Category: Speeches

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of officials of his Department working on decentralisation and growth are based in London.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Decentralisation and growth are cross-governmental issues, supported by officials in all relevant departments.

    The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint BIS-DCLG team that supports areas in developing and agreeing devolution deals with the Government. It currently has approximately 140 officials working on a range of devolution and growth agendas, with just over 60 of these officials in six local teams based across the country.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many days of holiday, on average, were awarded to departmental employees living and working overseas in 2015-16.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID employees living and working overseas may utilise up to 30 days annual leave, with exception of those at A band (Grade 7 and above) who are eligible for 31.5 days, plus agreed local public holidays.

  • 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 2016-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that Clinical Commissioning Groups do not arbitrarily restrict treatments for obese people and smokers.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Arbitrary restrictions on treatment by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are unacceptable. Treatment decisions should always be made by doctors based on a patient’s individual clinical needs. For instance, major surgery poses much higher risks for severely overweight patients and those who smoke. So, where it is clinically appropriate, local general practitioner-led CCGs are right to ensure these patients first get support to lose weight and try to stop smoking before their operation.

    NHS England must ensure that CCGs are not breaching their statutory responsibility to provide services that meet the reasonable needs of the local population, including obese people and smokers. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote wildlife-friendly farming practices.

    George Eustice

    Agri-environment schemes play a major role in the conservation of wildlife in England. More than £900 million will be available for Countryside Stewardship for 2014 to 2020.

    Biodiversity is one of the main objectives of Countryside Stewardship. The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package options within the scheme will be of particular benefit to wild pollinators, farmland birds and other species. The package will play a key role in supporting Defra’s National Pollinator Strategy.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there has been in prostate cancer detection rates since publication of the Report of the Prostate Cancer Audit in November 2014.

    Jane Ellison

    The information requested is not held, as the most recent registration data available are for 2013.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the occurrence of ash dieback disease.

    Rory Stewart

    Our long-term national strategy to manage Ash Dieback is based on science, international best practice and the advice of the UK Chief Plant Health Officer.

    We are protecting non-infected areas and have invested over £21 million in tree health research. Restrictions on the movement of ash, both inland and from other countries, are currently in place.

    The Government-funded screening trial of 155,000 ash saplings is unprecedented in its scope and the UK is leading the way on the work to identify resistant strains. Collectively, our research is aimed at identifying the genetic basis for natural tolerance and screening our native ash trees for genetic markers. Work is also underway to further our understanding of the pathogen, how it spreads and local management approaches to protect individual, high value trees.

    Our surveillance programme involving Government, industry, conservation groups and the public enables us to monitor the disease and to target resources effectively.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many phone calls were made to HM Revenue and Customs’ High Net Worth Unit in each of the last five years; and what the average amount of time taken was to answer a phone call to that unit in each of those years.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this information.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary full-time teachers have completed (i) three, (ii) five, (iii) 10, (iv) 15 and (v) 20 years of teaching since qualifying.

    Nick Gibb

    The information is not available in the format requested. The Department publishes statistics showing, for each calendar year since 1996, the number of teachers that have qualified and entered service and the percentage that remain in service in each following year.

    The number of teachers in our schools continues to grow year-on-year. Teaching has a lower turnover rate than the economy as a whole; 90 per cent of teachers in state schools stay in the profession from one year to the next. The latest data show that 72 per cent of teachers that qualified during 2009 and were in service by March 2010 were still in service five years later. Similarly, 62 per cent of teachers that qualified during 2004 and were in service by March 2005 were still in service ten years later.

    These statistics are published in table C2 of the additional tables in the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release, November 2014. This publication is attached and available on GOV.UK at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

    “

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of women in Scotland who reach state pension age in 2016-17 will receive the full flat rate of the new state pension.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department cannot model the impact of the new State Pension at a regional or country specific level. Results for the whole of Great Britain can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491845/impact-of-new-state-pension-longer-term-reserach.pdf

    “

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many vehicles were acquired under the 2009-10 vehicle scrappage scheme; and how many of those vehicles had not been disposed of on the latest date for which figures are available.

    Anna Soubry

    Under the 2009 Vehicle Scrappage Scheme (VSS) claims were made for 392227 vehicles. A breakdown of that figure by make and model is available on our website, gov.uk. In order for a claim to be made under the VSS, a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), issued by an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) for the old vehicle had to be provided by the car dealer to the manufacturer. Beyond the CoD, the arrangements covering disposal of the old vehicle, and any associated costs, sat outside the scheme. The physical treatment chain was not a condition of the Scheme and therefore the Department does not hold any information relating to this. The Environment Agency is the responsible authority for compliance with the permit requirements for Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATF).