Category: Speeches

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 27 June 2016, Official Report, column 23, what the terms of reference are for the new EU Unit.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    A new EU unit will be set up in Whitehall, bringing together officials and policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and BIS. It will be based in the Cabinet Office and report to the Cabinet on delivering the outcome of the referendum, advising on transitional issues and exploring objectively options for our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world from outside the EU. The funding for the unit is yet to be determined.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure his Department has given to local partnerships to date; and what estimate he has made of the value of his Department’s share in its joint ownership.

    Mr David Gauke

    As of March 2015, HM Treasury had made £800,000 of equity investments and provided £1,175,000 of loan stock to Local Partnerships. Local Partnerships has so far made £675,000 of repayments of loan stock to HM Treasury.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his officials have had with the MBC Project in Boston, USA, on secondary breast cancer research.

    George Freeman

    Officials in the Department have had no specific discussions.

    The Broad Institute/Dana Faber Metastatic Breast Cancer project is one of several projects around the world that are together addressing the common goal of discovering genetic alterations within cancers, or in the inherited genes of patients who develop cancer, which will lead to improved knowledge of the disease and better treatment.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of her officials are engaged in preparing the Government’s next Climate Change Risk Assessment.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra’s core climate change adaptation team of eight officials is coordinating and inputting to the preparation of the second Climate Change Risk Assessment, to be laid in Parliament in January 2017. Many other officials from across Defra, wider Government and its agencies are also contributing to the assessment. The underlying evidence report that will make up the bulk of the assessment is being prepared by the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change, with extensive input from around 100 other experts.

  • Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Louise Ellman on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the use of in-service emissions testing to ensure compliance with vehicle type approval emissions standards.

    Andrew Jones

    The annual periodic inspection (MOT test) is an effective means that ensures vehicles are well maintained, safe and have no serious defects that cause high emissions or excessive noise. Due to the large number of MOT stations across the UK and approximately 30 million vehicles being tested each year, the test must be straightforward, use equipment that is readily available in garages and be cost effective for motorists.

    Ensuring compliance with type approval standards would require expensive laboratory-type instruments at MOT stations and increases in the time taken for the test that would inevitably raise the cost for motorists.

  • 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 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many miscellaneous items as recorded by the Incident Report System were confiscated in each prison in the last 12 months.

    Andrew Selous

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the technical review of the Carr-Hill formula to be published.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England is working with the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee (GPC), NHS Employers, the Department and academic partners on the review to develop a formula that better reflects the factors that drive workload, such as age or deprivation.

    It is intended that the review of the Carr-Hill formula will inform the 2017-18 GP contract. This would be subject to agreement with the GPC. NHS England does not intend to publish the outcome of the technical review until agreement has been reached to apply the revised formula.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of unlawful marketing of knives in each year since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    Knife crime has no place on our streets and the government continues to work with the police and partners, including retailers, to ensure that we reduce violence and knife crime. There are strict laws on sales of knives and on how knives can be marketed, which are enforced by the police and Trading Standards. Anyone who markets a knife in a way that indicates or suggests that is suitable for combat or is likely to encourage violent behaviour faces a prison sentence of up to four years.

    There were no convictions for the offence of unlawful marketing of knives, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2014 (the latest available), on a principal offence basis.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many tests for Vitamin D were carried out by pathology laboratories in England in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2013-14; and what the cost to the NHS was of providing such tests in each of those years.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not held centrally. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning laboratory testing locally.

  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the first sale of higher value council housing allowed by the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to take place.

    Brandon Lewis

    Under the Housing and Planning Act, local authorities have a duty to consider selling vacant higher value housing. Local authorities will know which homes will be defined as higher value, and therefore which homes they have a duty to consider selling, once Parliament has scrutinised and approved the regulations, including the higher value regulations which are subject to affirmative resolution.