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Category: Speeches

  • Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to enable armed forces personnel who train as drivers to receive transferable civilian HGV qualifications.

    Mark Lancaster

    Drivers within the Armed Forces undertake the same vehicle licence training, resulting in the same licences, as their civilian counterparts. Drivers leaving the Ministry of Defence will retain (unless expired through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) all the vehicle licences that they have gained during their service career.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the number of NHS organisations that have official terms and conditions that set payment terms longer than 30 days.

    George Freeman

    The Department has developed standard National Health Service terms and conditions for use by NHS bodies procuring goods and services from commercial suppliers. The documents were first published in August 2013.

    The Department has details of all activity on the gov.uk website which shows extensive use and downloads of the documents and has also invited regular feedback and online surveys that demonstrate the extensive use of the suite of documents.

    In June 2015, the Department and the Cabinet Office Mystery Shopper scheme carried out spot checks with a number of trusts to find out the level of take up of the NHS terms and conditions. The results showed 90% of the trusts contacted confirmed they were using (or intended to use) the NHS terms and conditions.

    The suite of documents has been endorsed by the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI), the industry association for the medical technology sector, and the Health Care Supply Association, the representative and network organisation for NHS buyers. Both organisations inform the Department of any activity they are aware of that NHS bodies or suppliers are deviating from the stated terms and conditions. There have only limited examples to date.

    The Department of Health has been made aware of a couple of examples of where NHS bodies were extending their payment terms beyond 30 days. The examples came both via the Cabinet Office mystery shopper scheme and ABHI. To support their members ABHI undertook more extensive research but has found these are isolated cases and the practice is not widespread.

    The Department understands the concern and together with NHS Provider Regulators are working very closely with NHS providers to ensure that they have sufficient cash to support the safe delivery of their essential services. Although the NHS financial position is tight, the Department has not endorsed, and do not support, formal extensions of credit terms, particularly with Small and Medium size Enterprises, beyond the 30 days in statute.

    The Department will also ask NHS Improvement to communicate with all NHS providers through its official monthly bulletin to raise awareness of the Better Practice Payment Code.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether UK citizens will have the rights that currently apply to access higher education in the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU and prior to the completion of exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

    Joseph Johnson

    The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. The EU Treaties would continue to apply to the departing Member State until the Article 50 agreement had entered into force, or for two years if no agreement had been reached and no extension to the two year period had been granted. A request for an extension could only be granted with the unanimous agreement of the remaining Member States. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in how many clinical commissioning group areas specialist services are provided for people diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

    Jane Ellison

    The vast majority of services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. The Department does not hold information about the configuration of local services. However, we understand that there a number of clinics that specialise in the treatment of CFS/ME around the country.

    The ME Association has published a list of these services, available at:

    www.meassociation.org.uk/nhs-specialist-services-throughout-the-uk

    “

  • Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the role of regional airports in stimulating the UK economy.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The government made clear in its Aviation Policy Framework, that airports across the UK make a vital contribution to the growth and recovery of regional and local economies and their role in helping to accommodate wider forecast growth in demand for aviation in the UK. The government recognises that regional air connectivity across the UK is also very important and announced in November 2015 that it will provide around £7million of start-up aid from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund over the next three financial years to support 11 new air routes from smaller airports. The Fund is also providing support to two Public Service Obligation routes from London to Dundee and Newquay. The UK government has also recently agreed in principle to support the air route between City of Derry Airport and London.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure women’s participation in future peace negotiations in Syria by supporting women’s groups in Syria.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The second meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Vienna on 14 November agreed an outline timetable for Syrian peace negotiations, leading to transitional governance, a new constitution and elections within eighteen months. The International Syria Support Group will now meet on a regular basis, in parallel with Syrian-led discussions facilitated by UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, to take forward this process.

    Ministers and senior officials have made regular representations to the UN Special Envoy and other UN officials to impress upon them the importance of the inclusion of Syrian women’s groups in the peace process. We continue to encourage the moderate Syrian opposition to be gender-inclusive and were pleased that a senior female activist accompanied the Syrian National Coalition President, Khaled Khoja, on his official visit to the UK earlier this month. Our programmes of support to grass roots peace-building initiatives and civil society groups inside Syria support this objective, and are designed to ensure that Syrian women’s voices are heard and that they are represented in political negotiations.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13605, on Tenancy Deposit Schemes, if he will provide that information for 2014-15.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress in electoral registration in Somaliland; and what support the UK is providing for that process.

    James Duddridge

    The UK, together with Denmark and the EU are providing funding in support of the biometric voter registration system and expertise required to plan and prepare the voter registration system in Somaliland. The UK has contributed £2.18million. The process began on 16 January and is progressing as planned. Over 100,000 people have already been registered. The UK is funding independent monitoring of the process to ensure that it continues to be effectively administered, peaceful and accessible to all.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the new grading system for GCSEs on students of Latin and Greek; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of looked-after children who apply to attend university.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government wants all children to reach their full potential. Looked-after children have priority in admission arrangements so they have the chance to go to schools that best meet their needs. In 2014 we increased the pupil premium rate for looked-after children from £900 to £1900, and the role of Virtual School Heads (VSHs) became statutory.

    Local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of children they look after wherever they are placed and VSHs are responsible for ensuring that duty is discharged. Statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should have the same high aspirations for the children they look after as any good parent. That includes choosing schools for them that are judged by Ofsted as good or outstanding and supporting them to make maximum progress.

    In addition:

    • looked-after children and care leavers are eligible for the 16-19 Bursary, worth £1200 each year, to continue in full-time education;
    • care leavers pursuing a recognised course of higher education receive a £2000 Higher Education Bursary; and
    • we have made it easier for care leavers to return to education up to the age of 25 by requiring local authorities to support them with a personal adviser and a pathway plan while they are on their agreed course.

    The Department for Education is currently working with other government departments, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to explore what more can be done to support looked-after children and young people to progress in education and training and make a successful transition to adulthood.