Category: Speeches

  • Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawhinney on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers they have, if any, to overrule local authorities that grant planning permission that allows residential or commercial properties to be built on land designated as a flood plain.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Secretary of State has specific intervention powers to consider an application for himself before a decision has been issued by the local planning authority and powers to revoke or modify a planning permission before the permission is implemented. Local planning authorities, through their Local Plans and planning decisions are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Between April 2011 and March 2015, over 99 percent of proposed new homes had planning outcomes in line with Environment Agency advice where they had been made aware of the decision.

    All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance. Where these tests are not met, national policy is very clear that new development should not be allowed.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the government of Bangladesh to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay in clothes factories used by international companies in Bangladesh.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK, through FCO and DFID is encouraging the government of Bangladesh to improve working conditions and safety standards in the garment sector in a number of ways.

    The UK actively lobbies the government on these issues through the 3 + 5 mechanism that was established as part of the Sustainability Compact.

    We are also working with the Government of Bangladesh to improve the framework within which factories operate. As part of our Garments sector programme, we are building the capacity of the government to significantly improve factory regulation and inspection by strengthening the Department for Inspection of Factories and Establishment. Through our support, this Department will have a 575 member cadre of professional labour inspectors, who among other things, will ensure that factories are safe and that they pay workers their salaries and overtime payments according to the law. The UK has also helped fund building, fire and electrical safety inspections in 1500 garment factories.

    In 2013, as a result of lobbying from major stakeholders including the UK, Bangladesh raised the minimum wage for the country’s garment workers by 77 percent to 5,300 taka (£42) per month.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to healthcare professionals involved with children with mental health problems on whether they have a responsibility to inform parents that their child may be eligible for disability living allowance.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department of Health has not issued guidance to healthcare professionals on informing parents of their children’s eligibility for disability living allowance.

    The Department for Work and Pensions provides information on benefits, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), in a range of formats at:

    www.gov.uk

    This includes information relating to DLA for children and includes links to benefit eligibility calculators that will signpost the user to further information about DLA for children.

    “

  • 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 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Boeing Poseidon P-8s acquired by the UK will be compatible with the MQ-4 Triton UAV.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the pensions of people enrolled in pooled local government pension schemes are safeguarded in the event of a failed infrastructure project that received investment from that fund.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Local government pension scheme benefits are set out in statute and are not linked to the investment performance of funds. However, those responsible for investment decisions should have regard to the need to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return and act in the best interests of scheme members and local taxpayers.

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2016 to Question 37187, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) improve the provision of care for patients with and (b) increase funding for research into lung diseases other than chronic pulmonary disease, asthma and lung cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    To help the National Health Service understand what a good quality service looks like, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence publishes quality standards which define best practice within the topic area. It has recently published quality standards on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (January 2015) and pneumonia (January 2016).

    The National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including any lung disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement the measures in the Skills Plan.

    Robert Halfon

    The Post-16 Skills Plan sets out our plans to radically reform technical education provision and the wider skills system in England to ensure they match the best in the world, tackling long-standing issues which have harmed our nation’s productivity and international competitiveness. We are committed to taking forward this ambitious programme in full, implementing the reforms in a lasting and coherent way.

    We have already started work to identify pathfinder technical education routes; design the new functions within an expanded Institute for Apprenticeships; map the occupations within each route to identify what technical qualifications should be included within their scope; design the employer panels that will develop new standards where required; and develop ‘transition year’ arrangements for young people not ready to progress into mainstream technical or academic provision at 16, or later if their education has been delayed. In addition, we are continuing to implement those reforms which are already in train, such as the programme of locally led area reviews of post-16 provision.

    Later in the autumn, we will publish an implementation plan, setting out in greater detail how we will deliver the Post-16 Skills Plan and how we will engage with key stakeholders, including colleges and employers, on the ongoing design and delivery of our proposals.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to section 32(1) of the Pilotage Act 1987, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to maintain pilotage standards in areas where harbour authorities now have the power to impose compulsory pilotage upon shipping.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    None. The Pilotage Act 1987 already requires Competent Harbour Authorities to keep under consideration what pilotage services need to be provided to secure the safety of ships navigating their waters, including the circumstances in which pilotage should be compulsory, and to provide such pilotage services accordingly.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the proportion of people identified as having experienced child abuse who are diagnosed with a mental health condition as a young person or adult.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not held centrally.

    The Department with its partners are taking forward a series of actions set out in ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ March 2015 to create a culture where the health service and medical professionals are spotting the signs of child sexual abuse and exploitation early and are supported in sharing information with others, which includes improving available data on the prevalence of child abuse using the population-wide children and adolescent mental health survey.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the ability of Kurds in south-east Turkey to live in secular, democratic and gender-equal communities.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Turkish government recognises promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women amongst the range of human rights issues it is committed to addressing. Prime Minister Davutoğlu spoke publicly on 9 December about the importance his government attaches to these issues. We have welcomed the previous measures taken by the Turkish government, such as the 2013 “democratisation package”, to improve rights for minority groups in Turkey and to resolve the Kurdish issue through the peace process but, as the EU’s Annual Progress Report highlights, there is more progress to be made. We want the peace process to be resumed, building on previous progress.