Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in response to Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality plan to demolish Palestinian homes to make way for a tourist complex in the Silwan neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised the specific issue of demolition of Palestinian homes to make way for the Kedem Compound. We are not aware of any impending home demolitions to make way for the site.

  • Biography information for Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Biography information for Baroness Deech – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Baroness Deech on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 11 May (HL8116), what is their assessment of the view expressed in section 4.1.1 of the Overseas Development Institute’s Final Report of November 2015 Evaluative Review of the Statebuilding Grant and the Palestinian Governance Facility—DFID Palestinian programme that the manner in which DFID’s funds are demonstrated to have only paid the salaries of PEGASE-approved employees is of questionable efficacy”

    Baroness Verma

    UK direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is used for the sole purpose of paying the salaries of civil servants responsible for providing essential services. Our support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, which carries out close monitoring of PA expenditure. Only named civil servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible, and the vetting process ensures that our funds do not benefit terrorist groups. The process is subject to independent auditing, which is regularly reviewed and strengthened accordingly.

    As the ODI report itself makes clear, UK support to the PA is delivering real results, improving lives and is instrumental in preventing economic collapse and violent escalation.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change in the UK will follow the procedure for an EU external treaty.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK remains firmly committed to the Paris Agreement and to ratifying the Agreement as soon as possible. Until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations this entails.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to improve public and patient involvement in the NHS.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is enshrined in S.242 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 amended S.242 and included complementary duties for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and NHS England.

    Since the 2012 Act NHS England has published statutory guidance for NHS commissioners and revised guidance for CCGs will be published in spring 2017. A further guide on engaging communities, for areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans, was published by NHS England in September 2016. NHS England has also recently launched an Involvement Hub, an online resource to support patients, carers, staff and the public, which also includes examples of good practice and links to learning and involvement opportunities.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reduction was in his Department’s support for bus funding in England in 2014-15.

    Andrew Jones

    The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

    In 2014-15 my Department provided funding of around £250 million in Bus Service Operators Grant, of which over £40 million per year is now paid direct to authorities to help support bus services. This figure excludes some £93 million a year previously paid to bus operators for running bus services under franchise to Transport for London (TfL) in London, which is now incorporated into the general grant paid to TfL and the Greater London Authority.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consumer organisations have been involved in the work of the Open Banking Working Group; and when that group is expected to report.

    Harriett Baldwin

    A list of the Open Banking Working Group (OBWG) participants was published on 23 November, setting out the organisations which are directly involved in designing the detailed framework for the open Application Programming Interface (API) standard in UK banking by the end of the year. The OBWG will publish its final report on 30 December. More detail is available on the Open Data Institute’s website.

    A number of consumer organisations have participated in the development of the framework for the open API standard: the Money Advice Service is a direct member of the OBWG, and Citizens Advice and Which? have participated in discussions about its design.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for Disclosure and Barring Service checks (a) nationally, (b) in London and (c) in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency met each of the service’s published service standards for waiting times in each year since 2012.

    Karen Bradley

    The following tables shows the proportion of applications for DBS checks that met the Published Service Standards for waiting times nationally and for applications received from people residing in London postcodes in each year since December 2012:

    Table 1: All applications nationally

    Period

    Total Apps Despatched

    21 Calendar Day Target

    21 Day Achievement

    56 Calendar Day Target

    56 Day Achievement

    Dec-12 to Mar-13

    1,223,773

    85%

    89.4%

    95%

    99.1%

    Apr-13 to Mar-14

    3,948,733

    85%

    85.2%

    95%

    97.4%

    Apr-14 to Mar-15

    4,111,856

    85%

    85.3%

    95%

    95.1%

    Apr-15 to Nov-15

    2,911,934

    85%

    86.5%

    95%

    94.9%

    Table 2: Applications from London postcodes

    Period

    Total Apps Despatched

    21 Calendar Day Target

    21 Day Achievement

    56 Calendar Day Target

    56 Day Achievement

    Dec-12 to Mar-13

    124,908

    85%

    83.4%

    95%

    98.7%

    Apr-13 to Mar-14

    398,168

    85%

    80.2%

    95%

    95.9%

    Apr-14 to Mar-15

    420,783

    85%

    81.8%

    95%

    89.0%

    Apr-15 to Nov-15

    293,549

    85%

    84.1%

    95%

    86.8%

    It is not possible to provide the figure for applications from Hampstead and Kilburn constituency as this information is not collected.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-29.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the replacement of the HM Revenue and Customs IT Aspire contract will be conducted; and whether it will be conducted in separate tranches.

    Mr David Gauke

    On 5 August 2015, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next step in its plans to transition from the Aspire contract. The Department is seeking to establish a truly world class IT operation that has the right mix of technology, processes and skills in a multi-sourced model to deliver its digital vision – and savings of up to 24 per cent on its £800m annual IT budget by 2020-21.

    HMRC is making significant progress in preparing for the end of the Aspire IT contract in 2017. In December 2015, three services previously delivered by Capgemini were successfully brought under HMRC’s direct control.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with severe and long-term mental health issues and whose care is coordinated through the Care Programme Approach in each year since 2010 had had a formal meeting to review their care in the previous 12 months.

    Alistair Burt

    Information on the number of people using National Health Service funded adult secondary mental health services, including those who spent time on the Care Programme Approach (CPA), is shown in the following table.

    England

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    Total People

    1,287,730

    1,607,153

    1,590,332

    1,746,698

    1,835,996

    People on CPA

    263,935

    407,370

    359,368

    357,732

    335,727

    These figures includes people who have been on CPA for a number of months or years as well as people who had only recently been assigned to CPA. These figures count each individual once, regardless of the number of times they accessed services in the year.

    Because of major changes to the Mental Health Minimum Dataset and submission process, figures for these years are not directly comparable. The scope was expanded to include independent sector providers in 2011/12 and learning disability services in 2014/15. Major changes to the submission process between 2010/11 and 2011/12 also contributed to an overall increase in numbers.

    A snapshot count of people on CPA at the end of 2014/15 who had been on CPA for at least 12 months and the number and proportion of these who had received a CPA review within the last 12 months is shown in the following table. It has not been possible to provide data for earlier years.

    England

    March 2015

    People on CPA at the end of the month who had been on CPA for 12 months

    126,679

    People on CPA for 12 months with a review in the previous 12 months

    101,592

    Percentage of people on CPA for 12 months with a review

    80.2%

    The process of the CPA recognises that reviews should be held at least every year. However, where an individual’s needs are sufficiently complicated to require more complex care co-ordination, the frequency of review meetings will be increased.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the treatment on the NHS for people with Lyme disease.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Health Service already provides medical care following existing guidance but to strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.

    New diagnostic tests for Lyme disease are regularly reviewed by Public Health England (PHE) who also participates in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.

    In addition, PHE provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, hold regular medical training days, and work with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.