Category: Speeches

  • Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities to help them reduce the levels of sickness absence among employees.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Department does not issue guidance to local authorities on managing sickness absence levels. Local authorities are independent employers and free to manage their workforces. However, the Government has recently announced that it intends to review sickness absence in public sector workforces. The gap in sickness absence levels between the public and private sectors is reported to have narrowed over the past 20 years but levels still remain higher in the public sector. The Government intends to consult on possible reforms and will consider legislation where necessary to reduce the impact of sickness absence on public service delivery.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the availability of access to fertility treatments in the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.

    NHS England expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guidelines.

    On 14 December 2015 I met with stakeholders, together with colleagues from NHS England and Monitor,to discuss the provision of in vitro fertilisation. The Department, along with NHS England and Monitor, will be giving further consideration to the scope for improving the commissioning of these services.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23339, how many former employees of his Department applied to serve in foreign militaries under the Business Appointments process in each of the last five years.

    Mark Lancaster

    Fewer than five former employees of the Ministry of Defence applied to serve in foreign militaries between 1 April 2011 and 2 February 2016. Due to the low numbers, the breakdown by year has not been provided.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what notification he has received on whether there are (a) constitutional requirements and (b) potential legal proceedings in other EU member states related to the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016.

    Mr David Lidington

    It is for the relevant national authorities in other Member States to determine their constitutional requirements and potential legal proceedings.

    The Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016 was agreed to by all Member States and is now a legally binding document that has been registered with the United Nations as an international treaty.

  • Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-03-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses of the planned withdrawal of HM Revenue and Customs’ evaluation check services.

    Mr David Gauke

    No impact on UK productivity is anticipated. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not withdrawn valuation services that are most relevant to small and medium sized enterprises including Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), Company Share Option Plans (CSOP), Save As You Earn share option schemes (SAYE), Share Incentive Plans (SIP) and Employee Shareholder Status (ESS).

    HMRC has, however, announced a review of the valuation services for those schemes and is consulting interested parties.

    HMRC has withdrawn valuation checks for income tax and PAYE that are not part of these recognized employee ownership schemes. Most people submitted acceptable valuations and therefore the valuation service was not seen as needed.

  • Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the responses to the non-financial factors section of the recent consultation on revoking and replacing the Local Government Pension Scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government’s response to the consultation, which will set out our next steps in relation to these issues, will be published shortly.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for farming and agriculture through the CAP in the post-2020 Multi Annual Framework.

    George Eustice

    No decisions on post-2020 funding have been taken yet. The post-2020 Multi Annual Framework negotiations will be led by HMT.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to secure a trade agreement with Israel after the UK ceases to be party to the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

    Greg Hands

    In due course, Britain will be leaving the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate, in time, our own trade agreements and to be a positive and powerful force for free trade.

    Whilst it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions at this stage, the UK will want to continue our strong trade and investment relationship with Israel.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she estimates that the BCG vaccine will be available to resume the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme; and what plans her Department has in place to procure BCG for this purpose.

    George Eustice

    We have no firm date for resumption of supply of the authorised product from the manufacturer, with whom my officials and Public Health England (PHE) are in contact. PHE and Defra officials visited the production facility in September.

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Pinnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the value of the charges deferred to local authority budgets as a consequence of a school with a deficit joining an Academy Trust with an external sponsor, in each of the last five financial years.

    Lord Nash

    The Department does not hold this information on local authority budgets.

    It is right that the deficits of sponsored academies remain with their local authority when they convert. These schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily.