Category: Speeches

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made by (a) his Department and (b) NHS commissioners to ensure NHS services in England are meeting the six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards set out by the IBD Standards Board in the 2013 Board Report; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards were published in 2013 by the IBD standards group, an independent organisation made up of a number of clinical professional organisations and the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK. The standards were designed to support clinicians, commissioning organisations in developing IBD services locally and may be considered, if appropriate, alongside sources of guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

    In February 2015, NICE published a Quality Standard (QS) for IBD. As part of the QS development process, the IBD Standards Group and other related organisations submitted evidence to help shape the four Quality Statements which constitute the QS. The NICE QSs are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers the key elements of what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care.

  • Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on school budgets of the National Living Wage.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We want to reward people in work, so we are introducing a national living wage in April 2016 which raises the current minimum rate by 50p per hour. Over a million workers will benefit directly from the increase, many by up to £900 a year.

    Some of those workers are employed in our schools. We will be expecting schools, like all employers, to manage the change within their budgets. To help them do that, we have protected the core schools budget, including the pupil premium, and we have ensured that the extra £390 million allocated in 2015-16 remains in the baseline for future years. Throughout this Parliament we will increase the amount of money for our schools as pupil numbers rise, protecting the total budget in real terms.

    We have committed to target this funding more fairly by introducing a national funding formula. With a fair formula we will be able to fund schools based on their individual needs, so that they can manage cost pressures effectively and make informed decisions about what is best for them and their pupils in the long term. This fairer system will mean schools can keep driving up educational standards while managing their budgets.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) details of contractor, (b) scope, (c) value and (d) cost overrun from the original estimate are of contracts awarded for the Successor Trident programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence manages a wide range of contracts to support the Successor submarine programme. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29565, what criteria will be applied to determine whether the Jobcentre Plus support for schools initiative should be rolled out more widely.

    Priti Patel

    To determine the wider roll out of Jobcentre Plus Support for Schools, DWP will undertake an evaluation of the pathfinder activity in Autumn 2016 using programme data and a qualitative research study.

    The evaluation criteria will include assessing the demand for JCP support from schools, the level of employer engagement with schools being generated, work experience opportunities being brokered through the programme and schools perceiving the programme to have value in providing a more rounded career guidance offer to pupils – in particular those at highest risk of becoming NEET.

  • Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times payment providers have (1) been asked to block payments to online gambling websites not licensed in the UK, and (2) blocked such payments, since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 came into force.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 came into force there have been 11 occasions where the Gambling Commission has asked payment providers to prevent payments to online gambling website operators not licensed in the UK but believed to be transacting with consumers in Great Britain. On all 11 occasions the payment provider either terminated their relationship with the unlicensed operator or took steps to ensure that the unlicensed gambling website was no longer available to consumers in Great Britain.

    In addition, the Gambling Commission are aware of additional instances where payment providers have, of their own initiative, terminated agreements with unlicensed gambling websites transacting with consumers in Great Britain. The Commission are unable to quantify these instances because payment providers are not obliged to report these cases unless the action is instigated by the Commission.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of extra reserve capacity in the National Grid in 2016 and 2017.

    Andrea Leadsom

    National Grid has procured 3.6GW of a total volume cap of 3.7GW (de-rated capacity). This is the amount that National Grid calculated in their ‘volume Requirement methodology’ to assess the amount of reserve that would be considered adequate, considering a number of sensitivities. This has been approved by the regulator, Ofgem.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to issue statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims as set out in section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

    Karen Bradley

    Guidance for identifying and supporting victims will be published once the National Referral Mechanism pilot has concluded. The guidance is being developed in consultation with NGOs and frontline agencies.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Kofi Annan and members of the new panel investigating the conflict in Rakhine State in Burma.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 15 September, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Honourable Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma), spoke on the phone with Kofi Annan, Chair of the new Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. He commended Mr Annan on his appointment and expressed the UK’s support for the work of the Commission. We welcome State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s initiative in establishing this Commission, whose work will play an important part in providing independent advice on how to resolve intercommunal tensions in Rakhine state.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the quality of educational facilities in HM Prison Holloway; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Selous

    At HMP Holloway there are currently approximately 120 places in a morning session and the same in an afternoon session for women to attend education courses. Women may attend in one or two sessions each day depending on the type of course they are on. In addition there are approximately 40 places available to attend Physical Education provision and approximately 60 places in vocational training areas.

    The Secretary of State for Justice announced on 8th September a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates. The review will examine the scope, quality and effectiveness of current provision. It will consider the scope and range of the current curricula and identify the most effective teaching and delivery models. Stakeholders are being consulted and a Call for Evidence has been issued. The review is expected to report in the spring of 2016. A copy of the terms of reference are lodged in the library of the House and at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-prison-education-terms-of-reference

    “

  • Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 21 October 2015 on Tax credit application, our case reference ZA1147.

    Damian Hinds

    HMRC replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 16 December 2015.