Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Quin on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations took place with the government of New Zealand prior to their decision to introduce new charges for New Zealand citizens for health and dental treatment in the UK from 6 April.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    On 6 April 2015 the United Kingdom introduced an immigration health surcharge for non-European Economic Area nationals who come to the UK to temporarily reside for a period of over six months. At the time New Zealand nationals were granted a temporary exemption and we entered into a series of discussions with the New Zealand Government on the introduction of the surcharge for its nationals. The Secretary of State for Health wrote to the New Zealand High Commissioner confirming introduction of the surcharge on 17 December 2015. Introduction of the surcharge for New Zealand nationals was publicly announced by the Home Office on 4 February 2016 and subject to Parliamentary approval, it will come into effect from 6 April 2016.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the budget of the Heritage Schools programme.

    Lord Nash

    The funding for Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme in 2016-17 has not yet been confirmed. A decision will be made once the Department’s business planning process has concluded.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to the public purse is of the Maximus/HML contract for delivery of the Fit for Work programme.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The original agreed contract value with HML was £132.9m. This is for the whole life of the contract and was awarded on 25 July 2014 for a period of 5 years.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the remit of the Council of Data Science Ethics will extend beyond big data and personal data and include (a) wearable technologies, (b) health monitoring and (c) robotics.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Science and Technology Committee report on the Big Data Dilemma recommended that a Council for Data Ethics be established. The Government response was published on 26th April 2016 and can be found at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmsctech/992/99204.htm

    “

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain on the protection of the civil and political rights of the Shia population in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We follow the political situation closely in Bahrain, including issues related to the country’s Shia population. We regularly discuss civil and political rights with the highest levels of Government of Bahrain. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Right Honorable Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so most recently with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on 14 June 2016. We encourage the Government of Bahrain to respect the rights of political groups to operate and to seek an inclusive political dialogue.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the handover time of patients from ambulances to hospital staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    No such assessments have been made. The provision of accident and emergency (A&E) services at the Royal Blackburn Hospital is a matter for the local National Health Service. The NHS in East Lancashire has established an A&E delivery board to oversee system performance and the effective delivery of urgent and emergency care locally.

    Ministers consult weekly with NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission about A&E performance.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of pharmacy services in central London outside working hours.

    George Freeman

    NHS England is responsible for commissioning NHS services from community pharmacies taking account of the local pharmaceutical needs assessment that is published by the Health and Wellbeing Board for each area. The pharmaceutical needs assessments reflect all NHS pharmaceutical services including hours of opening. 99% of the population can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes by car and 96% by walking or using public transport and access is greater in areas of highest deprivation Across London there are 1,851 community pharmacies. Of these, 255 are open 70 hours or more, including 103 open for 100 hours a week. In Westminster alone there are six 100 hour pharmacies.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of ministerial special advisors in the last financial year; and how much is projected to be so spent in the next financial year.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information about the number, pay bands, and cost of special advisers will be published shortly in the normal way.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff working in (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes have been (i) suspended following a child protection allegation (ii) disciplined following a child protection allegation, (iii) dismissed following a child protection allegation and (iv) convicted of sexual or violent offences against children in the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a central point in the UK, or elsewhere, for recording war crimes in Syria, in particular the starvation of civilians and the deaths under attack of medical personnel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    War crimes and other atrocities in Syria are dealt with at the international level. The Government supports the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which is mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law in Syria with a view of ensuring perpetrators are held to account.

    We also support other bodies that are collecting evidence in the region such as UN Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapons in Syria.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has called for a halt to the indiscriminate use of weapons on medical and educational facilities, calling on parties to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. The UK supported UN Security Council resolution 2254, which was unanimously adopted in December calling for an end to indiscriminate attacks and unrestricted humanitarian access.