Category: Speeches

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

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether additional resources allocated for mental health services are ring-fenced in order to prevent any of those resources being used for alternative services in order to offset any NHS spending constraints.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England is responsible for allocating funding resources for health services including mental health. The Government has committed to an additional £1 billion by 2020/21 to support the implementation of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. This is in addition to the £1.4 billion over five years to improve children and young people’s mental health announced in 2014/15. We are holding NHS England to account through the NHS Mandate to ensure this investment delivers improvements in mental health.

    We will continue to work with NHS England and other arm’s length bodies to monitor and track progress against the mental health commitments of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and Future in Mind.

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of mesothelioma worldwide, and of which countries are most at risk from it.

    Baroness Verma

    Data on mesothelioma deaths is collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the WHO mortality database. The WHO recognises that the global mesothelioma burden remains unclear, but the number of reported mesothelioma deaths and the number of countries reporting deaths has increased in recent years. The WHO, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and other intergovernmental organisations and civil society, works with countries towards elimination of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18409, whether the organogram on his Department’s website is now up to date.

    Matthew Hancock

    The latest organogram for the Cabinet Office as at 30 September 2015 is available athttps://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support the implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK is committed to supporting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, which are fundamental elements of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) announced £6.6 million of funding for Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2015 which will be used for providing support in these areas. We will coordinate our efforts with the Sri Lankan government and with international partners to target support at areas where it is most needed. We will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our funding and assess opportunities for providing further support.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25610, how many national minimum wage enquiries were made to (a) the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and (b) Acas between 2009-10 and 2014-15 by (i) domiciliary and (ii) residential care workers.

    Nick Boles

    Information on the number of enquiries to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline or Acas by workers from the ‘domiciliary care’ and ‘residential care’ sector is not available. The answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25610 represents the most detailed breakdown of trade sector information available.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the construction activity required to construct Phase One of High Speed 2 will result in any household experiencing carbon monoxide levels in excess of the thresholds for that substance detailed in European Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The construction of Phase One of HS2 will not result in any household experiencing carbon monoxide levels in excess of the thresholds for that substance detailed in European Directive 2008/50/EC.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to increase take-up of government-funded adult learning courses; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    We have maintained funding for the core adult skills participation budgets in cash terms at £1.5bn and are increasing opportunities in technical and professional education by doubling the level of spending on apprenticeships by 2019-20 in 2010-11 cash terms, including income from the new apprenticeship levy.

    The new Adult Education Budget (AEB), which replaces three separate funding lines will engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. It will enable more tailored programmes of learning to be made available, to help those furthest from learning or the workplace.

    The combination of the levy, the protection of the AEB, the extension of loans, and the introduction of the youth obligation means that by the end of the Parliament, the cash value of core adult FE funding to support participation will be at its highest ever. By 2019-20, spending on apprenticeships in England will be £2.5 billion and the total spending power of the FE sector to support participation will be £3.41bn, a cash terms increase of 40% compared with 2015-16 (real terms 30%).

  • Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the application from Mr Hamde Abu Rahma to visit Scotland was rejected; and if she will instigate a review of that decision.

    James Brokenshire

    In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is therefore unable to provide the information requested.

    All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce new national regulations for private hire driver licences in line with Transport for London’s new regulations for private hire drivers which will come into force on 1 October 2016.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government wants to see taxis and private hire vehicles prosper in London and elsewhere. The regulations issued by Transport for London are a matter for them as the local licensing authority. The legislation that provides for licensing of taxi and private hire vehicle services is enabling in its nature, giving local licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area.

  • Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Wolf of Dulwich on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances a student may currently obtain a loan from the Student Loans Company for the fees for an equivalent level qualification at degree or sub-degree level.

    Viscount Younger of Leckie

    Students must already hold an honours degree and must be personally eligible for support in order to qualify for a tuition fee loan for an equivalent level qualification.

    In addition, they must be studying for a part-time degree in engineering, technology or computer science, and study should be at least 25% intensity of a full-time equivalent course. Graduates entering full-time study must be studying on a graduate entry accelerated medical or dental degree of no more than four years’ duration.