Category: Speeches

Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral Answer of 18 July 2016, Official Report, column 542, what evidence district councils who wish to retain their independence and status in a two-tier system need to produce in order to protect that status.

Mr Marcus Jones

Where an area has plans for its governance arrangements to be changed and proposes this to the Secretary of State, it must provide evidence as to how its proposals are likely to result in the provision of better local public services, significant cost savings, greater value for money, stronger and more accountable local leadership, and sustainability in the medium to long term. It is of course open to any body or person to make representations to the Secretary of State either in support of or in opposition to such proposals.

As we have made clear during discussions with areas, whilst size is an important consideration for areas considering governance changes, there are no maximum or minimum permitted sizes.

The level of council tax of any new authority is a matter for the local councils concerned. The government will however maintain council tax referendum thresholds at a modest level in order to help keep bills down for hardworking people. This is always the case including in cases of governance change.

January 1, 2023
Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of medical research spending is directed toward eye disease.

Joseph Johnson

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 19 November 2015 to Question UIN 14200.

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January 1, 2023
Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to report on the progress of the pilot being run in conjunction with the Department for Education to give schools access to a single point of contact for mental health.

Alistair Burt

The Department for Education and NHS England have commissioned Ecorys to undertake an independent evaluation of the Mental Health Services and School Link Pilots. The evaluation will run from October 2015 to November 2016, covering all 22 pilot sites with Ecorys formally reporting back to the Department for Education and NHS England towards the end of 2016.

January 1, 2023
Pauline Latham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pauline Latham on 2016-01-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the potential merits of reducing the rate of VAT on sunscreen, sun block and other sun safety products.

Mr David Gauke

EU VAT law does not specifically provide for a reduced rate for sunscreen, although there is a provision for a reduced rate of VAT for “pharmaceutical products of a kind normally used for health care, prevention of diseases and treatment for medical and veterinary purposes”.

Not all sunscreen products are recognised as having a health benefit and the factor level necessary for adequate protection is a matter of contention.

However, high-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and provided VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist to patients.

January 1, 2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the risk posed to children by domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley

Data showing the total number of women who have suffered domestic abuse in the last five years is set out in the Crime Statistics published on 11 February 2016: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/focus-on-violent-crime-and-sexual-offences–2014-to-2015/index.html.

Since the 2004/05 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), the number of women aged 16 to 59 experiencing any domestic abuse in the last year has reduced from 1.71 million to 1.35 million (360,000 fewer victims and a fall of 21%) and the estimate of the number of women experiencing any domestic abuse in the last year is the lowest since the survey began.

Latest data published by the Office for National Statistics from the 2014/15 CSEW additionally show that in 46% of cases of partner abuse, a child was present in the household, of which 20% of children saw or heard the abuse.

Data on children referred to and assessed by local authority children’s social services in England in 2014/15 show that there were 197,700 assessments where domestic violence was identified as a relevant factor. This data is only available for 2014/15.

The Government works closely with charities, academics and statutory agencies to assess and address the impact of domestic abuse on children and wholly recognises the life changing impact domestic abuse can have on the lives of children. That is why we have expanded the Troubled Families Programme for a further five years (2015-2020) to work with an additional 400,000 families, including those affected by domestic abuse.

To further address the impact of domestic abuse on victims and their children, we have introduced a new domestic abuse offence to tackle coercive and controlling behaviour, and in England and Wales we have rolled out Domestic Violence Protection Orders and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. Improvements have been made to the police response to domestic abuse, and we are supporting multi-agency working which takes a whole family approach.

We will shortly publish a refreshed cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls strategy setting out how we will do more still to support victims and their children. The Government has already announced £40 million of funding for domestic abuse services between 2016 and 2020, as well as a £2 million grant to Women’s Aid and Safelives to support early intervention programmes.

January 1, 2023
Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to make representations to EU institutions on EU plans to tax (a) e-cigarettes and (b) other reduced risk products at the same rates as combustible cigarettes.

Damian Hinds

There are no plans to mandate EU-level rules on taxing e-cigarettes and no legislative proposals have been submitted. As the EU Commission clarified last week, all that has happened is that the Commission has been asked to further analyse the issue of e-cigarettes as part of a wider review of the Tobacco Duties Directive (2011/64/EU). Any proposal would need the unanimous support of all 28 EU governments for it to be approved.

January 1, 2023
Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the UK contribution has been to the UN’s emergency relief fund for Yemen since its creation.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has contributed £36.2 million to the Yemen Emergency Response Fund (ERF) since it was established in 2010.

In 2015 the ERF channelled funds to over 79 projects implemented by UN agencies and national and international NGOs. Through the total resources received from donors in 2015, the Fund has provided critical life-saving assistance to 3.3 million people affected by the conflict in Yemen, including through the provision of healthcare, clean water, sanitation services, food supplies or shelter materials.

January 1, 2023
Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which projects her Department plans to close following its decision to suspend financial aid payments to the government of Mozambique.

Justine Greening

Following confirmation of undisclosed state-guaranteed loans, the UK immediately suspended all direct aid to the Government of Mozambique. This has since been followed by other donors. The UK is working with international partners to assess the implications for programming. The UK’s priority is to continue to support the people of Mozambique to exit poverty and build a more prosperous and secure country.

January 1, 2023
Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on regulation relating to air quality.

George Eustice

Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, food and drink and our environment remain in place.

Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. It is also vital that British farming is profitable and remains competitive – it is the bedrock of the food and drink industry, Britain’s largest manufacturing sector.

The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

January 1, 2023

Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average annual spend per pupil in secondary modern schools was in 2015-16 in (a) England and (b) each region.

Nick Gibb

Schools self-select their own admissions category on Edubase. 120 schools are identified as ‘secondary modern’.

The Department does not yet hold the income and expenditure data from 2015-16. The data will be available for those which are maintained by the local authority in December 2016, and for those which are academies in the summer of 2017.

The overall expenditure per pupil in secondary modern schools by each region for 2014-15 is listed in the following table:

Region	Number of secondary modern schools	Expenditure per pupil (£)
East Midlands	13	6,388
East of England	1	5,738
London	13	6,228
North West	15	6,416
South East	54	5,703
South West	7	5,928
West Midlands	11	5,547
Yorkshire and the Humber	3	6,729
England Total	117*	5,921

*Note: There are 3 secondary modern schools for which we do not have comparable financial data for them for this period. One of these converted to an academy during 2014-15, and one was reported as part of a federation with another school. The remaining school did not submit data to the Department. The expenditure per pupil takes into account expenditure from all income sources, including self-generated income.

January 1, 2023