Category: Speeches

  • 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 waiting times for treatment in the accident and emergency department of 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.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents have received a sanction for failure to comply with conditions for receipt of benefits because suitable childcare was not available to enable them to comply.

    Priti Patel

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

  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to maintain current spending levels on the core elements of the science budget in real terms over the course of the Parliament.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government made clear in the Spending Review its commitment to science and research. We will protect science resource funding in real terms from its current level of £4.7 billion per annum for the rest of the Parliament. Growth in the ring fence will be used to invest in a new £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund for UK science to pioneer new ways of tackling global problems. As well as increasing resource spending for science, we are investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale, delivering on the £6.9 billion science capital commitment in our manifesto to provide the infrastructure and funding to keep the UK globally competitive.

    The allocation of budgets to individual funding bodies, programmes and facilities has yet to be determined. As per previous spending rounds this allocation process will take place over the coming months.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2016 to Question 20675, how much of the £300 million provided to eradicate polio was spent in each of the last three years; and how much will be spent in each of the next four years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK is a top three donor to polio eradication, with a £300 million commitment over six years from 2013/14 to 2018/19. Of this, £100 million was disbursed in the financial year of 2013/2014, £50 million in 2014/15, and £65 million in 2015/16. The UK will provide £39 million in 2016/17, £29 million in 2017/18 and £17 million in 2018/19.

    UK support has been critical in bringing us one step closer to the finish line of a world free from polio, something people across the country can be immensely proud of.

  • 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 what action is under way to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and previous resolutions on Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 11 February, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), took part in the latest round of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich to discuss with his counterparts how to best support the political process and necessary supporting steps, including a ceasefire and confidence building measures, called for in UN Security Council resolution 2254.

    The ISSG agreed the need to implement a cessation of hostilities within a week, to delivering humanitarian assistance to named besieged communities by this weekend and to facilitate rapid progress in negotiations aimed at political transition. If implemented fully and properly by every ISSG member this will be an important step towards relieving the killing and suffering in Syria. But it will only succeed if there is a major change of behaviour by the Syrian regime and its supporters. Russia, in particular, claims to be attacking terrorist groups and yet consistently bombs non-extremist groups including civilians. If this agreement is to work, this bombing will have to stop: no cessation of hostilities will last if moderate opposition groups continue to be targeted.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations were made by the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise at the Pre Competitiveness Council on 29 February 2016, on the EC Circular Economy package.

    Anna Soubry

    My noble Friend Baroness Neville-Rolfe represented the UK at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council on 29th February 2016.

    In the discussions on the Circular Economy Package, the UK supported the ambition behind the Circular Economy Action Plan and stressed that action should be prioritised to ensure ambitious use of voluntary approaches and measures to improve the coherence between existing EU legislation and initiatives.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards realising receipts through the disposal of high-value Ministry of Defence estate in Scotland since the 2011 Basing Review.

    Earl Howe

    The receipts received by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through the disposal of parts of the MOD estate in Scotland since the financial year 2010-11 are shown below:

    Financial Year

    Disposal Receipts (£ million)

    2010-11

    4.09

    2011-12

    4.08

    2012-13

    1.32

    2013-14

    12.66

    2014-15

    0.92

    2015-16

    0.41

    Total

    23.48
  • Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nigel Adams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what incentives her Department (a) is providing and (b) is planning to provide for (i) biomass and (ii) gas generation to create additional capacity.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Support is provided for biomass under a range of renewable financial incentives: the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in Tariff (FIT), Contracts for Difference (CfD) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RO closed to co-firing and conversions last year and any future support will be via CfD.

    The government announced it will hold three auctions for Contracts for Difference of up to £730 million this Parliament. Details of the future CFD allocation rounds will be published in due course.

    The Government confirmed increased funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in November 2015 as part of the Spending Review, with the annual budget rising from £430m in 2015/16 to £1.15bn in 2020/21.

    Getting new gas-fired stations built is a priority for Government and we are confident that the Capacity Market is the right mechanism to bring forward new capacity as older less efficient plants close. We have announced that we are going buy more capacity in December’s auction, tighten delivery incentives and bring forward the first capacity market delivery year to 2017/18. This should improve the chances of new gas (CCGTs, OCGTS and gas engines) capacity clearing in future auctions. Subject to a forthcoming consultation, closing unabated coal by 2025 will further strengthen investment signals for new gas. In addition, DECC is working with the planning inspectorate to arrange a workshop in June to explain how developers can use the pre-application project planning process to ensure applications for new gas plants are progressed as swiftly as possible.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the local management structure is of the NHS in West Sussex.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS Improvement advises that the following National Health Service organisations operate in West Sussex and each has its own management structure:

    ― Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust:

    https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation:

    http://www.westernsussexhospitals.nhs.uk/your-trust/about/plans-strategies/

    ― Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.qvh.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/downloads/services/about-us.pdf

    ― Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/about-us

    ― South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust:

    http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/about_us.aspx

    ― Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust:

    http://www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk/about-us/about-the-trust/

    ― Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG):

    http://www.coastalwestsussexccg.nhs.uk/about-cwsccg

    ― Crawley CCG:

    http://www.crawleyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/

    ― Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG:

    http://www.horshamandmidsussexccg.nhs.uk/about-us/

    “

  • Lord Ramsbotham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Ramsbotham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ramsbotham on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the final report of the review of the youth justice system will be published.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The estimated total cost of the review of the youth justice system is £350,000. This figure is subject to audit at the end of the 2016-17 financial year and may change.

    Ministers are currently considering Charlie Taylor’s review of the youth justice system. The final report and the government’s plans for reform of the youth justice system will be published later in the autumn.