treats, IAPT practitioners would be able to treat common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, which may be present in people with gambling addiction problems.

    Data is not collected centrally on the number of specialist National Health Service professionals which provide support and treatment for gambling addiction.

    Data is not collected on the funding of services to treat people with gambling problems. Funding to provide NHS mental health services is allocated to clinical commissioning groups which are best placed to commission local health services based on the needs of their local populations. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning local alcohol and drug treatment services which may also refer people to gambling support services where they identify people with gambling issues.

  • Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the last meeting of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network was held, what actions have been taken since that meeting, and when the next meeting is scheduled to take place.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The last meeting of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network was held on 5 November 2014. A copy of the minutes from the meeting is attached.

    Following that meeting, on 6 November 2014, the Department published the results of the independent Campden BRI report on the Responsibility Deal labelling pledge. This showed that by the end of 2013, 79.3% of labels of bottles and cans of alcoholic drinks displayed unit content, the previous Chief Medical Officer’s lower-risk drinking guidelines and a warning about drinking when pregnant. On 19 December 2014 the Department also published the results of the monitoring of the Responsibility Deal pledge to remove 1 billion units of alcohol from the market by the end of 2015. This showed that the target had been exceeded by 0.3 billion units and was met two years ahead of schedule.

    There are currently no plans for a further meeting of the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network. However, the Government remains committed to partnership working.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent from the public purse on advertising the Government’s Own Your Home scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to supporting home ownership and the Own Your Home campaign is designed to increase awareness of government home buying schemes amongst first time buyers.

    In 2015/2016 spend on the campaign has been approximately £4 million. Activity consisted of radio, press and consumer advertising, out of home on-street bus stop posters, digital and Facebook advertising and a series of ‘How to’ online videos promoted through You Tube.

    On average around 140 people are helped through government home buying schemes every day and over 335,000 households have been helped to buy a property since 2010, through schemes like Help to Buy and the reinvigorated Right to Buy.

  • Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what amount her Department has spent to date on underwriting salaries of staff at free schools whose schools did not open or open on time.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education does not have a full breakdown of revenue spent on staff salaries for proposed free school projects.

    The total pre-opening expenditure for free school projects is published on GOV.UK:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-expenditure-for-free-schools

    We will shortly update this information to include projects that opened or were withdrawn or cancelled up to September 2015.

    “

  • Emma Lewell-Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Emma Lewell-Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that supply chain contracts from the Beatrice offshore wind project will create jobs in the UK.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department, together with UKTI and BIS, work closely with the Beatrice offshore wind farm developer to ensure that UK companies are able to bid for contracts in an open and fair competition process to maximise the UK content in the wind farm.

    Offshore Wind Developers have committed to achieving their vision statement of providing over 50% UK content in UK offshore wind farms. There is an agreed industry standard methodology in place for the Industry to measure and record the UK content in each offshore wind farm. The industry publishes the anonymised and consolidated results to allow the sector and the public to track the sector’s progress towards fulfilling their vision.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer submitted to Question 21401, what new or changed policies her Department has implemented as a result of the evidence submitted.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We have not implemented new policies specifically as a result of the call for evidence on park homes. The evidence did support decisions made on the Warm Home Discount where this scheme year we have introduced a pilot scheme to allow eligible park home residents to apply for £140 to help with their energy bills.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the extension of the plug-in grant to motorcycles; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has received representations from the Motorcycle Industry Association on a consumer incentive for zero emission motorcycles, as well as correspondence form the public at official level.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to assist UK firms to access Chinese markets.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    As part of the Government’s new ‘whole of Government’ Trade Strategy, Departments are working together to make it easier for UK businesses, including Small and Medium Enterprises, to take advantage of overseas opportunities. This includes significant opportunities in China, which generates over a quarter of global growth. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State, my right Hon. Friend the member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) have both visited Beijing in 2016, in order to: emphasise the UK’s comparative advantages in sectors that are important to China’s ongoing economic reform; stress the importance of improved market access and a reliable business environment for British companies; and encourage China to address overcapacity. The Secretary of State for Business, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr Javid) also held talks with his counterpart in Birmingham in February, encouraging further Chinese investment into the regions of the UK. We will continue to take an active approach to strengthen bilateral investment and expand two-way trade with China.

  • Alan Mak – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alan Mak – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Mak on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the strength of diplomatic and economic relations between China and the UK.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Our relationship with China is strong and prosperous. We are building on the global partnership established during last year’s Chinese State Visit, by cooperating on international challenges and boosting trade and investment. We also have frank discussions on difficult issues including steel over-capacity, human rights and the South China Sea.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to endorse the (a) commitment on explosive weapons at the World Humanitarian Summit and (b) other core commitments on protecting civilians in armed conflict.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK is working through the 32 Core Commitments proposed by the World Humanitarian Summit and will make a decision shortly on which we can align with.