Category: Speeches

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the advisory role to government of the Council of Data Science Ethics will be; whether that advice will include advice on EU legislative proposals on the right to be forgotten; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Council’s membership has the necessary leadership expertise to fulfil its role.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Science and Technology Committee report on the Big Data Dilemma recommended that a Council for Data Ethics be established. The Government response was published on 26th April 2016 and can be found at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmsctech/992/99204.htm

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  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the relocation of Bahraini citizenship from Sheikh Isa Qassim.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are concerned by reports that the nationality of Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim is being revoked, and we have raised these concerns at senior levels in the Bahraini government and publicly. We strongly encourage Bahrain to live up to its international human rights obligations.

  • 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 scale of trolley waits in the accident and emergency department of the Royal Blackburn Hospital and the consequent safety of patients.

    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.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on support for people with mental health conditions who claim jobseeker’s allowance.

    Alistair Burt

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Health met on 3 June this year where they agreed to greater cross government working between our respective Departments. Both Departments have established a joint working unit and next year will launch a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots to support claimants with, or at risk of developing a mental health condition to retain and return to employment.

  • Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is, or has been within the last 10 years, a requirement on (a) applicants to the civil service and (b) civil servants upon entry to the civil service to disclose party political membership.

    Matthew Hancock

    The restrictions on civil servants’ involvement in political activities are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418696/CSMC-_April_2015.pdf

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  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to InsuResilience, the G7 Initiative on Climate Risk Insurance, if she will make it her policy to (a) allocate additional funding of £100 million to that programme, (b) scale up by at least £50 million weather-indexed microinsurance that provides direct coverage for smallholder farmers pastoralists and other vulnerable groups and (c) increase her Department’s grant funding for the African Risk Capacity to £20 million in order to improve the capacity of that programme to meet its targets.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK supports the G7 Climate Risk Insurance Initiative and is committed to contributing to meeting the collective target set out in the Elmau declaration of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020. UK support under the Initiative includes a commitment of up to £100m to African Risk Capacity (ARC) and £15m for the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative. Of this, the UK has contributed £32m so far to ARC.

    On scaling up support to weather indexed microinsurance, the UK currently provides some support to livestock insurance in Kenya to improve the product offered to pastoralists and increase the role of the private sector. The UK also provides index-based insurance through the CGIAR climate change, agriculture and food security research programme (CGIAR-CCAFS). In September 2015, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would provide at least £5.8 billion of climate finance over the next five years. This is likely to include further support for climate risk insurance.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to use the UN Security Council Resolutions on Syria to organise air-drops of food by the World Food Program to besieged areas, and to provide air cover for such drops with the US air force.

    Baroness Verma

    At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February, more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    The most effective way to get food and other essential aid to people who are starving and in desperate need is for Assad and all parties to the conflict to adhere to international law. Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. It is an outrageous, unacceptable and illegal mechanism to use starvation as a weapon of war. That is why the UK will continue to call on the Assad regime and all parties to the conflict to allow immediate and unfettered access to all areas of Syria.

    Right now, aid delivered by road, by UN agencies and by others who know the situation on the ground and who can ensure it gets to those who need it most is the best way of getting help through. But we always consider the most effective way to get assistance to the people in need, and we do not rule anything out.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed extension of Sunday trading hours on the pay and conditions of retail workers.

    Anna Soubry

    In view of the will of the House, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops.

  • Lord Colwyn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Colwyn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Health will conduct an assessment of the potential effects of the recent increase in patient charges for NHS dental services in England on people’s ability and inclination regularly to visit a dentist.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department published an Impact Assessment which considered the impact of uplifting patient dental charges by 5% in 2016/17 and 2017/18, a copy of which is attached. We considered that the impact of increasing patient dental charges will mainly affect those of working age, for whom a proportionate increase to their charges is considered reasonable. Those on low incomes and other protected groups will remain exempt. Those not entitled to exemption but on low incomes may also be eligible to receive help with health costs. We do not consider that the uplifts to patient charges for National Health Service dental services in England will have any significant impact on people’s ability and inclination to regularly visit a dentist.

  • 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, if she will make an assessment of the feasibility of using biomass conversion and energy generation to mitigate job losses from the closure of coal-fired power stations.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Reducing our reliance on coal generation is an important part of decarbonising the electricity system. The Capacity Market will ensure continued security of supply while the Contract for Difference scheme will support cost effective low carbon electricity; the new investment brought forward by both schemes will help create new jobs.