Category: Speeches

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of legislative proposals in the Trade Union Bill on the finances of the Labour Party.

    Nick Boles

    The proposals in the Bill are not about party funding. The Trade Union Bill is about employment and industrial relations. We are introducing a greater level of transparency into union activities by requiring union members to make an active decision to contribute to a union’s political fund.

    If union members want a political fund, this will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the funds available. Therefore no assessment has been made in relation to the impact on the finances of any political party.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on increasing the number of BME police officers.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Since 2013, officials in the Government Equalities Office have been working with the Home Office and police representatives on how best to use provisions within the Equality Act 2010 to help increase the number of BME police officers.

    The officer workforce is more representative in terms of gender and ethnicity than it has ever been. At 31 March 2015, there were 6,979 BME officers representing 5.5% of all police officers (compared with 4.6% in 2010, 3.6% in 2006 and only 2.2% in 2000).

    At 31 March 2015, there were 35,738 female officers, representing 28.2% of all police officers (compared with 25.7% in 2010, and only 16.5% in 2000).

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of employment and support allowance there were in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested by local authority, region and Great Britain has been published and can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp.

    Guidance on how to extract the information can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp.

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

    “

  • Ranil Jayawardena – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ranil Jayawardena – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ranil Jayawardena on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that more classic literature is taught in schools.

    Nick Gibb

    All pupils in secondary schools should be encouraged to enjoy challenging titles and develop a confidence and ability to read the great classics of English and world literature.

    The Government is delighted that, following our call for action, Penguin is offering classroom sets of 100 classic books for the equivalent of £1 a copy. This will allow pupils to read a wide range of literature with the support of their teacher. I hope other publishers will follow, to make classic literature a feature of every classroom.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what requirements or guidelines her Department issues on the reference or inclusion of digital and online resources in the curriculum (a) in general and (b) for students without access to broadband at home.

    Nick Gibb

    The National Curriculum, introduced from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge that teachers should teach, not on how they should teach it.

    Schools are best placed to decide which resources meet their needs and to secure these accordingly. Wherever possible, the development of new resources and training should be sector-led, with schools prioritising their use of funding in their budgets in order to best exploit the opportunities offered by the new National Curriculum.

    The Government is in favour of schools embracing digital technology in order to improve educational outcomes. We want to see schools making informed decisions about what and how technology will best meet their specific needs, keeping in mind that pedagogy should drive the use of technology.

    Where teachers use digital resources in the curriculum, we would expect them to take into account the circumstances of all pupils and make appropriate provision for those without access to broadband at home.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated value is of his Department’s shareholding in NATS Holdings.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The most recent valuation in the Department for Transport’s accounts is £425m.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students on (a) nursing, (b) midwifery and (c) Allied Health Professional courses successfully returned to their studies after benefitting from the NHS Bursary maternity award in the last five years for which figures are available.

    Ben Gummer

    The following table shows the number of students on nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses who were in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award in each of the last three academic years and those who have subsequently returned to their studies following a period of maternity leave. Information prior to 2013/14 is not available.

    Academic Year1

    Professional Group

    Students in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award

    Students returning from a period of maternity leave

    2013/14

    Allied Health Professional

    55

    49

    Midwifery

    99

    92

    Nursing

    633

    558

    2013/14 Total

    787

    699

    2014/15

    Allied Health Professional

    50

    40

    Midwifery

    80

    56

    Nursing

    581

    444

    2014/15 Total2

    711

    540

    2015/16

    Allied Health Professional

    56

    6

    Midwifery

    72

    4

    Nursing

    473

    59

    2015/16 Total2

    601

    69

    Grand Total

    2,528

    1,702

    Source: NHS Business Services Authority

    Notes

    1 Standard academic year (i.e. September to the following August)

    2 The count for these academic years is as at 14 June 2016. There are likely to be further students who commence, or return from a period of maternity leave after this date

  • Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Robert Neill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Neill on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the statutory instruments relating to clause 196 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 will be laid before the House.

    Mr David Gauke

    Government is committed to making the process of compulsory purchase orders clearer, fairer and faster. The Housing and Planning Act and the Neighbourhood Planning Bill will enable us to lay the legislation to insist that public bodies pay interest on payments of compensation that are paid late. The Regulations to set this level of interest will be laid at least 21 days before the substantive commencement of sections 192 to 198 of the Housing and Planning Act. This is likely to be in spring 2017.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid from the public purse in backdated guardian’s allowance to people who have been granted leave in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs does not hold the requested information.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will consult on proposed changes to personal injury law referred to in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Ministry of Justice will launch a public consultation in the New Year on the details of the policy.