Category: Speeches

  • Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness of practical obstetric multi-professional training among medical professionals.

    Ben Gummer

    In November 2015 the Government announced a national ambition to halve by 2030 the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth. In support of the National Health Service in achieving this ambition over £1 million has been allocated to Health Education England (HEE) to roll out training programmes to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care.

    HEE’s Maternity Safety Steering Group have commissioned the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to produce a catalogue of quality assured standardised multi-disciplinary training packages in which practical obstetric multi-professional training will be included.

    Each NHS trust in England will receive this catalogue and be asked to confirm which training they will implement. This will include medical and midwifery staff. Funding will be available to support this work.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with higher education institutions about the potential effect of changes in the level of university teaching staff on casual employment contracts on the quality of teaching.

    Joseph Johnson

    We have had no such direct discussions with higher education institutions.

    In the 2016 Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Grant letter we asked HEFCE to look into the two issues of (a) the contractual status of academic staff and (b) teaching intensity/weighted contact hours across different subjects.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq and the UNHCR about contingency plans for the assistance of refugees fleeing Fallujah, in particular for the provision of water, food, medicine, sanitation, and shelter.

    Baroness Verma

    According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.

    The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

    Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-09-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will decide whether the airport at St Helena will open to commercial traffic; what criteria will be used in making that decision; and when they expect the information necessary to make that decision to be available.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Following certification by the regulator, ASSI, in June, the airport is open to flights that meet the Category C conditions set out in the St Helena Government’s Aerodrome Information Publication; this is provided to all prospective airlines and their pilots. The wind conditions at the Airport preclude commercial services at this time. A decision on when commercial services can begin will be made once sufficient information is available to make a decision which reflects the paramount importance of safety.

  • Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what provisions she plans to make for onshore wind projects that have achieved everything technically, been granted planning permission, and have grid connection contract but are outside the grace period and are contracts for difference (CFD); and whether she plans a CFD for those projects.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government was elected with a commitment to end new subsidies for onshore wind and to change the law so that local people have the final say on onshore windfarm applications. Government support is designed to help technologies stand on their own two feet, not encourage reliance on subsidies. Officials are considering how we use the tools available under the CFD to implement this commitment and will set out our plans in due course.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he intends to respond to the report of the Children’s Commissioner, Protecting children from harm, published in November 2015.

    Caroline Dinenage

    I refer my Honourable Friend to the response of the Secretary of State for Education to this question.

  • Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Gerald Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the CPS about the findings of the Flynn Report on the neglect of older people living in care homes in Wales.

    Robert Buckland

    The evidence in relation to Operation Jasmine has been carefully considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and they have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect in accordance with the Code for Prosecutors.

    The Director of Public Prosecutions noted the findings of the Flynn report. She has previously considered and responded to the specific recommendation that the CPS refer the case to the Special Crime Division but considered that to be neither necessary or appropriate given that the Special Crime Division was involved in the original decision making.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to rail companies to ensure they publicise passenger rights for compensation for disruption caused by the recent floods in Northern England.

    Claire Perry

    We are committed to improving compensation arrangements for delayed rail passengers. That is why we are introducing requirements in all new franchise agreements to both require that train operators make reasonable endeavours to make passengers aware of their rights to claim compensation and also to implement Delay/Repay. It is noteworthy that under Delay/Repay, which will apply to the new Northern and TPE franchises to start in April this year, there are no exclusions for delays outside the control of the rail industry, such as exceptionally severe weather conditions.

    This winter’s unprecedented weather conditions have caused disruption to services. Network Rail have been working hard to repair tracks in these atrocious conditions. We remain absolutely committed to getting all lines able to run full services as soon as possible and thank passengers for their patience whilst emergency repairs are made.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which months since March 2012 his Department has withheld performance payments from Capita as a result of it not meeting the recruitment targets required by the Recruitment Partnership Programme contract.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    I am witholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

  • Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will direct West London Mental Health Trust to consider mothballing or other alternatives to dismantling the Corsellis Brain Collection.

    George Freeman

    Started in the early 1950s by Professor Nick Corsellis at Runwell Hospital, in recent years the Corsellis Collection of brain pathology specimens has been managed and maintained by West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHT). The excess costs of maintaining the collection can only be supported by WLMHT from funds received for patient care. Therefore WLMHT has decided to dispose of the collection by seeking expressions of interest in the brain tissue of value for research, mainly sub-collections of the less common pathologies, and to respectfully dispose of that tissue for which no scientific purpose could be envisaged.

    WLMHT has received expressions of interest, but none in taking the complete collection. The original timescale for closure was by the end of March 2016, but WLMHT will support a further three months activity to meet the additional requests for tissue samples. The collection will close by the end of June.

    The Department and NHS England have not made any specific assessment of the contribution of the collection to medical research and health improvement in the United Kingdom, or undertaken any specific analysis of the potential effect on medical research of dismantling the collection.

    The Medical Research Council supports a range of brain tissue banks which have been set-up around specific disorders and diseases generally to collect post-mortem brain tissue from consented donors.